Boma or Jiko vs. Rivers of Light

[JEakins]

My wife and I are trying to get in at least one nice dinner in the couple nights we're at WDW. We're trying to maximize our time in Animal Kingdom so are thinking we will forego ROL and go to dinner at that time (Does anyone know approx what time that is May 2nd?). This is our first visit as adults and we squeezed it in while we are in Florida for a family reunion, our thought is this is the test trip for a longer trip in a year or so. Given we will likely come back in the near future is ROL something we should skip for now in favour of the dinner? Do Boma or Jiko normally require ADR? I've been checking and both look open still. With neither of us being Wine drinkers we were leaning towards Boma but the filet with Mac and cheese at Jiko sounds really good so any additional info on which restaurant might be a better choice for us or you prefer is appreciated.

 

[disneyvoice]

I would definitely go ahead and make an ADR, just to be safe. Which restaurant you might prefer depends on what kind of dining experience you are looking for. We love both both Boma and Jiko. We are perfectly happy heading to Boma directly from spending the day at one of the parks. Boma is relaxed buffet restaurant. Jiko, however, I always feel like a need to shower and change into something a bit dressier. It is a restaurant my husband and I go to when we want to eat someplace a bit nicer or for special occasions. They both have excellent food. We have always had wonderful service at Jiko. Service at Boma has also always been good but it is a buffet so the type of service is different. We haven't seen ROL yet, based on reviews and video I watched, it just doesn't wow me so it hasn't been on our must-do list yet. So I would vote to skip it this trip and have a nice dinner instead.

 

[KenHutch]

Make that ADR and do it now. I love both restaurants but I honestly think that Jiko's is the best restaurant at WDW. Totally worth the money and time (budget 2 to 3 hours there).

 

[Moliphino]

If you want to maximize park time, have a nice dinner, AND still see ROL I would recommend checking out Tiffins with the ROL package. Or just Tiffins in general. The Wagyu beef is so good, though I think it has changed recently from what I had last trip.

 

[JEakins]

We are perfectly happy heading to Boma directly from spending the day at one of the parks. Boma is relaxed buffet restaurant. Jiko, however, I always feel like a need to shower and change into something a bit dressier.

This was my worry. Given we only have one day to do AK I'm not sure we will have time to do the whole park, head back to pop to shower and get to Jiko by 8ish. Feel like Boma might be a better fit for us so we can stay at the park until 7:30 or so. We looked at the Tiffins menu previously but my wife is a picky eater and nothing appealed to her.

 

[odd man out]

If you want to maximize park time, have a nice dinner, AND still see ROL I would recommend checking out Tiffins with the ROL package. Or just Tiffins in general. The Wagyu beef is so good, though I think it has changed recently from what I had last trip.

We did the Tiffins ROL package last week. You need to eat a few hours before the show. We had a mid afternoon "dinner", so that was a little awkward, but if you were going to be in the park all day, that would give you a good afternoon break. I had the Wagyu beef. It was really good but I did not find it to be "incredibly tender" as advertised.

 

[odd man out]

Have you considered Sanaa, also at the AKL? It is a little quieter than Boma (table service, not a buffet), but not quite as upscale as Jiko. Definitely make ADR. It's very popular, for good reasons.