Large group coming from offsite - help!

[lgiltmier]

I'm traveling with a group of 12 women for a convention in August at the nearby Gaylord Palms.

We'd like to take one of our free evenings and have a meal at Disney, but we will not have theme park tickets. We're looking at resorts/DTD.

I need to consider: food, fun, price (no signature restaurants), and ease of getting there. There is a shuttle from the Gaylord to the parks and to DTD.

My thoughts - though I'm guessing it may be impossible to get an ADR:
1) Ohana (could take the monorail from TTC)
2) Boma (but this might be a pain to get to)
3) Whispering Canyon (monorail from TTC)
4) Sanaa (same issue as Boma)
5) Bongos (direct dropoff at DTD)

Any help/advice on somewhere I'm not thinking of, or the logistics of getting 12 women to these places?

 

[Cafeen]

I'm traveling with a group of 12 women for a convention in August at the nearby Gaylord Palms.

We'd like to take one of our free evenings and have a meal at Disney, but we will not have theme park tickets. We're looking at resorts/DTD.

I need to consider: food, fun, price (no signature restaurants), and ease of getting there. There is a shuttle from the Gaylord to the parks and to DTD.

My thoughts - though I'm guessing it may be impossible to get an ADR:
1) Ohana (could take the monorail from TTC)
2) Boma (but this might be a pain to get to)
3) Whispering Canyon (monorail from TTC)
4) Sanaa (same issue as Boma)
5) Bongos (direct dropoff at DTD)

Any help/advice on somewhere I'm not thinking of, or the logistics of getting 12 women to these places?

Not to throw more wrenches... but any of the Boardwalk/BC/YC places would also work. Dropoff at DHS then boat/walk to BC/YC or Boardwalk.

And WC wouldn't be on the monorail, though I believe you can boat from TTC to WL (or it may just run to MK.. but then it'd be monorail to boat to WL)

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Cafeen is correct. The WL isn't on the monorail. There is a boat there from the MK. Or you could go to DTD and take the bus to the WL.

And at this point in time, you might find it difficult to get an ADR for Ohana for August. That's one of the more popular restaurants and it often books up at 180 days out.

What about Kouzzina by Cat Cora at the Boardwalk?
http://allears.net/menu/menu_kouzd.htm

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian. Especially if you get the reservation fairly early in the evening they can set a table for 12, or give you adjoining tables. And since the bus from Gaylord goes to the TTC, you can either walk to the Poly or take the Resort Monorail one stop. And Kona is immediately on your left when you enter the Poly from the monorail.

 

[ElizabethB]

Grand Floridian Cafe is also a nice choice. It's easy to get there by monorail and it gives you a chance to see the GF which is a very pretty hotel with lovely landscaping. A band plays in the lobby in the evening. Plus, you may be able to catch the fireworks after dinner if you time it right. Walk down to the boat loading area near Narcoossee's restaurant. Narcoossee's would be fun, too, but more expensive than Grand Floridian Cafe.

I would not bother with any place you have to get to by bus or boat after the Gaylord shuttle dropoff. Too much trouble, IMO.

If you want more shopping options, go to Down Town Disney -- lots of stores including the World of Disney. We ate at Bongo's years ago and weren't terribly impressed, but we may give it another try. We're eager to try Paradiso 37 which has lots of South American choices with many tequila options. We enjoy Portabello Yacht Club and House of Blues. We used to love Wolfgang Puck Cafe, but would not recommend it anymore. We also enjoy Fulton's but it is extremely expensive and not a good place for a group, IMO.

I guess my first choice would be GF Cafe.

 

[winterman]

How about the Wave? I would think the bus will drop you at TTC, then you can take the monorail to the Contemporary.

 

[plutolovr]

I'm thinking Raglan Road. They have great food and live entertainment. This place is always great with a large group. You don't have to go through Disney to make an ADR. You can make a reservation through OpenTable.com.

 

[disnut8]

You said there is a shuttle from the Gaylord Palms. Where exactly will that drop off the other guests? If it's just at the TTC, you will be limited only because your guests will have less choices of transportation. I'm thinking that's why you suggested on monorail rides from there. Also, I would check to see the frequency of that shuttle to Disney World. Most offsite shuttles do not run constantly but have a set schedule so that will limit your choice of times for dinner.

That being said, if the shuttle only drops at the TTC, any of the monorails resort restaurants at the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian are fine. I'd check out the menus and pick at least two where all of you will be happy. Then make reservations based on all that.

Same thing with Downtown Disney - where does that shuttle drop off the guests? It might be just one place so I'd check that out. Also check out the times that shuttle runs.

Another option (a bit more expensive but it would provide lots of flexibility) is a cab from the Gaylord to Disney World. The six women could share a van taxi and the Gaylord will have tons of cabs available since it's a convention hotel. The Gaylord is a very quick trip from Disney World and if the women share the cost, it would probably work out to be less than $5/each (I had to take a cab from the Boardwalk to an offsite hotel a few miles further than the Gaylord and the cost was $21 including tip - one way).

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

And WC wouldn't be on the monorail, though I believe you can boat from TTC to WL (or it may just run to MK.. but then it'd be monorail to boat to WL)

There is no boat from the TTC to the Wilderness Lodge. So they would need to take the Express Monorail or boat from there to the Magic Kingdom and then take the resort boat to or Disney bus to the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[focusondisney]

I think the idea of a cab to the Boardwalk/ Yacht /Beach area is great. Cape May Cafe is a buffet, Yacht Club has Captain's grille for a quieter meal, Boardwalk has Big River Brewery. All great meals plus there is the Dueling Piano Bar or Atlantic dance for after dinner. You can see Illuminations from there, too.

I do really like Grand Floridian Cafe, too. It is so pretty & relaxing there.


Portebello Yacht Club at Downtown is good but I think more expensive.

 

[cbg1027]

It might be harder to get to, but I think Sanaa would be the best choice. It's top in value - fantastic food, moderately priced, with a fun but relaxed atmosphere, and animal viewing!

Plus, Sanaa is relatively easy to get an ADR for. It's not a very popular place (yet) so you could probably find an ADR for August there.

You can take the Gaylord shuttle to AK, then get the bus to AKL.
To get back, you can catch a bus to DTD, and then the shuttle to Gaylord from there.

And just a thought - 12 is a lot of people. It might be easier to make 2 ADR's for six people each around the same time.

 

[webray]

I would suggest heading to DTD and eating at Raglan Road. Food is good, nice atmosphere, moderatley priced and a good selection of cocktails if anyone wants. Also saves you the trouble of TTC nonsense.