dining on first night

[monty]

This is my first post so please forgive me, and feel welcome to bump me somehere more appropriate, if I'm posting in the wrong forum. Also I'm not quite up with the lingo. yet ie. abbreviations so please go easy on me!!! We are scheduled to arrive at Orlando airport Fri. 9th Dec at 5.30pm. We are two families of adults (4) and teenagers (2) staying at WL and whilst we will be somewhat tired we won't quite be ready for bed!! and we'll be looking for somewhere to have dinner. As I don't really know what time we will be arriving it won't be possible to make any reservations so I was wondering what our options would be.We will be relying on Disney transport by the way.

 

[muffy0110]

Your coming in on Fri., but the first two weeks in Dec. are low season and
less people. I would still make a dining res. someplace late at one of the
hotels, but you can go to downtown disney and eat at several places
if you just want to wing it.

 

[ccw]

We like to ride the monorail that first night just to get in the Disney mood...obviously don't want to use a park admission for less than a full day! So that would take you to several good hotel restaurants. Downtown Disney is a wonderful option, too, if the weather is nice so you can walk around and enjoy the sights. My vote there would be Portobello or,for something lighter, Earl of Sandwich. One of my sons and I were there around Dec. 10th and could not believe how light the crowds were...we had not made ANY ADRs for our long weekend and had no trouble eating where we wanted...wish i could plan a Disney trip at that time every year. You are so lucky! Enjoy!

 

[marcyinPA]

We enjoy Chef Mickey's for dinner on our first night. It's become a tradition for us. We've never been in December, so I'm not sure if an ADR is a must or not. I know that when we've been, we've needed an ADR because the place was packed. Also, maybe dining late there won't be as many people either.

Have fun!

 

[justcruisin]

We'll be arriving about the same time on in January. I'm making ADR's (advance dining reservations ??) for WC (Whispering Canyon) which is in the WL. (How's that for abbreviations ) Since we'll be renting a car, we should be there about 7pm if all goes well.

I hopping on the monorail from WL is easy ... I think Kona or Ohana in the Poly, or Chef Mickey in the Contemporary if you want a character meal. Kona is the quietest choice.

Enjoy!

 

[Kaycee]

Welcome to the DIS Boards!

If you think you'd like to just relax at the resort that evening, Whispering Canyon is a lot of fun - very rowdy. I'd go ahead and make a late ADR, even though you don't know exactly what time you'll get there. ADR's aren't written in stone, so if you don't make it, it won't be a problem.

If you think you'd like to spend the evening at Downtown Disney (something my family likes to do on our arrival night) then I highly recommend Earl of Sandwich. The sandwiches are yummy, and no ADR is required.

If you would like to do a tour of the monorail resorts that first evening, maybe you could make a late ADR at one of the monorail resort restaurants. That one might be a little tougher to make it to though. If you decide to do this, Chef Mickey's is popular with a lot of DISer's for their first night. If you can't get that one, or want something a little quieter, we really like Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort.

Happy planning!

 

[TEK224]

I'm going in two weeks. Won't be arriving until 6 PM. Have Chef mickey ressies for 8 PM to get us in the Disney Mood!

Terri

 

[Aimeedyan]

Hmm. You have lots of choices! My thoughts:

- you could make a later ADR (advanced dining reservation) at WCC (whispering canyon cafe) which is inside the WL (wilderness lodge) lobby for an easy to get to meal if your family wants to just relax. We enjoy exploring the resort when we first check in, and after staying at WL for the first time in May, there is LOTS to explore! It's nice to stay close to home, unpack, check out the pool and go for a dip in the hot tub, find the hidden mickeys, watch the geyser go off, walk the beach, etc. WCC would keep you in your hotel, since you may not be getting there until 8 or after.

- you could take the boat over to Contemporary and dine at Chef Mickeys, which is the ultimate Disney dining exp with the traditional characters and buffet. It's a short nice boat ride from WL.

- you could take the boat to Contemporary and jump on the monorail to another resort hotel. This will take some time with the transportation modes, so you'd have to decide if it's worth wearing yourselves out even more that night by jumping around. Kona and Ohana would both be great choices!

- or you could take the boat to Ft Wilderness and eat at Trail's End Buffet. By far the best value at WDW, no ADR needed, and lots of great choices. Plus it's really a hop skip and jump from WL.

- If your family is really feeling up to an adventure, you could hop the bus to DTD (downtown disney) and dine there and shop some. Now, we are usually too tired to do hours of that but some families might be up for it. Expect to take a while getting there and back from WL by bus. Earl of Sandwich is very affordable, good, and counter service so no ADR needed. Or you could forgo dinner and go straight for Ghiradelli's for ice cream sundaes!

www.allearsnet.com has all the dining options so you can check them out

Welcome to the Dis!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Hi! I asked the same question a few months ago and I got MANY responses regarding Chef Mickey's. We are arriving about 5:30 on a Saturday night, so we went ahead and made ADRs for for 8 pm that night at Chef Mickey's.

I figure that will get us into the Disney mood and we can ride the Monorail to DTD afterward and do a little shopping/browsing before heading back to the WL and getting ready for the next morning!

Good luck, whatever you choose!

 

[abacobaby]

I seriously considered making a reservation for dinner for our first night, but I decided against it. Last year we were supposed to arrive in Orlando at noon and with one plane being delayed, and then us missing our connection we did not end up at the hotel until after 7pm. We have the same flight schedule this year and instead of having to worry about possibly missing our dinner reservations, I have decided we will take it easy on our first night and take the boat to Down Town Disney (we are staying at Port Orleans Riverside). This way if we just want to get a small snack, we can, but if we also want to go have a sit down meal, there are lots of options available at DTD. Good luck in making your decision!

 

[Hopefully]

Ex PirateShopGirl,
You can not ride the monorail from Chef Mickey's to DTD. You will need to take a bus from the CR and then a bus back to WL.
Just wanted to help.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

Whispering Canyon Cafe' at the Wildness Lodge!!! Then you can go right to bed and wake up bright and early the next morning!!! If you still aren't tired after your dinner you can explore the beautiful resort or take a dip in the pool!!