Opinions Please! Dining w/ First Timer
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Here’s the sitch: My wife and I are bringing a friend of ours along with us on our next trip in August (not that we like heat and crowds, but when your wife’s a teacher, what can you do, right?) She is around 40 years old and hasn’t been to WDW since she was 10 (so not technically a first timer, but it’s been a very long time so she might as well be and she’s super excited about the trip
). Naturally we want this to be an adventurous and fun experience for her so we’re going to try to book some of the best places around WDW for dining as a first timer. We’re going for special all around – unique theme, good food, diversity of cuisine, and diversity of location. We’re staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our friend is not a picky eater and neither are we, but we’re trying to avoid Asian cuisine just because we’ve all experienced the best of the best and the most authentic in that arena. We also want to avoid Signature locations, but if you have a suggestion in that arena that is too good not to mention, then give it to me.
Here’s what we’re pondering so far, but feel free to steer us in a different direction if you like:Magic Kingdom: Lunch at Be Our Guest (maybe lunch at the Skipper’s Canteen as a backup)
Epcot: We’ve tossed around several good ideas, but haven’t been able to narrow it down
Hollywood Studios: Lunch at Sci-Fi (maybe 50s Prime Time as a backup)
Animal Kingdom: skipping in favor of something at the Animal Kingdom Resort
Resorts: Boma Dinner or Sanaa Lunch at Animal Kingdom Resort and a Breakfast at Kona Cafe at the PolyWhat do yinz (that’s western PA for “you all”) think?
EDIT: We are also not constrained by a dining plan.
For HS, I think either choice is safe but I’ve heard 50s food is much better (haven’t done scifi so I can’t compare)
We’ve done Boma and it was good but not everyone likes buffets…then I’d go Jiko (which I hear is amazing)
At poly you can go to captain cooks for breakfast, still get Tonga toast and it is half the price
Be Our Guest was good at MK and I agree with 85glht…if you eat at AK, just do Flame TreeEPCOT…I’m a Sunshine Seasons girl
Yachtsman, California grill (during fireworks) and citricos are on my someday list.
If you haven’t done Hoop De Doo, seriously consider it. It is dinner and a show where the food is actually good.
Great post and ideas everybody.
Here have been some of our favs:
MK – Be Our Guest (lunch is quick serve, dinner is sit-down)
AK – Jiko for lodge, Yak & Yeti for park.
DHS – Sci-Fi
Epcot – Tokyo Dining or La Hacienda for window view Illuminations
Diz Sprgs – Morimoto
Poly – Ohana
Wilderness – Artist Point
Grand FL – Narcoossee’s
SwanFin – Blue ZooThanks folks for all of your opinions and for raising options I had not previously considered. This will be my 17th trip to WDW, and dining out at Disney has always been a special part of the trip for me and I hope to extend that to our “first timer”. If anyone’s reading this and hasn’t chimed in yet, please feel free to do so. I’ll be booking our restaurants in early February for our trip, so there’s still plenty of time to switch things up.
For now, still considering a Be Our Guest lunch at MK mostly for the atmosphere (though the food has been pretty good too in my past visits).
At Epcot, again for atmosphere, I like the ideas of Biergarten, Coral Reef, and San Angel Inn, though the Biergarten I confess is my heavy favorite for the food (I’m half German).
I’m leaning toward Sanaa near the AK area. I have only dined there once, and was considering it again, but had not fully thought out how much my wife and I really enjoyed our experience there til Kelly brought it up.
As for everything else, I had not even given Disney Springs a first thought, so thanks for putting those places on my radar!
Quick Service wise, I agree with many of you that Sunshine Seasons is practically a must.
Thanks again for all your food for thought (pun intended)!
I’ve been around the block quite a bit with Disney dining, but things change over the years and it’s nice to hear about how restaurants I’ve not gone to in a while – or ever – are doing.I think BoG Lunch and Kona Breakfast are our only definites for now. I know my wife will give me the “look” if I don’t book Kona.
Yeah man becareful. You don’t want to get that dreaded look!! I know the one you mention. It cuts through you like a hot knife through butter.
i think it is great that you are making all these reservations. my hubby likes to eat but doesn’t like having all these reservations to work around and he does not like the cost of some of these restaurants! i get the look if i schedule more than two for our trip
by the way, my kids have requested we go to Hoop De Doo AGAIN. So my two will probably be Sci Fi (cuz we have to do something different) and then I’ll give in and we’ll do a big bucket of fried chicken.
I don’t get a look, I get him asking while we are driving down for our trip “Hey, did you book that place I like? You know, with that thing I like?”
Yeah…I love planning these things. Sometimes I plan for other people even though I’m not going (but I always offer that if they pay my expenses, I’ll be their tour guide for free
No one’s taken me up on that yet.)We love to dine out once a day on our trip, but if the restaurant serves the same stuff at lunch as it does dinner, I try to book lunch since it’s usually a good time to take a break anyway. If not, I’ll book an early dinner so we eat out at the end of our afternoon break. We don’t like to have to stop the fun for reservations, but we always want that afternoon break, so scheduling ADRs around those breaks has been very non-intrusive and convenient.
). Naturally we want this to be an adventurous and fun experience for her so we’re going to try to book some of the best places around WDW for dining as a first timer. We’re going for special all around – unique theme, good food, diversity of cuisine, and diversity of location. 
Here’s what we’re pondering so far, but feel free to steer us in a different direction if you like:
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