Help Me Plan My Resort Date Night!

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

DH will be going with us in September and he and I will have one night where we leave the kids at a Disney kids club. We are staying at CBR and will be on the dining plan, but this night will be an OOP experience. We will have from about 5 pm until midnight, based on current kids club hours.

I have a few different ideas. I have asked DH for any preferences and he says that he defers to me and my judgment because I have always planned Disney so well in the past. He will be okay with any type of food and/or theme. I think he would enjoy a quiet resort more than Disney Springs.

I do have a particular love for AKL. It is one my favorite places on earth. My husband and I have eaten at Jiko before. We have never eaten at Bluezoo or Citricos.

My ideas:

1. Drop kids at Lilo's Playhouse and have dinner at Citricos. Take monorail to Poly and have a drink at Trader Sam's and watch fireworks from the beach.

2. Drop kids at Lilo's and drive to AKL. Have dinner at Jiko, do some nighttime animal viewing and enjoy resort, then drive back to CBR and enjoy our own resort without children before picking them up at midnight. (I think I prefer not to do Simba's Cubhouse because it is per hour rather than per night, and it is just supervised play rather than planned activities for the kids)

3. Use two hour complimentary childcare at Swan/Dolphin and have dinner at Bluezoo. Drive to AKL and drop kids at Simba's Cubhouse for two hours while we explore AKL and have a drink.



Other ideas? What would you do on a date night?

 

[dansdad]

#1 would be my choice for a couple reasons. We love Citricos, no time spent driving and the MK area is really great at night.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Of the three choices, I would do #1. The others require too much driving IMHO.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Hm. Both of you have said there might be an issue with driving. DH actually enjoys driving so I do not think he would mind, but it would save us some time to stay around the MK area.

 

[Disneypapa]

My suggestion for date dinner would be the "House of Blues" at Disney Springs. They have an outdoor seating area and live entertainment. May not fit your traveling plan, but it is really nice.

 

[soniam]

We really enjoy driving too, but the walk at night from GF to Poly along the beach is really pretty and romantic. There are also photogs out there sometimes for nice dressed up pics. Plus, Trader Sam's is awesome!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Here is another idea:

Other ideas? What would you do on a date night?

Our grandson was at the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club and loved it. They had Captain Hook visit the night he was there. The Beach Club is very close to the CBR and it would be easy to drive back and forth to CBR if you wanted to spend some kid free time there. You can eat at any of the Epcot resorts, watch Illuminations fireworks from the Boardwalk bridge or take a stroll down the pathway to DHS to see the Star Wars fireworks. You can enjoy the juggler and magician on the Boardwalk and have a nice evening there.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Here is another idea:


Our grandson was at the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club and loved it. They had Captain Hook visit the night he was there. The Beach Club is very close to the CBR and it would be easy to drive back and forth to CBR if you wanted to spend some kid free time there. You can eat at any of the Epcot resorts, watch Illuminations fireworks from the Boardwalk bridge or take a stroll down the pathway to DHS to see the Star Wars fireworks. You can enjoy the juggler and magician on the Boardwalk and have a nice evening there.

I considered that area, but my family and I just stayed there (sans DH) in April and I did not find the Boardwalk resort area as romantic as AKL or the Poly. Maybe it is the lack of landscaping and foliage. I think tropical foliage is so romantic. It is a beautiful area and the proximity to CBR would be a plus. I have considered eating at Bluezoo, but they have complimentary childcare for two hours as opposed to the $110 fee for two kids at SC, but at SC we get 7 hours instead of the 2 at Swan/Dolphin.

If you had to pick a restaurant in that resort area for a romantic meal, what would you pick?

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We really enjoy driving too, but the walk at night from GF to Poly along the beach is really pretty and romantic. There are also photogs out there sometimes for nice dressed up pics. Plus, Trader Sam's is awesome!

I love walking around the Poly, but we have never done the walk between Poly and GF. That would be nice to try. I haven't tried Trader Sam's either. Part of me wants to take DH somewhere with which I am very familiar (AKL) so I can play the expert tour guide, but it would be nice to explore something new together, also.

 

[Scott MC]

Option 1 FTW.

Citrico's is lovely, elegant, and we've never had a bad meal there. Then doing something more low key and fun like Trader Sam's followed by good old Disney Magic (Wishes), seems like a perfect date night! We're celebrating our 10th anniversary with dinner at Citrico's next month!

 

[raddisneyfan]

My choices:
1. California Grill, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
2. Narcoosee's, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
3. Of course, I too love the AKL and your plan for that is great, but if you want something different, I would go with 1. or 2.

No matter what you decide, have a great date with the main squeeze!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

My choices:
1. California Grill, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
2. Narcoosee's, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
3. Of course, I too love the AKL and your plan for that is great, but if you want something different, I would go with 1. or 2.

No matter what you decide, have a great date with the main squeeze!

I like the California Grill idea, too, but it is booked solid right now. This is the FD period and we are only a couple of months out. I can keep trying for that.

Right now I was able to make a 5:50 pm for Citricos, and that will work well if I can't get CG (or if I don't change my mind and decide to do Jiko instead).

What are fireworks like from Narcoosee's? Can you go back later and watch fireworks like you can at CG, or do you have a fireworks dinner time?

 

[raddisneyfan]

I like the California Grill idea, too, but it is booked solid right now. This is the FD period and we are only a couple of months out. I can keep trying for that.

Right now I was able to make a 5:50 pm for Citricos, and that will work well if I can't get CG (or if I don't change my mind and decide to do Jiko instead).

What are fireworks like from Narcoosee's? Can you go back later and watch fireworks like you can at CG, or do you have a fireworks dinner time?

You can watch from the restaurant, or from the porch/balcony outside, or from the beach.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I'd go with #3, but change Bluezoo to Shula's Steakhouse. Keep the kids in the childcare there, have a few drinks on the boardwalk!

 

[DancesWithCats]

DH will be going with us in September and he and I will have one night where we leave the kids at a Disney kids club. We are staying at CBR and will be on the dining plan, but this night will be an OOP experience. We will have from about 5 pm until midnight, based on current kids club hours.

I have a few different ideas. I have asked DH for any preferences and he says that he defers to me and my judgment because I have always planned Disney so well in the past. He will be okay with any type of food and/or theme. I think he would enjoy a quiet resort more than Disney Springs.

I do have a particular love for AKL. It is one my favorite places on earth. My husband and I have eaten at Jiko before. We have never eaten at Bluezoo or Citricos.

My ideas:

1. Drop kids at Lilo's Playhouse and have dinner at Citricos. Take monorail to Poly and have a drink at Trader Sam's and watch fireworks from the beach.

2. Drop kids at Lilo's and drive to AKL. Have dinner at Jiko, do some nighttime animal viewing and enjoy resort, then drive back to CBR and enjoy our own resort without children before picking them up at midnight. (I think I prefer not to do Simba's Cubhouse because it is per hour rather than per night, and it is just supervised play rather than planned activities for the kids)

3. Use two hour complimentary childcare at Swan/Dolphin and have dinner at Bluezoo. Drive to AKL and drop kids at Simba's Cubhouse for two hours while we explore AKL and have a drink.



Other ideas? What would you do on a date night?

Well, I have never personally done either of these two things, but always thought they sounded romantic. I don't know your budget, or the cost, but there is a dinner/desert cruise boat (???) that sails around EPCOT w/ fireworks. There is also a couple of resorts that have carriage rides at night. I am sure I have the details wrong, but they both sound lovely. I think one of the resorts is Port Orleans for the carriage ride. I think they would both be quiet, and romantic.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

My choices:
1. California Grill, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
2. Narcoosee's, dinner, drinks and fireworks from there.
3. Of course, I too love the AKL and your plan for that is great, but if you want something different, I would go with 1. or 2.

No matter what you decide, have a great date with the main squeeze!

So was just able to book a 9:20 at CG. Hallowishes will be going on that night, so I am assuming a 9:30 fireworks time. Would that work?

I am now mulling over doing early (5 pm) drinks and appetizers at Trader Sam's, then exploring the resorts, then going to CG for appetizers/drinks/desserts at 9:20. Any comments on that idea?

Should I keep looking for an earlier CG ADR? It only took a few days and a few tries to get the 9:20.