Victoria & Alberts on day of arrival or last night?

[queenofhartz]

Which would you select? I'm trying to decide if we should go as a little celebratory dinner on our first night or save it as a special dinner on our last night? This is our first and may be our only trip to V&A (next trips will be with our son, but this is a trip just for DH & I. DS, 1 year old, is going to go spend the week with his grandma-boy is she excited!!), so I want to time it right.

And, is the chefs table worth the extra cost? Is it kind of rude to reserve the chefs table for just 2 people, or is this ok?

Thanks for your advice and opinions!

 

[AnnetteF]

I've never done the chefs table, but I have been to V&A's several times and if I were you, I would do it on the night of arrival. Unless you are getting in very early, you probably won't want to waste a day's worth of admission to go into a park (unless you have annual passes) and it's a great way to kick off your vacation. We have done it on our arrival night as well and it is very relaxing to be served such a beautiful meal after a long day of traveling.

Also, you may find on your last night, as we always do, that there is something you wanted to do before you leave and are trying to squeeze in everything that last day. Also, at the end of dinner they will give you a beautiful long stem rose which you can enjoy in your room for the rest of your stay, rather than have to leave it in the hotel room the next morning when you leave.

Enjoy your dinner and your trip!

 

[shellybaxter]

I would book it for your last night. When we go to WDW we are always tired from traveling and wouldn't feel up to a big occation dinner like V&As. Also, I don't know what your arrival time is scheduled for but V&As would not be the place I would want to have to give up for travel delays.

I've never eaten at the Chef's Table but the main dining room is very romantic. I don't think the Chef's Table would be as romantic.

 

[aunties]

We have done both and will never do day of arrival again. By the end of dinner, nearly midnight, we were just too tired to enjoy it. The last night of the trip was far more enjoyable. It was such a romantic way to end a wonderful trip. And, I just took my rose on the plane with me the next day.

 

[Quinn222]

I'd do it first night. Have a relaxing non-park day and then V&A. We've found that more often than not we are tired the last night and end up cancelling ADRs in favor of eating in the resort that night.

 

[OKW Lover]

The dinner at V&A's takes about 3 hours. If you do it at the end of a travel day where you got up early you might find your enthusiasm waning by the end of the meal. OTOH, if you had an easy trip then it could be just perfect.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Of course if you do it the last night, then you probably should already be packed. Unless your next day allows for that. I'm always pretty tired after V&A and couldn't imagine attempting to pack then!
My own personal preference would be the first day, but only if you arrive early enough at WDW to unpack and relax a bit.
And don't worry about the Chefs Table for 2--it's done all the time. But if you've never done V&A, I would do the main room. It is more romantic there, and a special meal in it's own right.

 

[BCV23]

Are you locked into first or last?

People have listed so many good reasons to avoid either IMO. We book neither. First night I would not want to chance missing it if there are delays. Last night I would not relax knowing I need to pack when I get back to the room.

I agree about the Chef's Table. No problem for two people but the main dining room is so much more romantic.

 

[webray]

I would do it whenever you can get a reservation.

No, it is not rude to do the chefs table with only two people. Hubby and I love it..a great experience.

 

[inloveindisney]

If it were me, and I had to pick between the two, I'd do last night. Nice relaxing way to wind down your trip. Be prepared to be tired though. We had planned on going to MK after our dinner there and ended up changing our minds because we were just exhausted!
If I could choose, though, I'd want it my next to last night. You're not too sad yet that the trip is over, but you might be tired enough that sitting down for three hours would be a welcome change.

 

[queenofhartz]

Are you locked into first or last?

People have listed so many good reasons to avoid either IMO. We book neither. First night I would not want to chance missing it if there are delays. Last night I would not relax knowing I need to pack when I get back to the room.

I agree about the Chef's Table. No problem for two people but the main dining room is so much more romantic.

No, I am not locked in to the first or last day, so we could do the middle of the week if you think that would be better? (I have a "do nothing" day planned for Wednesday. This is our day for going to Disney Quest, swiming in the resort pool, sleeping in, whatever we want to do. So, we could do it Wednesday night if that would be better?

 

[queenofhartz]

Thank you, thank you to everyone for all of the advice and opinions!! It looks like there are just as many advantages/disadvantages of going on the first night as the last night. So now, I'm thinking maybe we should just move it to the middle of our trip? I have Wednesday scheduled as a "do nothing" day for us to sleep in, play at the pool, etc. So, I was thinking that this may be a good evening for V&A.

Oh, and, thanks again to everyone that answered my question about the chef's table. We're going to stick with the main dining room since this is our first trip to V&As.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thank you, thank you to everyone for all of the advice and opinions!! It looks like there are just as many advantages/disadvantages of going on the first night as the last night. So now, I'm thinking maybe we should just move it to the middle of our trip? I have Wednesday scheduled as a "do nothing" day for us to sleep in, play at the pool, etc. So, I was thinking that this may be a good evening for V&A.

That sounds like the best option. It give you a nice afternoon to relax and get cleaned up before an elegant evening at Vicki & Al's.

 

[septbaby]

We did Narcoossee's on our arrival day. We got into our room just after 3pm, got a light late lunch snack, swam and were ready for dinner by 7 or so. Ressies at 8pm so easy transportation run. As mentioned above it was nice getting the magic w/o a park ticket. And it set the tone for a magical trip. You may prefer to get to the room and nap before your dinner, but first night was great for us, last night would not have been as much fun. Trying to squeeze in things or worried about packing.

 

[Tamar]

I'd vote for "middle of the trip". I'd also say you will never feel more special than if you book the Chef's Table. But, you'll need to call exactly 6 months in advance, at exactly 7am to ensure that. (I took DH there for his 50th birthday in May and it was, without a doubt, the best meal we'd ever had, and you can't beat the personal attention).

 

[queenofhartz]

OKWLover-Ok, we've decided after reading all of the pros and cons on here to definitely do V&A on Wednesday night (1/2 way thru our trip).

septbaby-I think we're going to try for Narcoosee's or O'hana on the first night, too. We're staying at the Poly, so I'm leaning towards O'hana just to get us in that Polynesian vibe. But, Narcoosee's is on our "must do" list.

Tamar-some of the reviews I've read have said that the main dining room is more "romantic" than the chef's table (I guess because it's just you and your significant other). Would you agree with this or did you think the chef's table was also very romantic?

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Tamar]

It depends on your definition of romantic. If it's dim lighting, harp music, and excellent but unobrusive service, then go for the main dining room. If it's sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where Chef Scott starts the meal by sitting down with you with a nice bottle of champagne and discussing your like and dislikes, and then tailoring a menu exactly to that (even if that means DH and you get different things on some courses), while watching the well oiled machine that is th V&A kitchen, then the Chef Table is it.

You have the table for the whole night when it's the Chef's table. In the main dining room there are either 1 or 2 seatings depending on the season.

Don't get your heart set on the Chef's Table, tho. From what I've heard there is at least one couple who gets up early 6 months in advance of each trip, with a cell phone in each hand, and they dial in on 4 lines multiple days right at 7am before they snag the table.

I was lucky and got it on my second try...the first day when I called in a couple minutes after 7am it was already gone. Luckily I'd decided to try the day before DH's 50th just in case I missed it on the actual day, so I knew to be very prompt the next day.

You DO NOT need to call in 180 days out for the main dining room. We are going in 5 weeks and I'm confident I'll be able to get a ressie there. There is the reason the Chef's Table is the toughest ticket in Disney.

 

[SandraVB79]

OP, many have given many opinions, and I am going to give mine too

I wouldn't go the first day because I would be too scared to arrive late and as such miss dinner, or being on time but too tired to enjoy it (I once almost fell asleep with my nose in the strawberry-mango shortcake dessert at RFC after flying in. It was at DL and the 13-hour flight and 9 hours in time difference didn't help too much, but anyway. I still feel bad that I couldn't enjoy that dessert because I had been dreaming about it since weeks!)

I wouldn't go on the last night either. You have to pack. Buy that last souvenir (and of course you'll have to run to at least 4 shops before you find it). Maybe you'll need to get up very early the next morning to leave, ...
Also... I often get sick after going to a "fancy" restaurant. This has nothing to do with food poisoning, but with the fact that you sometimes eat things you are not used to, spices you are not used to, ... I'd rather be in a hotel room or even in a theme park with restrooms everywhere instead of in a car or a plane with limited facilities. This might be TMI, but... well, this is my experience

So, I think your Wednesday-option sounds just right!
Enjoy your meal!!!!