Where to eat at Poly evening arrival night?

[SFMommy]

We are arriving into MCO at 5:30 p.m. the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We will be getting a rental car and driving to the Poly.

At first I thought that we could have a late dinner at Kona Cafe. But after reading the reviews about their new menu, I'm not sure that I want to start our trip with a mediocre dinner. And I don't like to book an ADR on arrival night in case of flight delays.

We are fine just picking up something to eat in the room. I've read that there is a place to pick up sushi...but not sure where. Also, to complicate matters...my husband eats very healthy and low-cal. He pretty much will only eat a salad and maybe some grilled fish or sashimi. Is there a place in the Poly to grab some sushi and a salad to go?

Any suggestions? I suppose another option is to drive to the nearest Publix and pick something up. I also might get a Garden Grocer delivery with some snacks, water, breakfast foods, etc. But I don't think that will be enough for a dinner.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[lovin'fl]

If you are staying at Poly you can order the Ohana feast delivered to your room. I heard you only need 1 order for 2 people. I agree with not doing Kona. We stayed at Poly once and on check in day we went to park but made a late ADR at Kona for that night. Like 8:30pm. We didn't get seated until 9 and then service was slow and awful. And the food was disappointing. It is loud and open in there too. We were just exhausted and wanted to get done and go to bed.

Another suggestion is monorail to the Wave at CR. Maybe you can make a last minute ADR while driving in. Then you can park there and eat. The Wave is never too busy and has GREAT food and service. We do low carb too so we love this place.

The Ohana feast...your DH can eat the wings, meats, shrimp, salad and veges. No potstickers or noodles or dessert though. That would be tough.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Kona Island has sushi to-go, but not sashimi. You could try Capt. Cook's quick serve - they have some salads - or in-room dining. You may also want to check the menu's at Gasparilla's at GF or Contempo Cafe at CR as they are a fairly quick monorail ride away.

 

[SFMommy]

If you are staying at Poly you can order the Ohana feast delivered to your room. I heard you only need 1 order for 2 people.

The Ohana feast...your DH can eat the wings, meats, shrimp, salad and veges. No potstickers or noodles or dessert though. That would be tough.

Thank you! I am keeping the room-service Feast in my back pocket. We have never been to the Poly and I'm hoping to get a dinner reservation for Sunday or Monday night at 'Ohana. But since this will be at my 180+1 and 180+2 days...I might not be able to snag a reservation. I will also try TP reservation finder. But if I strike out with a dinner reservation...then we will definitely do the Feast on our arrival night!

 

[lovin'fl]

Thank you! I am keeping the room-service Feast in my back pocket. We have never been to the Poly and I'm hoping to get a dinner reservation for Sunday or Monday night at 'Ohana. But since this will be at my 180+1 and 180+2 days...I might not be able to snag a reservation. I will also try TP reservation finder. But if I strike out with a dinner reservation...then we will definitely do the Feast on our arrival night!

You should be fine getting an ADR. I, this Sunday, book our ADRs and will also be trying for Ohana dinner (for 12).

 

[ariane37]

Have you looked at Capt. Cook's menu, the QS at the Poly? I know you might be in the mood for more but we really like their food and I know they have some salads your DH may like.

 

[DisHmsklMom]

We've eaten at the Kona Island sushi bar as a family and found it to be a great experience. You can check out the menu here:https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?restaurant.id=494
Capt. Cooks could be a good choice for those who don't want anything on the Kona Island menu.

 

[SFMommy]

We've eaten at the Kona Island sushi bar as a family and found it to be a great experience. You can check out the menu here:https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?restaurant.id=494
Capt. Cooks could be a good choice for those who don't want anything on the Kona Island menu.

This menu at Kona Island looks pretty good! Is this a take-out counter or is there a place to sit and eat?

Have you looked at Capt. Cook's menu, the QS at the Poly? I know you might be in the mood for more but we really like their food and I know they have some salads your DH may like.

Thank you! Capt. Cooks doesn't look that great to me and doesn't get great reviews...but I will take a closer look if you say the food is ok!

Kona Island has sushi to-go, but not sashimi. You could try Capt. Cook's quick serve - they have some salads - or in-room dining. You may also want to check the menu's at Gasparilla's at GF or Contempo Cafe at CR as they are a fairly quick monorail ride away.

Thank you! Gasparilla's looks pretty good and would be a nice walk over to the GF.

 

[hopeful4fl]

All these suggestions are good. If you are a small party, i would HIGHLY advise you to walk over to Ohana and ask for a reservation. Twice over the past 7 months we have been able to do walk ins. I am sure this is due to some last minutes cancellation or something, but the worst that can happen is you don't get in. At that time you can try the other alternatives.

 

[Summer2018]

We are always exhausted after a long day of travel (We usually drive down from the northeast). We grab food at a quick service in our resort. When we stayed at the Contemporary, we ate at Contempo Cafe our first night. On our July trip, we stayed at the Polynesian and ate at Captain Cooks. My DH was ravenous and ordered a large meal. I was too tired to eat much and had raw vegetables. There’s a good variety of hot and cold food. Everything is delicious, quick, and easy after a long travel day.

 

[MissionMouse]

OP, its great you are renting a car as this allows you to place this transfer in your hands, but consider airlines these days are not always on time to the level we would like to see. Consider, what day is expected to be the big travel day around Thanksgiving...I do not know, but if its your day it could add more time in completing things in what we would consider a normal amount of time. Also, account for waiting in a rental car line too. Overall, we found dining at our resort removed some stress from our travel day. I would recommend picking an ADR time that allows you extra time to get there without stressing all the way to Disney and starting your vacation on a sour note. We have travelled during this time period in the past and the item that can change your plans faster than anything else is the airline's ability to maintain its schedule. walk-in around Thanksgiving is more of an exception than an expectation. If they offer free dining around this time, maybe someone knows what are the dates/maybe other dates announce later, but this will also change availability. Overall, counter service options would remove arrival time stresses. If you appear to be a lot later than you planned I would suggest stopping at a grocery store or restaurant in Orlando outside of Disney.

 

[DisHmsklMom]

This menu at Kona Island looks pretty good! Is this a take-out counter or is there a place to sit and eat?

There are seats around the sushi bar and in front of the windows. You will have a waiter if you sit.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thank you! I am keeping the room-service Feast in my back pocket. We have never been to the Poly and I'm hoping to get a dinner reservation for Sunday or Monday night at 'Ohana. But since this will be at my 180+1 and 180+2 days...I might not be able to snag a reservation. I will also try TP reservation finder. But if I strike out with a dinner reservation...then we will definitely do the Feast on our arrival night!

also try the night before or morning of day you want to eat there. people do cancel to avoid the No Show fee

 

[Lily13]

Try the Wave at CR. We love it there and have had wonderful meals and service Plus they have healthy options as well.

 

[amym2]

These probably don’t meet your dh’s eating requirements, but the Thai Coconut meatballs at Captain Cook’s are delicious!