BOG vs. Boathouse for dinner first night

[1m1b]

I don't know why I can't decide this! I got a BOG reservation for 4pm the first night we get in, a Tuesday. We arrive in MCO at 10:10 and are staying at Shades of Green. We'd need to validate our military discount tickets, maybe let Gramps nap while ds8 and I go into the park, then meet at BOG. OR we can do some low key things (swim, putt putt, etc.) and do dinner at Disney Springs.

We won't have another BOG dinner option, not only because they're gone but because we have a full schedule. We're actually in town for a wedding, not Disney, so 3 of the 6 nights are taken with other things. The other two nights we're together and I want to hit Fantasmic and Biergarten. So IF Be Our Guest is so worth doing for dinner, this is it!

Then there's the issue of the day of the wedding (Saturday). We could putt-putt and do Boathouse or something at Disney Springs that day too. Or we could go up and see the manatees. I thought that might be really neat.

Any advice? As far as BOG itself, I think my dh will think the building and imagineering is really cool. I'll like it. Ds will be fine. It will be lost on Gramps. I guess I'm afraid they'll be disappointed or that it will feel rushed. I've never been to Disney, so I have no clue.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I don't know why I can't decide this! I got a BOG reservation for 4pm the first night we get in, a Tuesday. We arrive in MCO at 10:10 and are staying at Shades of Green. We'd need to validate our military discount tickets, maybe let Gramps nap while ds8 and I go into the park, then meet at BOG. OR we can do some low key things (swim, putt putt, etc.) and do dinner at Disney Springs.

We won't have another BOG dinner option, not only because they're gone but because we have a full schedule. We're actually in town for a wedding, not Disney, so 3 of the 6 nights are taken with other things. The other two nights we're together and I want to hit Fantasmic and Biergarten. So IF Be Our Guest is so worth doing for dinner, this is it!

Then there's the issue of the day of the wedding (Saturday). We could putt-putt and do Boathouse or something at Disney Springs that day too. Or we could go up and see the manatees. I thought that might be really neat.

Any advice? As far as BOG itself, I think my dh will think the building and imagineering is really cool. I'll like it. Ds will be fine. It will be lost on Gramps. I guess I'm afraid they'll be disappointed or that it will feel rushed. I've never been to Disney, so I have no clue.

Especially since you've "never been to Disney" I think you should go to Magic Kingdom and keep your BOG dinner reservation. You won't be rushed if you arrive at the airport at 10 am. Enjoy!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Be Our Guest is about the most "Disney" restaurant at Disney World. Decent food (not great -- think maybe a bit better than Chili's or Applebee's) but a great atmosphere. I'd keep it personally. There are restaurants at Disney that have better food but not many that have a better combo of food and atmosphere. Boathouse is super pricey and we weren't too happy with the service. I'd actually go with Raglan Road at Disney Springs since I think the food is good and the service better, and it is a pretty unique experience (and more reasonably priced).

And hope you enjoy Shades of Green.

 

[1m1b]

Thank you, I feel much better about keeping it then! Will do! And thanks, I'll definitely go look at Raglan Road.

 

[Disnut4925]

Be Our Guest is a great experience! We think some of the dishes are really good, like the coq au vin-style pork - delicious. How cool that you're going to see manatees! Where are you going for that? We love seeing them! Have a fantastic trip!

 

[Hopefully]

Just as an FYI. You should have a plan for that day as well. If you are taking DME from MCO to Shades of Green, it averages about 90 minutes travel total. So you should be there by noon. That said it is highly likely you will not have a room for Gramps to nap until after 3PM. Bell Services will hold your carry ons for you.
Pack everything you need for the day in a day bag.
If you are going to MK for BOG I would head over once you are settled at the resort6.

 

[1m1b]

Be Our Guest is a great experience! We think some of the dishes are really good, like the coq au vin-style pork - delicious. How cool that you're going to see manatees! Where are you going for that? We love seeing them! Have a fantastic trip!

Florida Wildlife Tour Florida Wildlife Tour Guide Florida Wildlife Viewing Central Florida Segway Tours They have deals on Groupon sometimes too. I don't know if we'll fit it in, but it looked nice. And thanks for the tip on the pork. My dh likes pork, so maybe he'll order that!

Just as an FYI. You should have a plan for that day as well. If you are taking DME from MCO to Shades of Green, it averages about 90 minutes travel total. So you should be there by noon. That said it is highly likely you will not have a room for Gramps to nap until after 3PM. Bell Services will hold your carry ons for you.
Pack everything you need for the day in a day bag.
If you are going to MK for BOG I would head over once you are settled at the resort6.

Thank you! That's something I've been trying to figure out, what time was REALISTIC for getting checked in. No, we're renting a car. I need to figure out whether we will be better eating lunch on the way to Disney or whether we should just go to Disney Springs when we get here. Pro in favor of going to Disney Springs is that we can activate the park tickets. For military salute tickets, we have to go to either Disney Springs or one of the parks. Since we'll have a car but *not* the free parking at the parks (bummer), it would make sense to eat lunch at Disney Springs. But, duh, lunch would be cheaper anywhere else. And we don't need to eat a heavy or late lunch, since we'll be doing 4pm dinner at BOG. So if we arrive at 10:10, pick up our bags, pick up our rental car, and scat, what time would we be at Disney Springs? Or we could eat lunch on the way (Wendy's, whatever), pick up some water and things in town (grrr, not fun with a Gramps and an autistic son), then still head to Disney Springs to activate the tickets.

What I know I can't do is take Gramps into the park before I get the scooter. And if he could get a nap even for a while, he be better off.

Do you know how long, realistically, it takes to get from SOG to MK and then into BOG? Like if our BOG res is for 4:00, what time do we need to leave SOG if we have our park tickets already activated? We'll have Gramps on ECV, so we can either walk to the monorail or use a SOG bus, no opinion. He's never done ECV, but I would think once he gets the hang of it he'll be speedy. He does drive, so I think he can do it.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I'd think that the earliest you'll be at Disney Springs is around noon. The drive isn't too long from the airport to Disney Springs, maybe 25-30 minutes, but by the time you get luggage and in your rental it will be after 11:00 I'd think.

There are actually some pretty good places to eat lunch at Disney Springs that are reasonably priced. Earl of Sandwich is pretty well regarded and would probably be less than $10 a person, although our favorite quick service at Disney Springs is Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace, which has a lot of quality options at $10-20 a person - menu link https://www.disneysprings.com/dinin...ss-at-disney-springs-marketplace/menus/Lunch/.

With respect to getting to MK from SOG, you will have to drive, take a cab/Uber or take a SOG bus. There is no monorail from SOG to MK. We've never stayed at SOG so I don't know how long the bus trip takes, but it usually is around 15-20 minutes to MK from other resorts. Buses run every 20 minutes from SOG, so if you just missed one you'll have a 20 minute wait plus a 15-20 minute ride. The buses from SOG apparently drop off at the Ticket and Transportation Center, so you'd need to take a boat or the monorail from there to MK, and that's another 10-15 minutes or so. AND THEN, if you are renting an ECV from MK (which you can do at the front gate) that will take another 5-10 minutes. After that it is about a 10 minute walk at a reasonable pace to BOG. So worst case scenario it could take you almost 1.5 hours from the time you get to the bus stop till you get to BOG. It would almost certainly be faster just to drive or cab/Uber. If you ask the cab/Uber to drop you off at the Contemporary guard house then it is about a 5 minute walk to the entrance to MK. Will cost you about $20 each way.

And a question - where are you getting the ECV from? You can rent them at the parks or you can get one from a private company and have it delivered but then you have to take it to/from the park. If that's what you are doing then you are better off taking the bus.

On edit, as I thought about this a bit more I'm not sure it makes sense to go to Disney Springs the first day. You can go straight to SOG and check in. If your room isn't ready you can still drop off your luggage and then head over to MK and activate your tickets at guest service at the park entrance, grab an ECV and then spend an hour or two in the park before you eat at BOG.

 

[powellrj]

[QUOTE We'll have Gramps on ECV, so we can either walk to the monorail or use a SOG bus, no opinion. He's never done ECV, but I would think once he gets the hang of it he'll be speedy. He does drive, so I think he can do it.[/QUOTE]

If he has never used an ECV before, I would have him practice before he gets there at a local supermarket or big box store like Target or Wal Mart. It is nothing like driving and if he has never used one before the last thing you want is for him to be speedy. He will be bottom height with everyone walking so he will have to drive slowly as to not hit people. Its not as easy as it sounds because people will be cutting him off and walking into him if he isn't right on the ball and watching everyone around him. I use one all the time and I still have to be very aware of everyone around me.

 

[aseifert05]

I agree with others - keep the BOG reservation. Our meal there is one of our favorite Disney meals ever. The food was pretty good, but the experience is wonderful. The Boathouse, on the other hand, is without a doubt our least favorite ever. It is expensive (which is to be expected at Disney), but IMO the food was horrible and our service was not good. I agree with GeorgiaHoo - Raglan Road is one of the best places to eat at DS. They have good food and a super fun experience. Tip: If you can't find a reservation on Disney's website, try the Raglan Road website. We have been able to find times we wanted by checking there when Disney said it was full. Also, the last time we booked directly through Raglan Road there was no credit card required to reserve. We also love Bongos at DS - if you like or are interested in trying Cuban food, they have yummy dishes and you can usually get a reservation no problem. For a quick service meal, Earl of Sandwich is inexpensive and very fast.

 

[1m1b]

GeorgiaHoo, to answer your question, I'll rent the ECV privately and have it delivered to SOG. He may use it in SOG, if it's as big as it seems, and he'll definitely use it for the parks. I've confirmed with his medical people that this is advisable. So not renting at MK but private and in our resort rooms.

So then I *think* what happens is we can either SOG bus to TTC and then go to MK *or* we can walk across the street to Poly and catch the monorail. I'm just saying what I've read. Supposedly it's like a 10 minute walk.

The bummer about Uber is whether the ECV could go in without a lot of hassle. I think we'll uber some other points during the trip, but not the times when Gramps has the ECV.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Yeah, I've read you can walk over to Poly too. That might be easiest IF it is a walk you can make with an ECV. From what I've read, the SOG buses only take 2 ECVs at a time and if there are a number of people with ECVs ahead of you then you might have to wait for multiple buses. Here's a thread from 2008 that discusses the walk - http://www.disboards.com/threads/can-you-walk-from-sog-to-the-polynesian.1890608/

 

[Disnut4925]

Thanks so much for the manatee tour info - looks fun! Hope you have a wonderful trip.