Second-guessing Kona

[NYEmomma]

DH and I are going for our 15th anniversary in November. First time we've been with kids since we got married (and our first kid-free weekend since our oldest was born almost 9 years ago!). My plan for dining was to go to places our kids wouldn't like and places that were a *little* nicer than usual (aka, no character dining, hoe downs, super-themed extravaganzas).

We only have 3.5 days unfortunately.
Friday - dinner at Sanaa
Saturday - dinner at Kona
Sunday - dinner at Trattoria al Forno

We picked based on menu alone as we love Indian, Asian and Italian food (and outside of the Italian, the kids DON'T love it). But now that I'm looking at pictures of Kona, I'm kind of second-guessing. It looks really... loud. :/ And crowded. Not necessarily what we're looking for on a kid-free anniversary trip (granted, I have very realistic expectations since we chose to go to Disney World for our anniversary, lol). What do you guys think? Pick something else??

ETA: Friday we're at HS & AK, Saturday we're at Epcot and Sunday we're at MK. Leaving Monday so we'll be eating breakfast at Olivia's at OKW.

 

[samsteele]

I've had mixed dinner experiences at Kona. The first dinner was exceptional with great food & great service. The second time fell flat largely because of poor service leading to a cold dinner. Kona isn't known for its atmosphere. It's an open plan hotel lobby restaurant. The food, in general, is good to very good. One of the big advantages of Kona is that it's right on the monorail so an easy shot for dinner from Magic Kingdom. However, the service has been markedly poor over the past few years & you'll read many comments to that effect on the Boards. With only 3 dinners in your trip, I'd replace it with a more reliable dining experience.

Keeping with the 1 TS restaurants, a few to check out: Art Smith's Homecomin' at Disney Springs, Raglan Road at Disney Springs, Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom, Skippers Canteen in Magic Kingdom and Boma Buffet at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Boma is a buffet but one of the best (if not the best) on WDW property and a higher end selection of food plus interesting theming. I never hesitate to recommend Boma even to people who aren't keen on buffets.

ps your Sanaa dinner is a solid choice. I have enjoyed a number of dinners at Sanaa and never disappointed. I haven't heard good things about Trattoria al Forno so have avoided it. However, I haven't actually dined there so can't give a first hand experience.

 

[hedberg1661]

Personally, given the types of food you like I would go with Boma. I always find their food to be really good and there are selections for everyone.

 

[Nhebron]

Kona is one of my favorite Disney restaurants, but I think it's loud and we usually take our kid. Also I feel like the seating is really close together.

 

[finleyd]

The Wave has great reviews

 

[NYEmomma]

Does anyone have an experience/opinion on Morimoto's??

 

[dkrauss]

DH and I are going for our 15th anniversary in November. First time we've been with kids since we got married (and our first kid-free weekend since our oldest was born almost 9 years ago!). My plan for dining was to go to places our kids wouldn't like and places that were a *little* nicer than usual (aka, no character dining, hoe downs, super-themed extravaganzas).

We only have 3.5 days unfortunately.
Friday - dinner at Sanaa
Saturday - dinner at Kona
Sunday - dinner at Trattoria al Forno

I think you choice of Sanaa and Trattoria al Forno are spot on. My wife and I have done both and enjoyed them very much. We've never done Kona before so I can't speak to the food but there are so many other restaurants that you'd never try with kids that could be more appropriate........how about Citrico's or California Grill. Both are wonderful places with much more of adult take. In fact you can watch the fireworks at the MK from the Cali Grill.

What ever you choose to do have a great trip

Doug

 

[NYCgrrl]

The food at Kona Cafe was surprisingly spot on and rose far above our expectations (luvved the salmon!) but the ambiance is probably not conducive to a celebration meal. I could and would have an adult meal there just not one that needed soft lights, no reminders of others nearby.

Haven't eaten at Morimoto's so opinion less.

 

[squeezle]

Does anyone have an experience/opinion on Morimoto's??

We have only been once, but very much enjoyed our meal at Morimoto's. The variety of dishes available there is much larger than Kona, and the food we had was delicious. As for the atmosphere, it can still be loud but the decor is much more pleasing than Kona. And then you have the option of exploring Disney Springs before/after dinner. (For the record, I am a big fan of Kona for breakfast but only found dinners to be okay.)

 

[NYEmomma]

So I think the plan is to cancel Kona and book the Boathouse at Disney Springs instead. I told DH to look at Disney Springs restaurants, thinking of Morimoto's but he picked that. I hate most seafood but he loves it and Boathouse has enough options for me to find something I don't mind. Not what I was envisioning but I picked everything else so I'll give him this one.

 

[NYCgrrl]

So I think the plan is to cancel Kona and book the Boathouse at Disney Springs instead. I told DH to look at Disney Springs restaurants, thinking of Morimoto's but he picked that. I hate most seafood but he loves it and Boathouse has enough options for me to find something I don't mind. Not what I was envisioning but I picked everything else so I'll give him this one.

Big step up quality and ambiance wise and I think you'll both enjoy it. Boathouse does a nice job of surf and turf so you should both be happy. The live music should also help the adult feel.

 

[magical-me]

I've only eaten a kona once, but i really enjoyed it! the food is good. I didn't find it particularly noisy.

 

[kastoney]

Boathouse is a great pick over Kona. Kona isn't bad by any means, but if you are looking for special restaurants for an anniversary Kona isn't going to please. You may also consider sitting at a couple of bars and trying a few places in DS. On a Saturday that may be a little hard, but you could go from Boathouse to Morimoto to Homecoming and try 3 great places all in 1 night And all with no kiddos

 

[mel&me]

Been to Kona's a couple times and enjoyed and food would go again, that being said, I would choose elsewhere for an anniversary.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I've only eaten a kona once, but i really enjoyed it! the food is good. I didn't find it particularly noisy.

I agree with you on the food but it's just not a "date night" kind of place although it could be with different lighting and a few other changes. Kona was the first place I ate at in DW and I was kinda cranky (started traveling at 2:00 AM in the morning; room wasn't ready; had to wait for a table), expecting little beyond sustenance. By the time the bill was paid I'd understood that I was going to have a good time at Disney and I did.

 

[kiford]

We usually do at least one dining experience at Kona, although it's usually for breakfast. It can be a bit loud but we've never had any problems having a conversation. I don't recall doing dinner there but we have definitely done lunch a few times. It's not my favourite so every time we go I think that we'll sacrifice Kona for another restaurant but it always manages to find its way back onto the schedule. I guess because it does have some different menu options that are not of the usual fare you find so it appeals to me. If you like the menu, I'd still say go. I guess I don't find the noise to be too distracting because it's open to the atrium so it tends to dissipate somewhat more than if it was an enclosed space.

Does anyone have an experience/opinion on Morimoto's??

We loved it. I was hesitant to go because there's a lot of seafood on the menu and I'm allergic and I had read some so-so reviews on the food and service. We had a great time. Food was amazing (the rib appetizer is brilliant), I had no problem finding non-seafood dishes, decor is beautiful and the service was excellent. It couldn't have been too noisy because we got there early when there were few people, stayed for quite a while (me, DH and a friend) talking over dinner and were startled when we left because we suddenly noticed that the place was packed.

 

[Skywise]

I'm not a big fan of the Cafe's for dinner (love them for breakfast though) though I'm sure the food is good.

Boathouse will be good.

I'd also recommend stopping for drinks before or (and? ) after at Jock Lindsey's Hangar bar.

Also, since it's the anniversary, take a car boat ride around the lake.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We haven't eaten at Boma so I can't help you on a comparison, but we like Kona and it's a must-do on every trip for us. Part of it is nostalgia (we've just always done it, going all the way back to our 1st trip), but we wouldn't keep going back if we didn't enjoy the experience, either. Many people don't like the atmosphere, and I can see that (although we don't think it's louder than any other 1 TS WDW restaurant), but for us being in the Poly is the atmosphere. It's a treat to park, walk in and walk around before/after dinner. We also like the food and have always had good service.

 

[Colleen27]

I think your assessment of Kona is dead on. We love the food there, but it is loud and crowded and the tables are close together. I wouldn't choose it for a date night, especially since you mention that's the day you're going to be at Epcot where there are so many interesting choices. FWIW, I wouldn't go with Boma either; buffets just aren't date-night material in my book!

Did you look at the menu for Spice Road Table? I tried it on a solo trip and found the food really good, the menu fairly unusual and complex by Disney standards, and the atmosphere charming. It wasn't very busy when I was there so I'm not sure how the volume level would be when full, but the windows looking out over the World Showcase lagoon make for a lovely backdrop to the meal.