Where to Eat First Night?

[beksy]

We are FINALLY making another trip to WDW! Our flight should arrive early afternoon on October 29th and we will be there for 12 days. Since we have 10 day tickets, we don't want to use a ticket to enter the parks that first evening but are going to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere. The first night is at the POP before we move to POFQ the next morning. Where would you all suggest eating/going that first night? I'm thinking maybe DTD or the Boardwalk but I'm not sure which restaurant since we haven't eaten a TS at either location before. I also thought maybe visiting AKL since it would be new to us and a good chance to explore. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!

[merlinmagic4]

I think dinner at Boma and exploring AKL is a great idea! Also, you could consider 'Ohana at the Polynesian. That's what we are doing

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

Since you brought up AKL, I really loved Jiko! I highly recommend it.

[Disney4us2]

AKL is one of our favorites. We loved Boma. Really any of the resorts would be good. Another favorite is Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club.

[hope2survive]

Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary is a nice way to get in the mood or if you want something more adult/fancy - The California Grill.

We have the same situation as you and are going to DTD to House of Blues this trip because never been there before. I've done Planet Hollywood (fun atmosphere - food unremarkable), Rainforest Cafe (fun atmosphere - food way overpriced and not great), Portabella (i like very much). Nice thing with DTD is you can do some shopping for the beginning of the trip - a new hat or shirt to wear is always fun to me.

[MargaretMessler]

We did the dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian, and the food was awesome. One of the best buffet character meals I have had, lots of choices and everything kept very fresh.

[Scallywag]

T-Rex café and Rainforest (DTD) are always fun. We also like Boma.

[iheartdisney]

Here's another vote for exploring AKL. We love Sanaa and Boma. Two of our all time favorite restaurants at any of the resorts.

[faline]

Since you mention table service restaurants, here are some of my favorites:

Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jiko which a couple of other folks have already mentioned.

Boardwalk - Flying Fish Cafe is very good. We've also enjoyed the Yachtsman's Steak House which is actually at the Yacht Club across the way.

In Downtown Disney, our favorite casual place (and inexpensive) place to dine would be Earl of Sandwich. Although we haven't been to either in a while, we also have enjoyed Portobello and House of Blues.

[DKA041177]

Agree with everybody on AKL, Jiko is my favorite restaurant on property and Boma is fantastic.

[Lindsey310]

We are FINALLY making another trip to WDW! Our flight should arrive early afternoon on October 29th and we will be there for 12 days. Since we have 10 day tickets, we don't want to use a ticket to enter the parks that first evening but are going to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere. The first night is at the POP before we move to POFQ the next morning. Where would you all suggest eating/going that first night? I'm thinking maybe DTD or the Boardwalk but I'm not sure which restaurant since we haven't eaten a TS at either location before. I also thought maybe visiting AKL since it would be new to us and a good chance to explore. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!

Ohana is a great choice and so is boma and sanaa as a few other people mentioned. I have yet to try Jiko but hear it's amazing.
DTD/ we like planet hollywood and T. rex. Have fun!!!

[Kairi_7378]

We love resort hopping for dinner! Some of our favorite dinners have been at Sanaa in AKL. We also like Artist Point at the WL, Kona at the Poly, and the CA Grill. Others that I would love to try include Jiko, O'hana, and Narcooses.

[#1donaldfan]

If you feel like exploring, then BOMA would be my suggestion, however if you're tired and don't want to get out, POP has a really good food court.....

[Janmac]

We too like to conserve our park admissions while at the same time begin the Disney fun. We usually eat at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian because the character interaction there is so fun. The photographers here have always done a better job of arranging us, also.

However, picking a restaurant - even a counter service one - at a resort you've always dreamed of staying at would be a great way to begin your vacation.

Jan

[azcavalier]

Another vote for Sanaa.

[Gator]

Thinking as a man with kids, and if I were as close to WDW as you (meaning a flight getting in before 5pm), I'd hit either Chef Mickey's or 1900 Park Faire. The food is pretty good, but that's not the reason. The real reason is so that we can get either pics with the Fab5 or with Cinderella out of the way. If I'm able to hit the park on the first day without the constant nagging of wanting to take a picture with Mickey or Donald, then that's a great day!

[LandFan]

Another vote for anything at AKL! Love them ALL!!

[etibbetts]

Unless you have a car or will be using a taxi, DTD would be the easiest to get to from Pop, with the second easiest being anything on the monorail loop (take bus to MK, then get on monorail). That's something my family always takes into consideration w/ dining reservations as a lot of travel time can be a pain.

I would suggest doing something new to your family. We are trying O'hana for the first time on our next trip and can't wait to do that. Look through the restaurants at each resort to see what appeals to you. One of my favorites that tends to be overlooked is the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club.