What not to miss . . .

[Jonny D]

My wife and I are making our first trip to WDW in a few months. She hasn't been there in 17 years; myself, 12 years.

Looking for suggestions on what not to miss to eat, what are absolute musts?

 

[OhThePain]

With such an openended question, your could get 1,000,000 different thoughts and opinions. For every positive opinion of a restaurant, you can find a negative opinion. Your best bet is to check out the menus on a site like allears.net to get an idea of what restaurants interest you. Then if you have a more specific question, you can ask it or set up a poll (polls work better for yes/no or this/that type questions since you will probably get more votes than responces).

 

[kathie859]

My wife and I are making our first trip to WDW in a few months. She hasn't been there in 17 years; myself, 12 years.

Looking for suggestions on what not to miss to eat, what are absolute musts?

I see this is your first post!! Welcome!!!
Give us a little more info and you'll get responses. I.e., have kids? Staying on site or not? Specific likes/dislikes?

Happy planning

 

[BLTLDZ]

Well, are you both meat eaters?
If so, I HIGHLY recommend a first night dinner at "ohana, in the Polynesian resort....Try to get a dinner around the time for fireworks..
OR dinner at California Grill, in the Contemporary resort, also around the time of fireworks..

Speaking fireworks, you must try to get up close to the castle at one point for the nightime showings of wishes.

In Epcot, stroll around the countries, amd soak in all they have to offer...maybe stop off in Mexico for lunch & a Marguerita...I could keep going..LOL

 

[KRAGGI01]

O'hanas, tower of terror, rocking roller coaster

 

[Jonny D]

Doh!! Specifics would help, wouldn't they!?

It's our first trip since our honeymoon that is just the two of us. We're staying at POR. We have ADR's at Citrico's, Artist's Point, and Kouzzina.

I'm a "brats and beer" sort of guy; easy to please. My wife is all over allears.net and the menus on this forum. I'm looking forward to watching her have fun!

It's been so long since I've been there that I'm looking for suggestions of what not to miss. Where's a good place to get coffee and a goodie? Where's a must stop for a great libation? What are your "must haves?" Things like that. I really want my wife to have a great time!

Sorry if I'm still to vague.

 

[BLTLDZ]

Doh!! Specifics would help, wouldn't they!?

We're staying at POR. We have ADR's at Citrico's, Artist's Point, and Kouzzina.

I'm a "brats and beer" sort of guy; easy to please. My wife is all over allears.net and the menus on this forum. I'm looking forward to watching her have fun!

It's been so long since I've been there that I'm looking for suggestions of what not to miss. Where's a good place to get coffee and a goodie? Where's a must stop for a great libation? What are your "must haves?" Things like that. I really want my wife to have a great time!

Sorry if I'm still to vague.

So far, you have chosen all very good restuarants

In terms of grabbing a drink, I highly suggest, the night of your dinner reservation at Citricos, you get to the Grand Floridian a little early, and enjoy the grounds there, and stop off at the lounge right across from the restaurant....They usually have a live jazz band in the lobby . Very realxing.

(By the way, Citricos, in my opinion, is the BEST restaurant on property, and our personal favorite!)
I think I have tried everything on the menu by now!

Also ,the Tambu Lounge, in the Polynesian, is a great place to grab a drink, as well as the Bellevue Lounge in the Boardwalk resort

As far as coffee, and a goody, we prefer to go to Epcot and stop off at the kiosk in Italy for a cappucino and a pastry...or the boardwalk bakery. The goodies there are SO YUMMY!

Another thing since you are staying at POR, are you aware of the horse drawn carriage rides offer there in the eveings? Definitely check this out! (Advanced reservations recommended!)
Here's the info
http://allears.net/btp/carriage.htm#po4

Any other questions, pleae ask! As my hubby tells everyone "ask my wife, she is the disney queen"

 

[daizieduck]

I highly recommend seeing the nightime show Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios. It's the BEST! I believe you can get priority seating for the show if you eat at Brown Derby, Mama Melrose, or Hollywood and Vine.

 

[EvilQueenT]

i like your adr choices. citricos is one of my very favorite places at wdw to eat. when we do an all adult trip we like to take the time to hit a lounge or two. i've done tambu lounge before eating at ohana's as a previous poster noted. we also love love love la cava del tequila inside the mexican pavilion at epcot. when just my husband and i go we approach our trips like a honeymoon, when just my sister(s) and i go we approach it like a week long bachlorette party so the experiences are very different from each other and very different from going with kids. just have fun. i don't think we could give you any more of a what not to miss list than you will come up with yourself just allow yourself to relax and enjoy the fact that it's all about you guys not about making if fun for the kids or someone else and you'll have a great time.

 

[OhThePain]

Are you on a dining plan? Is cost an issue? Are you interested in Character meals or not so much? Are you looking for quieter more romantic meals with few kids or does that not matter? With all the variety that is at WDW, the more specific your wants, the more specific recommendations people can give.

Since it is just you and your wife, if you can budget it, I would settle for nothing less than a signature meal most nights (Citricos and AP are 2 great choices to start with). My girlfriend and I tend to do more signatures since it is just the 2 of us (trying to enjoy them while we can). Flying Fish on the Boardwalk is one of our favorites, as is Jiko at the AKL (not to mention AKL is a beautiful resort with a lot to see).

If your a "brats and beer" kind of guy then I highly suggest Biergarten. It is a German buffet (the food is pretty good) with an Oktoberfest atmosphere. The entertainment is good as is the beer (they have pints, litres and flights). You will sit with other people (tables sit 8) and that may change your experience a bit, but it can be a lot of fun.)

One other suggestion, not really restaurant related, Jellyroll's. It is an all request deuling piano bar that plays anything from Billy Joel and Elton John to The Beasty Boys or Lady Gaga and everything outside and inbetween. If you go, try to get there by 8:30 or so so that you can get a table because once IllumiNations ends the bar gets packed on most nights. It's really a lot of fun and would be great after your Kouzzina or Flying Fish (if you decide to go) meals.

 

[Pugmalion1]

We have ADR's at Citrico's, Artist's Point, and Kouzzina.

All very good restaurants with good to great reputations. You'll enjoy yourself at all three. Don't pass on the drinks at Kouzzina. They make a pretty good cocktail there. The Bloody Mary is excellent, maybe the best on property.

I'm a "brats and beer" sort of guy

Sounds like Biergarten in the Epcot Germany pavilion is right up your alley, then. You'll find all of that and more in the buffets here. Just be aware that it's Oktoberfest beer tent-style bench seating, so you'll most likely be sitting right next to unfamiliar families. If that's an issue, the counter service restaurant in the pavilion should still satisfy your cravings.

Where's a good place to get coffee and a goodie?

Most of the coffee you'll find on property is pretty terrible, but there are a few notable exceptions. I'll limit it to one in particular, the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort. Here, you can get a whole pressed pot of 100% Kona bean brew. For lunch and dinner, there's even a sushi bar open outside of the restaurant that is walk-up (no reservations needed). They have some tasty desserts here, too. Check it out on AllEars. If it sounds nice, you may want to make a late reservation here for maybe a nightcap, pressed pot and a dessert to share.

Where's a must stop for a great libation?

Now you're speaking my language. We spend just as much time in and out of the lounges around the parks and resorts as we do in the restaurants. I'll give you three places you could check out, if you're in the area and have a hankering for a nice beverage:

1. Jellyrolls - This is a dueling pianos bar on the Boardwalk. It is 21+ only, so no kids allowed, and it has a cover charge. Once you're in, though, you'll usually find a specialty drink on their big board that comes in a 32 oz cup for $8-12! It's one of the better drink deals on property and you'll have a great time to go along with it! The more crowded the bar gets, the harder it is to get a request in, so get there early if you want to hear something specific.

2. The Wave Lounge - The is the lounge behind the check-in desk at the Wave restaurant in the Contemporary Resort. It's a beautiful place, lots of wood and dimly lit in tones of blue. It's quiet and usually pretty empty. There are good bartenders and a deceptively impressive bar menu. It's a great place for a midday break from the Magic Kingdom. Get an appetizer or two and enjoy a couple of good drinks and then walk back to the park refreshed and ready to take on the onslaught of tourists, yet again.

3. The Sanaa Lounge - Like the Wave Lounge, this one is also located behind the check-in desk for its restaurant, but this one is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge (the Kidani side). Since the Animal Kingdom closes early (5 PM), we usually make our way to the nearby lodge via bus for dinner and drinks at one of their great restaurants. No matter which restaurant you may decide to do here, the Sanaa Lounge is a great place to end the night before heading back to your hotel. Fantastic bartenders, an interesting mix of signature drinks and apps and desserts served at the bar make this an ideal way to start or finish any nearby meal.



Oh, and as a bonus, make sure you check out the lounges at both Riverside and French Quarter. On certain nights, they have live music, and, if you ask for the right thing, they might even make you some hurricanes off of the old bar menus. Some of those things were strong.

 

[Jonny D]

You guys are a huge help! Thanks for the suggestions about the carriage rides and lounges. I know we'll need a break from the crowds.

 

[Winky65]

It's been so long since I've been there that I'm looking for suggestions of what not to miss. Where's a good place to get coffee and a goodie? Where's a must stop for a great libation? What are your "must haves?" Things like that. I really want my wife to have a great time!

Grey Goose slushy in France at Epcot is a good choice. Anything inside the French Bakery Boulangerie is a good choice.

As someone else mentioned, Kona is a good place for coffee.

Tequila bar in Mexico (Epcot) is nice as well.

 

[Annie B]

Only 60 days left!! Im SOOO excited!! (Im Jonny D'd wife!) We love food! And we will try anything once!

Thank you all for your great input and suggestions!

 

[kathie859]

Only 60 days left!! Im SOOO excited!! (Im Jonny D'd wife!) We love food! And we will try anything once!

Thank you all for your great input and suggestions!

Hi Annie B!!! Your DH sounds like a real sweetie! You're going to have a blast! I second stopping by the pastry shop in France--across from the pastry shop is wine bar---my fave is a Kir Royale (champagne and creme de cassis) Oh, and Kouzinna is wonderful! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Plus it'll be a great opportunity to check out The Boardwalk.
There's evening entertainment and a great place to stroll and relax.

Don't miss the movies in the pavillions. China's is good and the one in France just makes me want to jump on a plane and GO. Getting to "rope drop" is a great time saver overall. Oh, and use FASTPASS!

Have fun!!