Date Night. Daughter will be in Simba's Playhouse for 5 hours. Suggestions?

[Cramden]

I'll start out by saying we're staying in a Club Level Suite so no need to rush back to our room during that time ;-). That said I'm looking for suggestions on how to best take advantage of that time between 4pm and 9pm. I was leaning towards just hopping around the different bars at the resort, Club Lounge included for drinks and munchies/small plates. I'd also like to spend a bit more time exploring the resort without having to rush because of our daughter.

Other options I've considered are dinner either at Jiko or Boma (we're having breakfast here the next day) and possibly splurging on the Wanyama Safari but not sure if we have the time or if it's worth the price. We're only spending 1 night at AKL before moving to the Poly.

Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[megs1313]

Have you done California Grill? It's a wonderful date spot. Pretty much any signature would do for that matter. Last time, my DH and I did dinner at CG and then headed to GF to enjoy the lobby musicians and get dessert. It was very relaxing.

If your budget and schedule allows, maybe the highway in the sky dine around?....edited to say, nix that. 9pm is too early probably to fit that in!

 

[Cramden]

Thanks for the suggestion. Haven't yet been to the California Grill but my wife probably wouldn't go for that. She is a bit of a Nervous Nellie when it comes to our daughter and doesn't want to venture too far from our resort. We love Sanaa but she didn't feel comfortable heading over to Kidani. Just getting her to be OK with sending her to Simba's was a bit of a challenge

 

[GADisneyDad14]

How does she feel about y'all heading over to AK? Or do you just want to stick to AKL?

Mind if I ask how old your daughter is? That might determine the overall timing.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Tiffins at AK looks great, haven't been there yet though. Maybe catch the new nighttime shows there too. Really close to your resort, a quick bus ride back. I hope you have a great night out whatever you choose!

 

[beesly]

I'd consider having your date night while staying at the Poly, and having your daughter hang out at Lilo's Playhouse. My DH and I did this at the Poly last April and our DD (6 at the time) loved Lilo's so much. It was full of kids and I'm pretty sure it was a Wednesday or Thursday. They made cookies, met Chip and Dale, and did other activities. When we came to pick her up at 9:30, she asked to stay longer and there were still plenty of other kids there. Just last week, my DD asked about going to Simba's while we were at AKL. We stopped by around 8:30 on Friday and she would have been the only kid there - one had been there but was leaving. We decided to skip it. I know that's anecdotal, but in our experience, Lilo's is preferable to Simba's if you want to have other kids there for yours to play with.

Alternatively, perhaps she could spend a little bit of time at Simba's early in the evening at AKL while you have dinner or check out the resort, and then she could go to Lilo's at the Poly while you check out Trader Sam's or have a nice dinner somewhere!

 

[Cramden]

She's 7. We're only staying four nights this time and our schedule is pretty set. We have 2 days left of park passes and are using them Saturday and Sunday. I'm pretty sure I'd need park passes for Tiffins correct?

Lilo's sounds awesome beesly. Unfortunately we have our schedule and ADR's all set for the rest of the trip so our AKL night is really the only night to do it. I sure hope things are a bit more lively at Simba's this time around. We'll definitely try Lilo's in the future.

Much thanks for these suggestions!

 

[Cramden]

Sorry for the duplicate post. Connection issue caused me to submit it twice.

 

[Wood Nymph]

You would have time to go to Disney Springs. Otherwise, just hang at the resort and do some exploring. There are a lot of artifacts scattered throughout the resort and you would have plenty of time to check them out. I think there is a lodge program in the evening. If you go to your itinerary in your MDE account, you can get a list of resort activities. It should show if there is a lodge program that evening.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yes, you'd need an eligible park admission to get to Tiffins. FWIW, I happen to really like Tiffins and Nomad Lounge which is right next door. Literally some of the best food you'll find at WDW and it's such a relaxing atmosphere. That would definitely be a date spot for me.

But if you can't swing a park like you say, I think what you describe in your first post sounds like a fun night to me!

Have fun!

 

[beesly]

She's 7. We're only staying four nights this time and our schedule is pretty set. We have 2 days left of park passes and are using them Saturday and Sunday. I'm pretty sure I'd need park passes for Tiffins correct?

Lilo's sounds awesome beesly. Unfortunately we have our schedule and ADR's all set for the rest of the trip so our AKL night is really the only night to do it. I sure hope things are a bit more lively at Simba's this time around. We'll definitely try Lilo's in the future.

Much thanks for these suggestions!

Completely understand - please report back and let us know how things go at Simba's! As far as activities for you and your wife - toward the end of your evening, you could stop by the savanna overlook near the Uzima pool for night vision animal viewing. They have several sets of night vision goggles that you can use to see the animals that are still out on the savanna. I did this one night with my DD and we saw a few cattle still wandering around. And actually, the viewing area is right next to a hot tub, another possible place to spend some of your time.

You mentioned the Wanyama Safari - if I recall correctly, @TheFloatingBear did this as a date night activity and came back with a very positive review - worth the price, as I understand, if you have time to do it. I think it begins before Simba's Cubhouse opens, though, so you'd have to look into an in-room childcare service instead.

 

[ldo]

DH and I love AKL and both Bomas and Jiko. Bomas gives you lots of different good tastes in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. Jiko is more subdued, and you get a delicious entrée vs. lots of tastes of different things. For date night, I would pick Jiko for the atmosphere. Prior to that, maybe start with sitting in the hot tub and or sauna (be sure to turn it up an hour in advance in the fitness center) at 4:30, then a quick shower and drinks in the lovely Victoria Falls bar, then Jiko at 7:30, then walk around the property and sit out by the firepit near the savannah with a nightcap from Victoria Falls (you can take it outside).

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Hi @beesly!

I agree, if you only have one night at AKL, there's so much to do there that it makes more sense to enjoy the resort than to spend travel time going elsewhere, especially if you'll be at the Poly for the rest of your trip. The only trip I would have suggested was AK as people had mentioned, but if you don't want to add a park day, I think @ldo 's ideas for AKL sound wonderful for a date night. Plus like you said, you can enjoy some kid-free time in the Club Lounge too!

We did do the Wanyama Safari, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite things that I've ever done in Disney. I will mention that if your child is going to be in Simba's and you have reservations for the Safari, they will work with you to send the child a little early - or at least they did with us. I can't remember how late it went, but it wasn't an issue with Simba's - however our kids were a little older so the timing wasn't really a consideration for us, but just to say that Simba's definitely covered the time period.

It's definitely a splurge, but we felt like it was a great value. You start with a reception in a private room at Jiko, where you have snacks and hear from a cultural representative. The Safari is amazing! You see a great variety of animals, and they are so close. For me, the giraffes alone were worth the price! The dinner is family style and it was very relaxed and enjoyable - a lot of different things to try. We met some lovely people and had a great meal! I will say that at dinner I was seated next to a woman that thought that we would also see predator animals during the safari - she was very disappointed in that aspect so we had to work through those issues - the wine helped! So, just to be clear - you won't see lions! But other than that - fabulous!

I hope you have a wonderful date night - and trip!

 

[Cramden]

Now you did it beesly, thanks a lot! I showed my wife your comments on Lilo's and Simba's and we switched our plans to send her to Lilo's on our first night at the Poly. I ended up booking dinner for the 3 of us on our AKL night at Boma, changed next day Breakfast from Boma to Cape May prior to our drive to the Poly and canceled our dinner for 3 that night at Ohana. Now we'll spend date night bopping around Trader Sam's, Kona Island, Oasis Pool Bar and the Club Lounge at the Poly. I wanted to book Narcoosee's or Citrico's but she said she'd rather just chill and explore the Poly. We stayed here last year for the first time and we loved it.

One quick question about Lilo's, do they bring the kids out to see the Fireworks? My little one is a fan.

Thanks again for all the great info!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Wait, where are you staying? I got the impression from your first post you were staying AKL, no? Did you switch your resort reservation to Poly?

 

[Cramden]

Yeah I could have done a better job explaining . We're doing a split stay. First night at AKL next 3 at Poly.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yeah I could have done a better job explaining . We're doing a split stay. First night at AKL next 3 at Poly.

Ahh, OK. I was confused when you said you'd hit the Oasis Pool Bar and Poly CL lounge, but makes sense now!

If you don't mind me asking, are you doing a suite there too, or just AKL?

Poly CL is a personal favorite of mine. Hope you have a great time!

 

[beesly]

Hi @beesly!

I agree, if you only have one night at AKL, there's so much to do there that it makes more sense to enjoy the resort than to spend travel time going elsewhere, especially if you'll be at the Poly for the rest of your trip. The only trip I would have suggested was AK as people had mentioned, but if you don't want to add a park day, I think @ldo 's ideas for AKL sound wonderful for a date night. Plus like you said, you can enjoy some kid-free time in the Club Lounge too!

We did do the Wanyama Safari, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite things that I've ever done in Disney. I will mention that if your child is going to be in Simba's and you have reservations for the Safari, they will work with you to send the child a little early - or at least they did with us. I can't remember how late it went, but it wasn't an issue with Simba's - however our kids were a little older so the timing wasn't really a consideration for us, but just to say that Simba's definitely covered the time period.

It's definitely a splurge, but we felt like it was a great value. You start with a reception in a private room at Jiko, where you have snacks and hear from a cultural representative. The Safari is amazing! You see a great variety of animals, and they are so close. For me, the giraffes alone were worth the price! The dinner is family style and it was very relaxed and enjoyable - a lot of different things to try. We met some lovely people and had a great meal! I will say that at dinner I was seated next to a woman that thought that we would also see predator animals during the safari - she was very disappointed in that aspect so we had to work through those issues - the wine helped! So, just to be clear - you won't see lions! But other than that - fabulous!

I hope you have a wonderful date night - and trip!

Hi there! Thanks for chiming in! It's good to know Simba's will accommodate Safari-goers. I'll have to keep that in mind for my next trip!

Now you did it beesly, thanks a lot! I showed my wife your comments on Lilo's and Simba's and we switched our plans to send her to Lilo's on our first night at the Poly. I ended up booking dinner for the 3 of us on our AKL night at Boma, changed next day Breakfast from Boma to Cape May prior to our drive to the Poly and canceled our dinner for 3 that night at Ohana. Now we'll spend date night bopping around Trader Sam's, Kona Island, Oasis Pool Bar and the Club Lounge at the Poly. I wanted to book Narcoosee's or Citrico's but she said she'd rather just chill and explore the Poly. We stayed here last year for the first time and we loved it.

One quick question about Lilo's, do they bring the kids out to see the Fireworks? My little one is a fan.

Thanks again for all the great info!

I totally didn't intend to shake up your plans, but I think you'll have a great night at the Poly! My DH and I had a blast at Trader Sam's. Unfortunately Lilo's doesn't bring the kids out for the fireworks. I'll bet your daughter has so much fun there, though, that she won't even mind missing them that night!

 

[Cramden]

Don't mind at all GADisneyDad14. We are staying Club at the Poly but not a Suite. Last year we got upgraded to a Theme Park Club Room and we fell in love with the Club Lounge. Kind of ruined us for staying in a regular room though.

No worries beesly or should I call you Pam now that I feel I know you? I don't think we could have gone wrong with either plan. Besides I'm always one who fine tunes and tweaks things a bit leading up to our trips.

 

[patty57]

Well...I'm late to this discussion. I was going to say how much we enjoy dinner at Jiko.