Opinion: The Importance of Meal-Planning During Your Walt Disney World Trip
I am the go-to Disney person in my family — the long-reigning “Disney Adult,” if you will — which means I always have strong opinions on the food I want to experience on a Walt Disney World vacation.
When I was a kid, my family attended the occasional character meal, or a particularly unique quick-service option — but for the most part, my memories of Disney food are french fries, chicken nuggets, and a small soda.
As an adult, I say — no more.
In October, my fiancé, my mom, my younger brother and I went on a short weekend trip to The Most Magical Place On Earth — a morning in Hollywood Studios, an evening in EPCOT, and one full day in Magic Kingdom (sorry Animal Kingdom! We missed you!).
We (meaning, I) carefully settled on three restaurants for our two Disney days: 50’s Prime Time Café (Hollywood Studios), Tokyo Dining (EPCOT — Japan Pavilion) and Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen (Magic Kingdom).
The idea was that each member of the trip would get one restaurant specifically chosen to suit their individual needs and tastes. 50’s Prime Time Café was chosen for my little brother, who would love the vintage atmosphere and interactive play with the cast at this location; he also begged to eat here after doing a little bit of his own research, which certainly helped me finalize this particular decision. Tokyo Dining was picked for my fiancé, a lover of Japanese food and culture; and Skipper Canteen was the choice for my mother, as I felt that the entrée options were unique and would be softer on her sensitive stomach than fried, greasy foods — and I also knew that she would love the “secret” menu’s pão de queijo, a popular dish of Brazilian origin that my great-grandmother used to make.
All these restaurants were well-worth the visit, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal selections — but to my surprise, each person’s favorite restaurant differed from the one I’d had in mind!
My little brother’s top choice was Skipper Canteen, where he enjoyed the shared pão de queijo appetizer with the table and the “Tastes Like Chicken” Because it is!” entrée for himself.
This location’s savory bites were a hit for this skipper-in-training, who confidently declared in a written statement, “Skipper Canteen was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to — their selection of flavors from opposite sides of the world is something my taste buds will never forget.”
As for satisfying his sweet tooth, his preference circled back around to the initial pick of 50’s Prime Time Café: the Grasshopper Bar, which we both agreed somehow managed to put a flavor to what we imagine a sitcom-esque flashback to the 50s would taste like — so I’ll take the half-point on that one!
Which leads us to…
The favored eatery of my fiancé, 50’s Prime Time Café!
Ever the immersive-experience-lover, he praised the theming: “All the re-runs of old shows played on faux vintage TVs, the waitstaff was all dressed in costume and made fun jokes about technology… I’ve never had so much fun being yelled at by a ‘family member.’”
His entrée choice: “A Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes” — and his preferred item in that sampler was the meatloaf, by a mile.
“It was soft, but not mushy, juicy without being soggy — probably the best-tasting piece of meatloaf I’ve ever eaten in my life. It was, by far, the best thing that was on that plate,” he stated.
Meanwhile, while my mom did like the pão de queijo on her plate at Skipper Canteen (as expected), a Disney-fied version of a snack she enjoyed in her childhood still could not convince her to rank Skipper Canteen above her total experience at Tokyo Dining.
When we were there, Tokyo Dining was not crowded at all, and was actually quite quiet; we were alone in our section of the restaurant until the end of our meal.
According to Mom, “[Tokyo Dining’s] portions were perfect,” and the yuzu lemonade was the best beverage of the trip.
Mom especially enjoyed the ginger peach dressing on her garden salad and has since been searching for a comparable store-bought version or recipe she can use to enjoy it at home.
The yuzu mousse cake was a hit among the table, and the blue sparkling yuzu sauce made it the prettiest dessert I’ve seen since the Mexico pavilion’s iridescent chocolate “fiesta” pyramid. It’s certainly the obvious choice for the Instagram-obsessed group member!
And as for our last meal?
We ended up at Magic Kingdom’s Pinocchio Village Haus, with a truly ridiculous amount of french fries and chicken fingers, before rushing to see Enchantment from Main Street — but that was okay with me (it was a little less okay with Mom, who footed the bill for our accidental enthusiasm on the fry order).
But, that’s just the point I’m making — when you’re walking around Walt Disney World without a plan, and your group members are hungry, you’ll likely end up choosing the easiest and quickest food option — which is often the one that’ll leave everyone with the mistaken impression that, gastronomically, Disney is no different from any other theme park.
Don’t get me wrong — if straightforward theme park food is your thing, go for it! As an enthusiastic Disney Adult, however, I would encourage you to expand your palate and explore your surroundings when it comes time to eat in the parks. You might discover a new flavor, character, or story that resonates deeply within you — and after all, that’s what Disney is for!
When you take the time to make checkpoints in your schedule — moments you can plan the rest of your day around, even if the rest of your days’ plans are “seeing how it goes” — you’re doing yourself and your family a huge favor. If you choose your restaurants wisely, you’ll be spending your money and time on much more than just a meal.