Nye?

[KEPE]

So thinking of a holiday trip this year and would like to pick a place for a special NYE dinner, not in the park, don't care for views of the fireworks. Just want a delish meal in a nice atmospher. No Cali Grill for $500+ pp. Any suggestions? We are thinking of doing a park in the morning to mid day, heading back to the hotel to relax and then going to a nice dinner. If you have any experience on NYE let me know.

TIA

 

[CindyIsMyFave]

Nobody seems to post much about NYE around here, so I'll try, even though I can't help you exactly.

We've done NYE twice now, including this past Dec., but always in the parks for the fireworks . . . I totally hear you on Cali Grill. Citricos gets a lot of rave reviews here, but I haven't been. Certainly the setting is nice! (Can you do V&A, or is that outside the budget?) Flying Fish also gets good reviews and I bet that area is fun around NYE.

 

[OhThePain]

I think we might be able to help you better if we knew more about your party. Where are you staying? Who's in your party? Are you on the dining plan and how many credits are you looking to use on your NYE dinner if you are? Where would you like to be when the clock strikes 12? IMO a little more information on your part might help in us coming up with some good options for you.

 

[KEPE]

Thank you both for responding. Cindy, I agree not much info on NYE. So funny because it says it's the busiest day yet, not much posted on it.

More info - three pp, 2 adults and one child age 4. Staying AKL but don't mind taking a cab to another resort or going to DTD. Not interested in Jiko or Boma for this specific night. Either the DDP or DXP, not yet sure but also have no problem if the meal is not covered under the plan and we need to pay OOP for it. Not looking to be there until midnight just want a "fancy" yummy dinner. We'll head back to the hotel and ring in the NY in our room. I don't mind spending money on a good meal but Cali Grill seemed a little out of my league for just dinner. Sounded like that price was for a full out party which is not really what I'm looking for. Don't mind a limited menu as I know many place will not offer their full menu on this night.

We've only been to WDW once before and we did mostly meals that catered around our DD (lots of character things). So didn't really hit any of the "nicer" so to speak places. I looked up menu's and read reviews but since it's a holiday I don't know what places shut down for parties (like Cali). As I mentioned above a little tough to find reviews about things on that specifc day. I wonder if more people do the park restaurants?

Thanks for your responses!!

 

[baler31]

Honestly, the best advice I can give about NYE is to stay away from DTD unless you want to spend an hour from stoplight to stoplight.

This year we did CG on the 30th to watch the NYE fireworks (they run them on both days, the 30th is considered a practice run) and Bull & Bear at the Waldorf on NYE. Although not on NYE we enjoyed Citricos and Bluezoo on this trip as well.

 

[OhThePain]

My first thought was for Citricos, but then you mentioned the 4 year old. Citricos, IMO, is probably the dullest restaurant on property for a young kid, so I would suggest skipping that one.

I am not sure which restaurants do special NYE dinners and which ones don't (plus that can change from year to year). I would first suggest Flying Fish at the Boardwalk (for us it ties Citricos for best food on the dining plan) and is pretty easy to get to (from AKL, take a bus to DHS and then either walk to the BW, which would take about 20 minutes or take a boat). There should also be some performers out on the Boardwalk after your meal to watch for a while before heading back to AKL.

I know you said no Jiko and no Boma, but are you interested in Sanaa at all? The food is better than some of the Signatures, IMO. The restaurant is nice and is well worth the 1TS credit. We also like the fire pit and look out area better at Kidani than at Jambo. It's also nice because you won't have to worry about large crowds and transportation.

 

[KEPE]

Thank you all for the info. I've heard the boardwalk is festive so I'll add flying fish to the list and I'll check out the menu for Saana.

Thanks again!!

 

[CindyIsMyFave]

You would probably do well with Flying Fish. It was good when we went last month. A few items were a tad salty. Not everything was spectacular, but as Disney restaurants go, it is very nice. (Disclaimer: Since I live in a big city with lots of dining options, I find myself getting picky with Disney quality.)

I think with a 4 year old too, the Boardwalk might be fun for a little entertainment that's not midnight-centered.