Pick my first night!!

[hampshire mickey]

Help me out fellow DVC'ers! I am a family of 2 parents, 2 grandparents and a 14 month old. What should our first dinner and night be? We want a fun and good dining experience with "light" sightseeing afterwards (ie. resort hopping, monorail ride, etc.). Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

I am cosidering checking intoe BCV and pooling it then dining at Chef Mickey's (never been) and resort hop later. But I would like to see other suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[lenshanem]

We love Chef Mickey's. We usually either start or end our trip there.
I'm taking my parents with us in July and my Mom even requested we stop there first for breakfast before checking into BCV.

 

[princess&tig]

Chef Mickeys Rocks! It maybe a little much for grandma but it is fun with great food and lots of selections. the 14 mo year old may not get much out of it either but it is load enough so you do not feel bad if the little one make a little noise.

Other options:
-I love the castle at the MK (Cinderella') great theme - better for lunch
-Norway has a great restaurant (askewers or something like that) - if you like salmon (maybe good for grandma)
-Mexico is great to eat and watch fireworks - the cheap outside place
-ESPN is a great place for guys and sports fans!!! This is my favorite (good food, entertainment and low prices)

 

[Divamomto3]

Chef Mickey's is always our first meal!

But another good idea would be 'Ohana at the Poly. Great food, great atmosphere and if you get the table near the time of Wishes fireworks, you'll see them from the Restaurant and they even pipe in the sound and music!

 

[brittsmum1998]

We always start our vacation at Chef Mickeys and then a ride around on the monorail. Its my 6 yr olds "start" to her vacation. The characters get us excited and Epcot is beautiful at night.

 

[chainkid]

If you are arriving early then Chef mickeys is the best even for my 85 year old mother, but if you are getting to the resort later in the day and have to unpack then Cape May Cafe Buffet dinner is really a good choice since you are staying at the BCV. WE usually get in around 1:00PM have lunch..get our room if ready if not relax at the pool until 4:00PM then unpack and visit chef Mickeys. This way we don't have to use our passes when we are tired from traveling and it sets up a relaxing start to the week.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Chef Mickey's is sounding like my choice too. Just for other "options" there is always the Hoop de Doo Review at Fort Wilderness, eating at the buffet in Animal Kingdom Lodge-Boma's.

I've always wanted to go to the Barbeque at Fort Wilderness too. Has anyone tried that?

 

[gtrist4life]

I'll put in a vote/recommendation for 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. We met Cinderella, Prince Charming, the mice from Cinderella, and the Fairy Godmother there. Plus the GF is a beautiful resort to walk around.

Peace,
G4L

 

[BWVDee]

My vote would be for Ohana. Much better food, table service (vs buffet) great atmosphere, entertainment, ability to see MK fireworks and electrical water parade and you are still on the monorail loop for resort hopping/visiting.

 

[kramer_clan]

I would try dinner at any of the choices listed before this post. All of them are great. I would definitely chose to dine early and make it to the Poly beach for the Electrical Water Pageant. Stop and grab some snacks (cookies, etc...) and head to the beach to watch. Great way to start a vacation. We have done this many times.

Vicki

 

[MemereMouse]

I'm a 69 year old who loves Chef Mickey's. Really gets you into the Disney Magic! Love watching the children's reacation to all the characters and even enjoy waving my napkin in the air for Mickey's entrance. What fun!!!!

 

[BrentKohl]

I always try and start leisurely with a slow paced trip to the Marketplace Village to get into the Disney spirit without exhausting ourselves on the first day. You could always eat at Rainforest Cafe or something like that. That approach has always worked for me.

Brent

 

[pmcpmc]

different view of the world.

 

[CarolynFH]

We brought some friends several years ago. They had 5-day hoppers so could not go into a park that night since they arrived too late in the day. So we had supper at Spoodles and booked an Illuminations cruise for right afterwards. It was a perfect introduction to WDW for them. (Of course, our youngest child was 11, so we didn't have the same safety concerns on the cruise you might have with a 14 month old. You might want a babysitter after dinner while you did the cruise.)