Dining Decisions - help?

[heathers4um]

Hi all -

I am hoping a few of you wont mind helping me to decide what to do for our meals on 10/31-11/5. A few bullet points:

~ We are new OKW'ers and this will be our 1st trip home
~ it will just be DBF and I for our first F&W
~ it will be my 40th on 11/4
~ this is DBF's 1st visit
~ I want this to be relaxing so we are going to Epcot for the F&W but no other parks - just DTD and resort hopping and getting to know OKW. Will one day be enough?

My first plan was to stock up on breakfast things and light meals since we have a 1 bedroom. Then I got thinking how awesome it would be to just get the DDP. We arent getting our AP's yet so the TIW is out. Here are the questions running through my mind:

Since we have never been to the F&W I am not sure if we should just plan on eating our way around the world that one day? Can we utilize our last day of the DDP on the day we check out (we do not leave for the airport until 7pm)? Should we make sure to get reservations or is it light enough where we wont have to? Which resorts would you suggest since we arent going to be in the parks? Is just too much food all the way around? Maybe we should get our AP's and do the TIW? Would that just be easier? :

 

[heathers4um]

SEE? I told you it was confusing!

Not only due to lack of response, but also due to keeping in theme with the R&R bit of the vacation, I think I have decided to get a light GG order, have laid back breakfasts in the villa, and go wherever we wind up for the dinners...I dont know if I want everything all planned out after all.

Do you think it will be possible to still get into the real good restaurants here and there if we dont make ADR's that time of year?

 

[Tara]

I would make ADRs if I were you. You might find the small plates around the "world" are enough, but if you don't, you might have trouble getting a table for dinner - it's a VERY popular time at Epcot and many others will have planned for dinner. In fact, there are a lot of specialty dinners that require reservations ahead of time.

 

[papertraveller]

I would also recommend making ADRs ... if only for a couple of nice, relaxing meals where you can celebrate with your fellow travellers. Try somewhere new ... go see a resort you haven't visited before ... or sit back and enjoy an old favourite. Reservations can be so ridiculous to get when you walk up to the restaurant podium - even if you have only a couple of meals booked, it will give you something more to look forward to!

 

[ToddyLu]

We were there last year from 10/28-11/06. Not only is it F&W but also Jersey week. F&W was really crowded at Epcot over the weekend. We were so glad we had our ADR for the 4th, my birthday, at Coral Reef. If you want sit down meals by all means do ADRs.

If resort hopping I would like to suggest Cali Grill at CR and WCC at WL. It would be fun to take the boat to MK, get off at the gate and go back to your resort. You can use the DDP until Midnoght on the day you check out...so yes, you could eat somewhere nice that day or save that TS credit and use it the Cali Grill (2 TS dinner).

I also recommend MNSSHP. I know that you are arriving on Halloween. Last year it was very warm but not near as crowded as the night we went on 10/29. We found the Halloween Night crowd to be very manageable. It would be a great way to see MK. If doing that I would make an ADR at WCC and then head over to MK by boat or bus.

Happy Birthday my fellow Scorpio...I turned 41 in Disney last year!!

 

[heathers4um]

It looks like we share the same birthDAY too! I, also, was born on the 4th! Thanks for the advice - I think I will make a few ADR's at places I have always wanted to go, WCC in FW is one of them! Maybe we will do that the day we are there horseback riding!

We were there last year from 10/28-11/06. Not only is it F&W but also Jersey week. F&W was really crowded at Epcot over the weekend. We were so glad we had our ADR for the 4th, my birthday, at Coral Reef. If you want sit down meals by all means do ADRs.

If resort hopping I would like to suggest Cali Grill at CR and WCC at WL. It would be fun to take the boat to MK, get off at the gate and go back to your resort. You can use the DDP until Midnoght on the day you check out...so yes, you could eat somewhere nice that day or save that TS credit and use it the Cali Grill (2 TS dinner).

I also recommend MNSSHP. I know that you are arriving on Halloween. Last year it was very warm but not near as crowded as the night we went on 10/29. We found the Halloween Night crowd to be very manageable. It would be a great way to see MK. If doing that I would make an ADR at WCC and then head over to MK by boat or bus.

Happy Birthday my fellow Scorpio...I turned 41 in Disney last year!!

 

[luvthattink]

I too would plan on ADR's. You may be disappointed otherwise. Maybe a character meal since you aren't visiting all of the parks would be a good way to cash in on some of the "magic" There are plenty of them around the different resorts.

 

[shortypots]

It looks like we share the same birthDAY too! I, also, was born on the 4th! Thanks for the advice - I think I will make a few ADR's at places I have always wanted to go, WCC in FW is one of them! Maybe we will do that the day we are there horseback riding!

Just a clarification that WCC is at Wilderness lodge, not Fort Wilderness. Although Fort Wilderness is a nice walk away.

I would also suggest ADR's just to be on the safe side.

 

[heathers4um]

thanks so much all!

I am going the way of ADRs - you all have convinced me. In fact, you all have convinced me so much that now I am just thinking of throwing caution to the wind, getting our AP's and doing TIW...

and if we are doing that, we may as well do the Spirit dinner, KTTK Tour, and as originally planned, the EPCOT Segway Tour.

We will still have plenty of R&R time....we can combine the F&W with the segway tour in the AM for one day, combine the KTTK tour in with MK another day, and IF we are feeling up to it we can do AK and DHS one of the other days! Thats really only 1/2 of our time there!

Any other thoughts out there?

 

[DenLo]

We'll be at Epcot for our first F&W in October so can't advise you about that.

For your BD dinner, I'd recommend Artist's Point at Wilderness Lodge. It's a 2 DP signature meal. We enjoyed dining at California Grille as well last March, but boy was it crowded and the kids were running wild all over the place waiting to see the fireworks at MK. Not very romantic IMHO. Perhaps less children will be around since it's early November and spring break.

I just realized that you were staying at OKW. That just a couple of boat rides away from SSR and the Turf Club has some pretty good food and only counts as 1 DP meal.

 

[shortypots]

I highly recommend the party for the senses on a Saturday night. It is expensive but totally worth it!

 

[heathers4um]

Hmm...sounds interesting - what is this? I have never heard of it...

I highly recommend the party for the senses on a Saturday night. It is expensive but totally worth it!

 

[shortypots]

It is where Disney brings in multiple chefs and wineries and hands you a glass and a plate and you wander around trying all the wonderful food and wines. The time we went they had some beers too, but not many. There is also entertainment that they bring in.

 

[backyardponder]

We were at F&W last year and planned on grazing around the world, which we did during the day. Although we are light eaters, we found that by evening, we were hungry and went and found someplace for dinner.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

If there is someplace special you want to try then make ADRs for that. If you are going to try Victoria & Alberts at GF it is required. Now I know that I am going to be in the minority here. However I have found that alot of people make several ADRs for the same night and then cancel at the last minute. If you are flexible and adventerous you can call that day to see if there are cancelations anywhere. It may be at odd time like early or late seatings but you are four adults and you can always get a snack to keep you going. We have had some of our more pleasant meals this way. Even calling at the last minute. Some people just don't show and that leaves space open. Doing it this way can be especialy helpful because then you don't really have to make a decision. If you don't want to make a car you can order your groceries online from Garden Grocer for a $12 fee. They deliver right to the resort. This is nice if you want to maximize you time in Disney. You need to order about a week ahead though. Good luck with your decisions and have a magical time.