NOW he tells me!! HELP!

[DisneyJade]

need some help here! I'm going to cross post, b/c this is a dual dining/day-to-day planning question. My Disney-indifferent boyfriend has now decided to make a Disney demand. He wants us to go to a "nice" restaurant on our Anniversary (the thursday while we are in WDW). he specifically wants to go somewhere we can get "dressed up" but we can't afford Victoria & Albert's. So, here's my problem: I have a PS for us at Coral Reef on our anniversary (the only dining reservation I made).
1) Should I cancel that PS and move it to another day... a lunch maybe? and reschedule for another restaurant on our anniversary? or should I just set up the nice restaurant for friday or saturday?
2) WHERE can we go get dressed up and not feel silly on a weekday? (preferably not seafood, since we're already doing Coral Reef... and we'd like to stay under a hundred bucks for the whole meal, including wine)
3) Take a look at this jam-packed schedule? how can I rearrange to fit in another nice dinner??? is there a good place to eat late... after the parks close???

wed 1/15 -- arrive early evening
see Illuminations
thurs 1/16 -- ANNIVERSARY!!
MK & Epcot
(I currently have a PS for Coral Reef at 7:30)
fri 1/17 -- AK & MGM
see Fantasmic
Pleasure Island (late evening)
sat 1/18 -- Epcot & MK
see light parade and fireworks
sun 1/19 -- leave early

I can't even think!!!!!! Help!!!!!!

 

[MulanMom]

Disneyjade,

Coral Reef *is* a nice restaurant and will be memorable. I wouldn't change your reservation. You may want to explain to your boyfriend that WDW is one of the few places you can enjoy good dining in casual clothes!

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I love the California Grill and always dress a little smarter for this restaurant. You could do the smae for the Flying Fish and then you could wander around the Boardwalk afterwards which is romantic.

Or there's Narcoosees at the Grand Floridian if you get a PS for 8ish ask for a seat by the window and you'll see the Electric Water Pageant from your seats, also romantic.

HTH

 

[Uncleromulus]

Assuming you really want to get dresed up, people can (and often do) get dressed up for almost any of the hotel restaurants. You can check the menu sites for price, etc.

Were it me, I'd opt for a somewhat better venue than Coral reef for my anniversary dinner. Some possibilities:
Artist Point
Flying Fish
Narcoosee
Jiko
California Grill
Portobello Yacht Club

 

[BCV23]

I agree with Uncle...if you want to dress up, head for the hotels. Besides the ones he mentioned, Citrico's at the GF is another place with good food and elegant surroundings.

 

[mrsltg]

Citrico's is a wonderful spot. But just to be realistic (please don't take this as harsh) you're going to have a hard tome getting away with everything under $100. Most entrees run around $25, add an appetizer for $8-12 plus a couple of glasses of wine (around $8-10, depending), plus tax and tip.... you get the picture. Maybe you can budget a little more? Or head to one of the nicer restaurants for a late lunch? I'd hate to see you not enjoy yourself or select what you'd really like off the menu due to sticker shock.

Have a wonderful trip, and Happy Anniversary!

Erin

 

[jel0511]

I agree with Uncle, if you want to dress up, stick with a resort restaurant, people tend to dress nicer for the resort restaurants, rather than the park restaurants. In the parks you'll see most patrons wearing their park clothing. I also have to agree with mrstlg, I've eaten at Narcoossee's, Artist Point and Flying Fish, all of which I'd recommend. DH and I don't drink, and we've never been able to keep the tab below $100 at any of these restaurants. With appitizers, entrees and dessert it adds up quickly, with tax and tip, usually over $100. Also, at these finer WDW establishments, the entree portions are usually smaller so you can enjoy the whole expereince of trying different things, usually an entree isn't enough for us. If you can, increase your budget and choose which ever restaurant you want, you'll have a wonderful anniversary. Also, check out www.wdwig.com(link below). This website had a GREAT database of all WDW menus, so you'll get an idea of what is served and the prices so you can make an educated decision as to where to dine. www.wdwig.com

 

[DisneyJade]

wow, i've gotten so much advice on this topic in both forums!! I think we're going to go for California Grill... and maybe we'll stretch the budget a bit. (afterall, we did save $214 on the room thanks to codes!!!!) also, I think we'll be switching our Coral Reef PS to a lunch, so that will save $$. So, now the question is planning. I'll ask the same I asked under the other thread... How much time should we allow for getting back to the POFQ from the parks, getting dressed and getting to the Contemporary? and how late can we make reservations? Thanks so much for the help you Disney pros!!!

 

[llupin]

Check out the menus on WDWIG.com for Coral Reef. We ate there at lunch. There were very few "light" entrees on the lunch menu; therefore, if you are going to California Grill that night, you may want to skip it in favor of counter service somewhere.

 

[PrincessAurora]

Travel time depends on which park you are coming from. Rule of thumb I use is an hour travel time each way and then how ever long you need to get dressed (some take longer than others). From PO, I would take the bus to MK then grab the monorail to the Contemporary.

 

[handi1]

i'd get dressed up for JIKO, CALI GRILL, or FLYING FISH
ALL GREAT !!!!!!!!

 

[SnowAngel]

I believe CG is open to 11pm but not positive. I think CG is a great place and if you time it right you can get to watch the fireworks.

 

[ahutton]

Just make sure that if you are planning to use the bus from POFQ to MK that you don't plan to go to the Contemporary so late that bus service isn't running to MK. I wouldn't expect that to be a huge problem, but it could be "in theory." If the weather is nice I would bus to MK and then walk to the Contemporary, it is almost as far to walk there as it is to walk to the resort monorail from the bus stop. If you want to "relax and get ready" for your anniversary dinner the way we did, I suggest leaving yourself 1 1/2 hours to get from the hotel to the Contemporary, your time to get ready plus an hour from whatever park you are in that day.

 

[DisneyJade]

well, we decided to go to California Grill, but now I have a new problem. We need to get from POFQ to Contemporary for a 9pm PS. All parks will be closed by then except Epcot World Showcase... and after dinner, even that will be closed. so how do I navigate here?

 

[MulanMom]

Off the top of my head, there are a couple different options available to you.

1) To get to the Contemporary, you can take a bus to DD, then catch a bus from there to the Contemporary. You would do the same in reverse to return to POFQ.

2) Take a bus to Epcot, then transfer to the monorail, then transfer to the resort monorail to Contemporary (very roundabout), then take a bus to downtown Disney, catch a bus to POFQ from there.

3) Take a cab to and from the Contemporary. It would save you the most time.

4) Depending on what you are paying to get from the airport to WDW (remember tips for baggage handlers/drivers) and possible costs for cabs, you may benefit from finding a cheap car rental. One of the reasons we prefer to rent a car while at WDW is because we don't like to waste so much time trying to get from resort to resort.

Hope this helps!

Sharon

 

[DisneyJade]

cab cost from pofq to contemp?

 

[MulanMom]

Sorry, I have no recent information to reference. Last time we took a cab from OKW (right next to POFQ) to the TTC was in '94 and I think the cost was around $8-10 not including tip. Maybe if you post a message on the Transportation board, someone can give you a more informed response.

Sharon

 

[ddank]

the cab is your best option, should cost you no less than 15$ including tip. if you wish to save a buck take bus from PO to downtown dis, then on to the contemp which will take you around a hour each way. make sure you get there before your PS time also.

 

[Pumbaa_]

There is no easy way to go from resort to resort. Since this is your anniversary and you are looking for a special evening, I would suggest the taxi. If you take the taxi there, you are not dependent on buses and connections and you will get where you are going in a timely manner. The last thing that you want to worry about on a special evening is bus schedules and will you make your ps.

If your budget won't stretch for a taxi both ways, then take it to your ps and then bus it to DTD and then back to the french quarter.

I think the CG is an excellant choice for your anniversary. We were there last January and watched the fireworks at MK from the viewing deck and then we also saw the EPCOT fireworks from our table in the back. We had an excellant dinner and a great experience with friends.

Have a great time!

 

[DisneyJade]

thanks! i think i'll do the one-way cab thing. that way i won't stress, but I'll also feel thrifty for taking dis transport back to the hotel. I'm so excited for CG!!! no matter how we get there, I know our anniversary dinner will be magical!