tell me about "dining only" trips!

[babyruth]

Have you gone just for the dining and perhaps a resort? Either on or off property? We are cruising in February from Port Canaveral. I'm considering going in early, maybe even a week early, just to stay in the Disney area and enjoy the restaurants with no parks or just MK if I can't resist. What are your experiences with this? Did you enjoy it or get bored?

 

[jillt2ph]

I just did this July 2-6. I flew down Tuesday afternoon and had dinner at Planet Hollywood that night. On Wednesday I started with an early breakfast with the characters at Cape May, and then worked all day from my room at Saratoga Springs. Dinner was at Turf Club, and then an Uber over to Contemporary for the DVC Member Fireworks Cruise (which ended up being cancelled ). The Fourth started with the Bon Voyage breakfast at Boardwalk, a little wandering around and relaxing during the afternoon, and then dinner and MK fireworks at Cali Grill. I did the DlxDP for those 2 days since it was a separate reservation. Then Friday I hung at the pool and Disney Springs, and Saturday was spent relaxing and a late lunch at Big River Grill before heading back to Saratoga Springs for DME. I really enjoyed it!

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

While the resorts and Disney Springs have enough excellent restaurants to keep you occupied, missing the food at Epcot is a big loss. Festival of the Arts will likely be on during your February visit, and the World Showcase culinary lineup is hard to beat.

Deluxe plan is a must if staying on property. Do a one credit place for lunch and a Signature for dinner.

Last May my trip was mostly focused on dining and I forced myself not to make ADRs for a couple time slots and allow things to be spontaneous. Helped from feeling like everything was too planned.

 

[jennie622]

Since I live 1.5 hours from WDW, the majority of my visits revolve around food. From signatures to snack only trips, my bucket list of dining everywhere is getting smaller. In less than three weeks I’ll be trying some new experiences (well, new to me) such as Savor the Savanna and Celebration at the Top.

I did the big bad degustation menu with wine pairing at Monsieur Paul a few weeks ago and it was mind blowing!! I know it’s in a park but it’s worth it.

 

[Jennasis]

We have done a non-park trip. Stayed at SSr and enjoyed the proximity to Disney Springs and all the wonderful dining choices there! It was a delight!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Orlando has a lot to do, without visiting the parks. That said, if I was spending a week in Florida focused on dining, I'd rent a car & spend the week in Miami. WDW restaurants are subpar compared to Miami's restaurants at a similar price point.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I'd rent a car & spend the week in Miami.

Poster is going out of Canaveral. While Miami is certainly culturally more expansive, it is also 5 hours from where the poster will be. It may not be practical. Orlando/Kissimmee is only an hour away from PC and the poster maybe using Disney transport to get to the cruise.

Disney/Orlando has plenty to offer culinary wise. I'm a local (80 miles west of WDW near Tampa) and DH and I often do short trips or day trips which usually result in dining in the world. The resorts have the best places on property IMO. Disney Springs coming in a very close second. If you want to enjoy the Disney bubble while waiting for your cruise, why not? No need to venture into the parks.

Boardwalk area has great places. AKL has some of the best places on property to eat. GF of course and Contemporary. Heck, you could make an entire trip about eating in DS now there are so many choices with out leaving property.

Crunch the numbers on the Dining plan. For us, it doesn't work. We use discounts such as AP, Disney Visa, DVC and TIW so we don't use the dining plan. If you want signatures that are on the plan (especially 2 credits) or character meals, it maybe worth it.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I was aware the OP was leaving from Port Canaveral. Miami is a little over 3 hrs. from the port. I wouldn't recommend someone go to Miami, if they only had 2 or 3 nights pre-cruise. I personally wouldn't spend a week in Orlando, without going to the parks, especially considering the OP is focusing on food. If the trip was all about entertainment, I'd recommend staying in Orlando. I just think they could get much better food in Miami for the price Disney charges. Staying in Miami also lessens the chance they'll have cool weather on their trip, though weather is never guaranteed. Regardless, I was simply offering an alternative option that the OP may not have considered. To me, you can never have too many options.

PS: I lived in Tampa for 17 years & hope to move back to the Gulf coast someday.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Cocoa Beach is right next to Cape Canaveral and has some fantastic dining options. Some fun touristy stuff as well such as mini golfing. Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar by the port is a very fun but casual seafood restaurant. Florida's Fresh Grill is more upscale and delicious for seafood. Marina Ristorante is a little hole in the wall Italian place with some of the best pasta I've ever had. We were only there two days and wished we were there longer to try more places to eat. The Kennedy Space Center is also a cool place to visit for a day.

 

[Farro]

Love eating at Disney when we visit.

That said, I would never visit just to eat there. If you are coming a week early you can certainly go to Miami for better dining. Heck, you can go anywhere a week early for better dining!

 

[MikeWDW35]

I could definitely skip the parks and go and relax at the resort and spa, have dinner at Disney Springs.

 

[MrsInsG]

We did this in June of 2018; 4 nights at AKL in a savanna view room. We ate dinner at Sanaa, and California Grill, lunch at Polite Pig, breakfast at Boma, and random counter service places here and there (we did not go into the parks). It was great! My husband and I commented we'd like to do the same again, for longer, with many more restaurant choices. A WDW staycation is fantastic!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We hit up the Festivals at Epcot. Food & Wine, Flower & Garden, Holiday and Arts.

 

[jventur3]

This is what my wife and I do all of the time. We are DVC members and fly out to Disney every few months for great meals and to enjoy our favorite resorts. In fact, we only bring our children on a family trip every other year. We plan our trips and which hotels we book around the restaurants we reserve. We own at both Boardwalk because of its proximity to Epcot and SSR because we can walk into Disney Springs. Every trip includes an Epcot visit but we seldom venture out of the World Showcase- well except for Starbucks. If we do go into the other parks, it is because we have a dining reservation. We will then occasionally hit a ride or two as we await or reservation. Dining drives our Disney experiences whether it be an Epcot festival, a tough to land reservation, or one of our favorite places to eat.

 

[Boblightyear]

Have you gone just for the dining and perhaps a resort? Either on or off property? We are cruising in February from Port Canaveral. I'm considering going in early, maybe even a week early, just to stay in the Disney area and enjoy the restaurants with no parks or just MK if I can't resist. What are your experiences with this? Did you enjoy it or get bored?

I find that the best restaurants are in DAKL. For buffet: Boma , very good s

Have you gone just for the dining and perhaps a resort? Either on or off property? We are cruising in February from Port Canaveral. I'm considering going in early, maybe even a week early, just to stay in the Disney area and enjoy the restaurants with no parks or just MK if I can't resist. What are your experiences with this? Did you enjoy it or get bored?

i find that best restaurants around wdw that are not in a park are at DAKL. Boma for an african buffet, or Saana for table service. Food quality and service are great. DAKL as a resort is also great!

 

[ljmclin]

My husband and I are doing this in February. We are headed to Disney for my daughter's national cheerleading competition. We are avoiding the resorts with the cheerleaders and staying at our favorite - Polynesian. We plan to eat, relax, eat, relax....... and go watch my daughter compete! No parks this trip. This will be my first time going to Disney and not going to a park. My husband doesn't think I will do it. Now I am just trying to decide if we should get the dining plan or not......