Help a newbie - relaxed anniversary dinner?

[mouschievous]

We're planning our first WDW trip and I need some help.

Sept 2020 was my parents' 50th anniversary. We were supposed to celebrate in Disneyland with about 20 of us total. We had a luncheon planned for their actual anniversary day. Obviously, everything got canceled. We've rescheduled to WDW for Jan 2022 and moved from DLR to WDW. We will be a smaller group - I think only about 12-15 this time. We'd still like to do a celebration meal. Here's our wishlist

• Not in a park
• Easy access from Beach Club (we don't want to have to take a boat to a bus to a train...etc)
• Relaxed - we're not super fancy people!
• No more than $70 per person
• Bonus if there's a private room
• Standard American fare - steaks, seafood, etc - as well as pasta is great, but nothing too exotic for this meal

Any suggestions? I'm happy to hear about places that aren't currently open, as well, in case they might be by then.

 

[brewhome]

Ale & Compass in the Yacht Club is really nice... and right next door (Actually, attached...). Great food, great service, a nice calming decor, and I would say it’s within your price range unless you’re buying lots of alcoholic drinks. Not sure about the private room situation, though.

 

[focusondisney]

Many of the restaurants at Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin would be great. And you could walk or boat to all of them. I don’t know of any of them that have a private room. We stay at YC several times a year & have eaten at most places several times. Why don’t you check out menus for restaurants at those hotels & see what your group might like.

The Yachtsman’s Steakhouse is our personal favorite & perfect for a special occasion. It isn’t currently open, but hopefully it will be soon. If that seems too expensive, Ale & Compass is also in the YC. A little less expensive & more relaxed atmosphere. It has a varied menu & always gets great reviews.

 

[Marthasor]

I would call Swan/Dolphin and inquire about a private room at Il Mulino - I know they have them because we dined in one!
Here is some info with a link to their private dining menu: https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/ilmulino/privatedining.html

You could also do private dining at bluezoo, which is very good: https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/bluezoo/privatedining.html

Shula's would also be good, but it might bust your budget: https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/shulas/privatedining.html

All three restaurants are a short walk from Beach Club.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

If you don’t make d going to DS, we loved Wine Bar George last week.

 

[gharter]

I was also going to suggest Il Mulino.
Flying Fish would be another good option (hopefully open by then), that you should be able to get under our price limit.

 

[mouschievous]

If you don’t make d going to DS, we loved Wine Bar George last week.

I just heard back from them - $5000 minimum! I have sticker shock from that one. I expected it from the in park places, but not Disney Springs. I need to adjust my expectations, apparently!

 

[Kmk2]

I hosted a small dinner (about a dozen people) at Il Mulino and they had a really nice small room off the the side (this was like 6 or 7 years ago).

 

[2vets]

I meant to respond to this a couple of days ago and totally forgot, sorry!

I organized a 50th anniversary party for my parents at WDW (back in 2014, so all details will need to be rechecked, of course), but let's just say it was memorable.... I have three siblings, everyone wanted something different, and no one wanted to do the actual work. The memory that stands out for me was this - there was a cutoff of people at which it became a private "event" - I believe the cutoff was 12 - and after that, we were forced into a minimum expenditure (thousands) and an event menu system (so much $ per head), and things had to be arranged through Disney Events, not directly with the restaurant. We were right on the edge, had 12 people ages 9 and up...and then 2 babies (not eating solid food yet), and so this became a huge battle. We wound up going with the wine room at Citricos (max 12) and had a sitter stay with the babies, a choice that saved us about $2k (even with ridiculous, celebratory wine selections) and gave us more menu choice and flexibility. But I digress.

Assuming they still have a similar system at all Disney properties and you'd like some menu and numbers/cost flexibility, I highly recommend you look at Swolphin closely or maybe even (sorry, sorry) venture off site if needed.

One thing I will say is that I had the GF bakery make an anniversary cake, and it was phenomenal. My parents have traveled the world together, and they crafted a cake that was half a globe with specific memories/souvenirs pinpointed on specific countries. It was also yummy, but the appearance was just out-of-this world, and my mom and dad were delighted. Again, this gets into potentially crossing the streams between Disney and Swolphin and may not be possible, but I wanted to make sure to provide this info!

Congrats to your family .

 

[mouschievous]

I meant to respond to this a couple of days ago and totally forgot, sorry!

I organized a 50th anniversary party for my parents at WDW (back in 2014, so all details will need to be rechecked, of course), but let's just say it was memorable.... I have three siblings, everyone wanted something different, and no one wanted to do the actual work. The memory that stands out for me was this - there was a cutoff of people at which it became a private "event" - I believe the cutoff was 12 - and after that, we were forced into a minimum expenditure (thousands) and an event menu system (so much $ per head), and things had to be arranged through Disney Events, not directly with the restaurant. We were right on the edge, had 12 people ages 9 and up...and then 2 babies (not eating solid food yet), and so this became a huge battle. We wound up going with the wine room at Citricos (max 12) and had a sitter stay with the babies, a choice that saved us about $2k (even with ridiculous, celebratory wine selections) and gave us more menu choice and flexibility. But I digress.

Assuming they still have a similar system at all Disney properties and you'd like some menu and numbers/cost flexibility, I highly recommend you look at Swolphin closely or maybe even (sorry, sorry) venture off site if needed.

One thing I will say is that I had the GF bakery make an anniversary cake, and it was phenomenal. My parents have traveled the world together, and they crafted a cake that was half a globe with specific memories/souvenirs pinpointed on specific countries. It was also yummy, but the appearance was just out-of-this world, and my mom and dad were delighted. Again, this gets into potentially crossing the streams between Disney and Swolphin and may not be possible, but I wanted to make sure to provide this info!

Congrats to your family .

Thank you, this is super helpful!!

At DLR, the Downtown Disney restaurants weren't under the same umbrella as the resort restaurants, so I expected the high minimum from the resort restaurants, but not the Disney Springs restaurants! There are several DS options that I'm waiting to hear back from, so we'll see what they say. I did send an email to the Swolphin (thanks for that term, I love it!) and we'll see what they come back with.

We've talked about just trying to get ADRs for everyone at the same place, but a) we're not sure everyone will be going to the same park on the same day (or even going to the park at al) and b) with so many of us, a private space would be really nice.

 

[2vets]

Thank you, this is super helpful!!

At DLR, the Downtown Disney restaurants weren't under the same umbrella as the resort restaurants, so I expected the high minimum from the resort restaurants, but not the Disney Springs restaurants! There are several DS options that I'm waiting to hear back from, so we'll see what they say. I did send an email to the Swolphin (thanks for that term, I love it!) and we'll see what they come back with.

We've talked about just trying to get ADRs for everyone at the same place, but a) we're not sure everyone will be going to the same park on the same day (or even going to the park at al) and b) with so many of us, a private space would be really nice.

You're so welcome. Wishing you luck at DS and in general!! I did see that Art Smith's/Homecoming has a note about private groups of 25 or more, if you haven't considered that as a possible venue and the idea appeals to you, you may want to call or email them. The food is delicious, and they have a lot of sort of "side areas"/patios/porchlike parts of the restaurant that might lend themselves well to a hybrid reservation/event. And the food is out of this world, although decidedly casual!

 

[need2travel]

I don't have first hand experience as to having a party there but have you considered Trattoria al Forno? It's w/in walking distance as it's on the Boardwalk. The food is great, the prices are reasonable & they have a small side room they might be able to set up just for your group. You'd need to call & check but it might work for you.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I just heard back from them - $5000 minimum! I have sticker shock from that one. I expected it from the in park places, but not Disney Springs. I need to adjust my expectations, apparently!

Oh my! We sat out on the upstairs deck. The sun was setting, and it was gorgeous.

 

[mouschievous]

You're so welcome. Wishing you luck at DS and in general!! I did see that Art Smith's/Homecoming has a note about private groups of 25 or more, if you haven't considered that as a possible venue and the idea appeals to you, you may want to call or email them. The food is delicious, and they have a lot of sort of "side areas"/patios/porchlike parts of the restaurant that might lend themselves well to a hybrid reservation/event. And the food is out of this world, although decidedly casual!

I didn't have Homecomin' on the list, but I just added it. My mom and her siblings were raised on good ol' downhome cookin', so this would be right up our alley. One of the first things I learned to make was fried green tomatoes!

I don't have first hand experience as to having a party there but have you considered Trattoria al Forno? It's w/in walking distance as it's on the Boardwalk. The food is great, the prices are reasonable & they have a small side room they might be able to set up just for your group. You'd need to call & check but it might work for you.

Thanks, I added it to the list! I have a feeling anything on Disney property that requires we go through events will be more than we have in the budget, but I'm going to call them and see.

Oh my! We sat out on the upstairs deck. The sun was setting, and it was gorgeous.

We may have to just make time for apps there or something! I watched a video review on it yesterday and it looks delicious.


I did hear back from Paddlefish and it looks like that could be a good option for us. Thanks again for all the replies, and if anyone thinks of more, let me know!

 

[2vets]

Please let us know what you choose and how it goes. I think this is such valuable information for people interested in holding a similar small event without the Disney restrictions .

 

[chris benton]

I'm going to throw something out there that goes against almost all of your "wants," but it might be a total riot. It's not currently open, but, it might be worth the effort to get there if it were to be open for your trip. It's a cheesy, cheesy riot, and I would bet my life on them doing something special during the show for your celebration (again, if they were to be open for your trip.)

Hoop De Doo.

 

[Blondie58]

We're planning our first WDW trip and I need some help.

Sept 2020 was my parents' 50th anniversary. We were supposed to celebrate in Disneyland with about 20 of us total. We had a luncheon planned for their actual anniversary day. Obviously, everything got canceled. We've rescheduled to WDW for Jan 2022 and moved from DLR to WDW. We will be a smaller group - I think only about 12-15 this time. We'd still like to do a celebration meal. Here's our wishlist

• Not in a park
• Easy access from Beach Club (we don't want to have to take a boat to a bus to a train...etc)
• Relaxed - we're not super fancy people!
• No more than $70 per person
• Bonus if there's a private room
• Standard American fare - steaks, seafood, etc - as well as pasta is great, but nothing too exotic for this meal

Any suggestions? I'm happy to hear about places that aren't currently open, as well, in case they might be by then.

Yachtman Steakhouse. We have always liked that the tables are not on top of one another. We have had excellent meals here. Service too. Also there are some more private seating area spaces that would be great for a group. Conratulations to your Mom and Dad!!! 50 years is worth celebrating.

 

[mouschievous]

I'm going to throw something out there that goes against almost all of your "wants," but it might be a total riot. It's not currently open, but, it might be worth the effort to get there if it were to be open for your trip. It's a cheesy, cheesy riot, and I would bet my life on them doing something special during the show for your celebration (again, if they were to be open for your trip.)

Hoop De Doo.

Tell me more about Hoop Dee Doo? I've heard about it, but I'm not totally clear on what it is.

Yachtman Steakhouse. We have always liked that the tables are not on top of one another. We have had excellent meals here. Service too. Also there are some more private seating area spaces that would be great for a group. Conratulations to your Mom and Dad!!! 50 years is worth celebrating.

Thanks! By the time we get to celebrate it will be 51.5 We were supposed to be in DL for their anniversary, but of course that was canceled. Then we rescheduled to an upscale restaurant where we live, someplace with a nice patio for outdoor dining so we could have a safe anniversary dinner with just the four of us outdoors. But then the wildfires came and we had to cancel while we waited to see if we'd have to evacuate. They ended up celebrating at home with Olive Garden take out So a nice trip to make up for it is definitely called for!

BTW, I heard back from Swolphin - the food and drink minimum for a group our size is $1200, in case anyone was wondering.

 

[chris benton]

Tell me more about Hoop Dee Doo? I've heard about it, but I'm not totally clear on what it is.

It's a western themed / vaudeville dinner show at Fort Wilderness. Cheesy jokes, song/dance numbers, crowd participation, all you can eat table service, some alcohol is included. Pick a youtube video to get more info, I guarantee there are hundreds of them. Again, it's not open now, but I believe it was America's longest running dinner show? It's a cheesy riot. I'd recommend 1st floor seating, and you can probably easily request a table to fit your whole group. One part of the show is the cast asking the audience if there are any special celebrations, and they will try to do something special.

It's not quiet, it might be considered a hassle to get to, but if you think it could be fun for the group, it'll be worth the effort. It's an iconic part of Wallyworld, but if you have to have quiet, it's not for you.


Again, it's currently not running, but if it is when you go, perhaps it could fit the bill.

 

[mouschievous]

It's a western themed / vaudeville dinner show at Fort Wilderness. Cheesy jokes, song/dance numbers, crowd participation, all you can eat table service, some alcohol is included. Pick a youtube video to get more info, I guarantee there are hundreds of them. Again, it's not open now, but I believe it was America's longest running dinner show? It's a cheesy riot. I'd recommend 1st floor seating, and you can probably easily request a table to fit your whole group. One part of the show is the cast asking the audience if there are any special celebrations, and they will try to do something special.

It's not quiet, it might be considered a hassle to get to, but if you think it could be fun for the group, it'll be worth the effort. It's an iconic part of Wallyworld, but if you have to have quiet, it's not for you.


Again, it's currently not running, but if it is when you go, perhaps it could fit the bill.

Thanks! I'll check youtube. It sounds like something my dad would love, if it's back up and running.