Can you eat at Resort if not staying there?

[gumbypee]

It's been many many years since I lived in Florida and I remember used to being able to just drive in, tell guard at gate we were just eating at Wilderness Lodge, for example, and getting to park free and just go in and eat lunch and walk around and then leave.

Can you still do that? Any resorts you cannot? Which restaurant would yall recommend?

 

[xlsm]

Yes, you can eat at any of the resorts without being a guest. We love 'Ohana, and Kona is popular, both at the Polynesian. Whispering Canyon is fun at Wilderness Lodge, and Artist Point is their signature. California Grill is the signature at the CR...really it depends on your tastes and budget. allears.net has all of the menus and they are updated fairly regularly. Most do require advance reservations, which you can make by calling, using the website, or by using the MDE app on your smartphone. Hope that helps!

 

[grimley1968]

Yes, you can still do that. The parking lot attendant may give you a parking pass good for 3 hours. If not, then it is still assumed you're there no longer than 3 hours. WDW definitely wants you to visit their resorts and shop in those gift shops. Keep in mind that some (maybe all by now) restaurants require an ADR just to be seated, so you probably want to make an ADR for a meal before getting on property. On super crowded days the parking lot might be full at some of the monorail resorts, but I've never experienced that personally. Just please don't try to park at a resort lot and then enter a park.

I still like WL and going to Whispering Canyon for lunch. I like Kona Cafe at the Poly for breakfast.

 

[gumbypee]

thanks - no, no time for the parks, just want a little disneyfied lunch

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Of course you can! Disney wants people to see their resorts in hopes they would one day want to stay there as well!

I would suggest, Kona at POLY, Beaches & Cream/Cape May at the Beach CLUB, and Whispering Cannon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. If you are a bit adventurous, try Sanaa at AKL.

 

[Magic Band Defender]

Yes you can! I like the Poly restaurants: Kona and 'Ohana especially!

 

[jwfla422]

You bet!! DH was working in the Orlando area last year and we stayed with him twice, heck, more $$ for WDW and the great food!! I also had the TIW card which was so handy because I was able to valet at all of the restaurants we ate at which made it even easier to get to our ADRs on time.

 

[Pooh2]

We did this few times last week. AKL scanned our magic band for our reservation at the entrance, the Polynesian asked for a drivers license to enter. Neither said anything about a time limit.

 

[gumbypee]

great!

one more question - i really want to do whispering canyon bc it looks fun but my friend is a vegetarian and sine it is a bbq place. well not many options LOL. Any restaurant cater more to the vegetarian friendly side of things or just have to pick and choose at each place?

thanks again

 

[michael's mom]

great!

one more question - i really want to do whispering canyon bc it looks fun but my friend is a vegetarian and sine it is a bbq place. well not many options LOL. Any restaurant cater more to the vegetarian friendly side of things or just have to pick and choose at each place?

thanks again

allears.net has a vegetarian section in their dining section. Here's a link to the resort restaurants. Have fun!
http://allears.net/din/vegresorts.htm

 

[gumbypee]

i love these boards! awesome thanks

allears.net has a vegetarian section in their dining section. Here's a link to the resort restaurants. Have fun!
http://allears.net/din/vegresorts.htm

 

[L&Lfan]

That's part of the fun!
My favorites:
Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian)
Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)
Boma, Jiko and Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
Il Mulino (Swan)
Shula's and bluezoo (Dolphin)
Yachtsman Steakhouse and Captain's Grille (Yacht Club)

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

We do this often. The last trip we stayed at ASM and ate at Boma. Ohana is our typical restaurant of choice.

 

[Tink0812]

As many others have said, yes you can! We like California Grill (especially around the time for Wishes). You can get a little extra Disney experience if you have a late dinner reservation and stay to watch the fireworks either from the viewing deck or the dining room. We also like Cape May Café at the Beach Club for breakfast and we really enjoyed the Luau at the Poly on our last trip!