Best dining "Experience"

julie1072

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
31
We are planning a trip for our family of four in January. We are not using a dining plan, as we are not big eaters. I am wondering what restaurants have the best "atmosphere" or "experience". I'm not looking for "the best" food necessarily, I just want something fun or interesting. It is myself, DH, DD14 and DD10.


For those of you with lots of dining experience...what would you recommend? BOG is definitely on the list, and our youngest is requesting Whispering Canyon again. Sci Fi looks interesting....but so does Prime Time.

Any opinions are appreciated!
 
I had lunch at BOG, not thrilled. Same with Biergarten. For "experience" meals, really enjoy 50's PTC, Crystal Palace breakfast, W.C dinner, and 'Ohana. Trying Raglan Road next trip (ate there before but not when entertainment was going on).

To me, California Grill is the best in terms of food and experience. Time it so you see the sunset and then stay long enough to watch Wishes. Incredible!!!
 
Best Atmosphere or Experience? Hmmm, how about;
  • Artist Point
  • Jiko
  • Flying Fish
  • Olivia's (Old Key West)
  • Landscape of Flavors (Art of Animation)
  • Sanaa (AKL, Kidani)
 

It's a dinner show but I think Hoop Dee Doo Revue is an awesome experience! We do love BOG and Ohana as well! All three have great food and the atmosphere is wonderful!
 
It's a dinner show but I think Hoop Dee Doo Revue is an awesome experience! We do love BOG and Ohana as well! All three have great food and the atmosphere is wonderful!
I would pick these three too. I might also add Sci-Fi for the atmosphere / corny movies while you eat in a car:-) Decent burgers and shakes. We usually have a lunch here each trip.
Have a great trip!
 
We are planning a trip for our family of four in January. We are not using a dining plan, as we are not big eaters. I am wondering what restaurants have the best "atmosphere" or "experience". I'm not looking for "the best" food necessarily, I just want something fun or interesting. It is myself, DH, DD14 and DD10.


For those of you with lots of dining experience...what would you recommend? BOG is definitely on the list, and our youngest is requesting Whispering Canyon again. Sci Fi looks interesting....but so does Prime Time.

Any opinions are appreciated!
In no particular order:
-- Sci-Fi is an indoor drive-in. Very cool.
-- 50's Prime Time - formica theme may be lost on children. But if you like Whispering Canyon, the antics are fun.
-- Coral Reef - we enjoy the 'fancy-ish' food, others give mixed reviews. But the wall of aquarium is cool.
-- CA Grill - best view of Magic Kingdom. Fireworks are good too (seen from outside terrace).
-- Narcoossee's & 'Ohana - better view of fireworks than CA Grill (seen from outdoor terraces).
-- Hoop Dee Doo Review - a root in' tooting' god time for children of all ages.
-- Sanaa - during daylight hours, animals on the Savannah can be seen.
-- Boma - exotic flavors for breakfast
-- Tusker House - not as elaborate as Boma, but similar flavors and Characters too.
-- Be Our Guest - West Wing (with dripping rose) for dinner to take pictures with the Beast.
-- Victoria & Albert - if your children are old enough, an exceptional dining experience.
-- Capa - although I have not yet been, 17 stories up and a view of Disney World. Food should be very good.
 
For experience, Hoop Dee Doo Revue without a doubt! It is the one thing we must do each trip, not only for the great food, but for the experience. We love it and it is a great time. I am doing it twice during my November trip... once with my bestfriend, her DH and DD and again with another group who I've been going there with each year since 2012. I love it there!
 
HDDR eh? That seems to be a theme amongst the thread here. Now, I need to persuade my husband....perhaps I just won't tell him what it is!:rotfl2:

Thanks for all of the great suggestions guys! :cheer2:
 
I'd suggest Sanaa. They have amazing food and animals views that can't be beat
 
For "experience" dining our boys enjoyed Prime Time, Coral Reef, Sci Fi Dine-in, 'Ohana character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch, Cinderella's Royal Table (although this was some years ago when it was still a nice dining experience) and Marrakesh (band and belly dancer who invites the kids onto the dance floor). They enjoyed Hoop de Doo Revue. At Epcot, they also liked the Rose and Crown Pub and Teppan Edo. They always liked Italian so enjoyed Mama Melrose and Tony's Town Square during the parade. Dinner at BOG was fun too but it is so much trouble to get a reservation that once was enough.
 
I feel that it partly depends on what you are willing to pay and what kind of experiences/ambiance we're talking about.

BOG is pretty good food-wise but has little ambiance beyond the sheer dedication to decor they've invested. I loved that movie growing up, so I always feel like I'm actually in it when I go and I'm very happy. But it's often crowded and there is nothing else going on save you staring at pretty things. The West Wing has the best ambiance IMO.

Ohana is my favorite breakfast place, if you can get in. Lilo and Stitch are great. When the Poly isn't under construction, the views are also fun. They play music and there is a little parade that, even if you don't participate, can be fun to watch. I always have a good time there, and everyone introduces themselves as cousin and says aloha. The kitchen is small though, as it only operates partially for breakfast, so if you want extra of something ask well in advance. I drag everyone new here and they've all loved it. I'm also a huge Pluto and Stitch fan, and they've almost always played nicely with me. :)

50s Prime Time is an experience. Hopefully you get someone who is really into it. The idea is that they're all family members and you are kind of their house guests. Food can take a while to get to your table, and it's all stuff people might make at home (I mean, not me because I can't cook. But other people maybe). Lasagna, meatloaf, friend chicken, etc. I, personally, like being sassed by the waitstaff, which is supposed to be part of the job. I've been praised for finishing what was on my plate, chastised for having elbows on the table; my friend was nicknamed Rusty (he's a redhead) and told to set the table, then he was yelled at for not doing it right. It's all in character and we ended up cracking a lot of jokes and "telling on" each other. I like the atmosphere as well. One of my favorite Hollywood Studios locations, tbh.

Not really a sit-down, but the new Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at the Polynesian Resort is pretty kickin. I was there for the opening and had a blast. It might be packed, but the outdoor area is nice provided the weather cooperates. They have appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks. It comes off as festive and fun, kind of like a tropical backyard bbq as opposed to a luau (no open fires or dancers here). Your kids won't be able to go into the main bar area, but cool things happen if you manage to get in.

Hoop de Hoo and Spirit of Aloha are dinner/show combos. If you want one of those, I've always heard glowing things about Hoop de Hoo and more mixed results on Spirit of Aloha.
 
Our best experience this past trip was BOG. It was our arrival dinner, we were sat in the west wing right between the rose and beast portrait. It was much nicer than being in the noiser ballroom. The atmosphere was wonderful. My DH and I had the steak and it was wonderful! Kids were able to tweak their dinners to their likeness. (Made subs on Mickey Check meals). They all enjoyed choosing a dessert from the cart and meeting the beast was a wonderful way to end the meal!

The only negative we had with it was that our service was really slow. We were there nearly 2 hours. It was a great meal and experience, but allow yourself sometime to really enjoy it.
 
Our best experience this past trip was BOG. It was our arrival dinner, we were sat in the west wing right between the rose and beast portrait. It was much nicer than being in the noiser ballroom. The atmosphere was wonderful. My DH and I had the steak and it was wonderful! Kids were able to tweak their dinners to their likeness. (Made subs on Mickey Check meals). They all enjoyed choosing a dessert from the cart and meeting the beast was a wonderful way to end the meal!

The only negative we had with it was that our service was really slow. We were there nearly 2 hours. It was a great meal and experience, but allow yourself sometime to really enjoy it.

We loved the West Wing as well! BOG is really impressive as a whole, but the West Wing is so cool. :)

The others I would recommend for the experience would be Sci-Fi and 'Ohana.

ETA: We tried Biergarten on our trip a couple of weeks ago and it was a really fun experience- plus some great food, too!
 
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