Is Raglan Road worth it

[trstlen]

We are arriving on a Saturday and was able to get a dinner reservation for Raglan Road at 7 PM. We will be getting up at three or four in the morning to catch our flight and checking in to our new Port Orleans Riverside resort around 130. We are not planning to go to the park that day but just want to check in and give the boys a chance to swim. We have three boys ages 13, 10 and 8. I could also get an early reservation for Boatwrights at 6 o'clock. It is tempting to just stay on the resort and get a good nights sleep since we will be getting up early the next day to hit the parks. If we went over to Raglan Road we might not be home until nine or even 10. Do you think Raglan Road is worth it and do you think my boys would have fun or do you recommend just chilling at the resort that night. Thanks in advance!

 

[Hopefully]

We are arriving on a Saturday and was able to get a dinner reservation for Raglan Road at 7 PM. We will be getting up at three or four in the morning to catch our flight and checking in to our new Port Orleans Riverside resort around 130. We are not planning to go to the park that day but just want to check in and give the boys a chance to swim. We have three boys ages 13, 10 and 8. I could also get an early reservation for Boatwrights at 6 o'clock. It is tempting to just stay on the resort and get a good nights sleep since we will be getting up early the next day to hit the parks. If we went over to Raglan Road we might not be home until nine or even 10. Do you think Raglan Road is worth it and do you think my boys would have fun or do you recommend just chilling at the resort that night. Thanks in advance!

How do you define worth? Cost? Food? Atmosphere? Experience? Quality?
A few thoughts.
You can check in at 1:30 but it is likely you will not have a room that early. Pack swimming gear in a carry on for access.
In our opinion, travel day is exhausting. You identified that you will be up before dawn. We would stay at our resort and make it an early night to prepare for a great week ahead.
Good Luck

 

[illinidp]

I enjoy Raglan Road. I would keep looking for an earlier reservation. You can check on OpenTable as well. I'm not a fan of Boatwright's. if you can't find an earlier res at RR you can still go to DS and eat QS at Raglan Road, D-Luxe, Polite Pig, Blaze, Morimoto, etc.

 

[Shellyb84]

We are arriving on a Saturday and was able to get a dinner reservation for Raglan Road at 7 PM. We will be getting up at three or four in the morning to catch our flight and checking in to our new Port Orleans Riverside resort around 130. We are not planning to go to the park that day but just want to check in and give the boys a chance to swim. We have three boys ages 13, 10 and 8. I could also get an early reservation for Boatwrights at 6 o'clock. It is tempting to just stay on the resort and get a good nights sleep since we will be getting up early the next day to hit the parks. If we went over to Raglan Road we might not be home until nine or even 10. Do you think Raglan Road is worth it and do you think my boys would have fun or do you recommend just chilling at the resort that night. Thanks in advance!

I would stay at the resort after a long travel day. I have no experience with Boatwright's (the menu looks good to me though), but I've heard good things about the QS at both POR and POFQ. I know RR gets a lot of love on these boards, but we weren't fans. It was WAY too loud, so we couldn't carry on a conversation and enjoy the family time, and I had a bad experience with my food.

 

[SSRFred]

I have regretted every time we eat dinner far away from the resort on our arrival day. We always end up exhausted and don't enjoy our meals, no matter how good the restaurant is. If it was my family, we would go with Boatwrights, get a good night's sleep, and hit the ground running the next morning feeling refreshed.

 

[sanapp]

Raglan Road is a must for us every trip, but I wouldn't want to eat that late after being up so early. If you could go around 4:30 or 5:00 I think it would be better. I would try for an earlier ADR.

 

[Dakota731]

We are going to Disney Springs for our first meal as well. We hate to waste a park ticket for half a day so we will eat, shop and explore. We enjoyed the food and music at Raglan Road our last trip and Boatwrights was nothing special in my opinion.

 

[MrsDuck]

I have regretted every time we eat dinner far away from the resort on our arrival day. We always end up exhausted and don't enjoy our meals, no matter how good the restaurant is. If it was my family, we would go with Boatwrights, get a good night's sleep, and hit the ground running the next morning feeling refreshed.

I agree wholeheartedly with this!

Raglan is great but you've got a long day with plenty to do. Boatwright's is still delicious. Stay at the resort and relax.

 

[bumbershoot]

I love RR but not after a long travel day.

Definitely look at opentable.

And consider a weekend brunch! They start the music and dancing at noon.

 

[leebee]

Make your Raglan Road reservation through Open Table instead of through Disney. There may be better times available. Also, if you get part-way through the afternoon and decide you are too tired to enjoy Raglan Road, you can call/go online and cancel that evening's reservation without penalty. If your reservation is through Disney, there is a $10 per person no-show fee if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance.

 

[Colleen27]

Raglan Road is totally worth it, especially coming from POR where you have that lovely boat ride instead of a bus over to Disney Springs. The food is delightful and the entertainment is fun. It is our go-to arrival day dinner on most trips.

But as others have said, check Open Table to try to find an earlier time. Like many of the DS restaurants, Raglan Road only releases a portion of their tables into the Disney ADR system. The rest can be booked via Open Table. So there are often better times available that way and, as an added bonus, there's no cancellation penalty for OT reservations so you have more flexibility if your flight is delayed or you're just plain too tired to make it to Disney Springs for dinner.

 

[Pooh2]

Raglan Road is one of our favorite restaurants but I would stick to the resort after such an early travel day. Maybe hit the food court for the pasta bar (really good!) and hang out by the pool and turn in early.

 

[DeanDoug]

We really like Raglan, but after your day, stick with Boatwrights (I am a big fan of this under-appreciated Disney gem!) The food is basic, homey, and good... and you are steps away from your room!
Travel safely and enjoy.

 

[trstlen]

Thank you all for your responses! Raglan Road is definitely a place I want to try but I think we will stay at Boatwrights for the first night. I know the boys will live to swim and then we just relax and not have to worry about getting to the restaurant. I think I will try Open Table for Raglan Road for the last night of our trip.

 

[JerseyJanice]

The boat ride to Disney Springs is delightful and something you should do at some point during your stay. But the looser you keep your plans, the happier you’ll be.

Don’t make an ADR. If your family has a second wind and you want to go to DS, you can do that and try getting a walk-up at Raglan Road (which I enjoyed the two times I was there) or a quick service like Blaze.

 

[cara_arthur]

I've eaten at Raglan Road twice and I loved it both times! I am a picky eater so I did not judge it by food reasonings, I did it on the experience. I loved the atmosphere, the Irish music (which I have grown up listening to), the Irish step dancers, and the service were all amazing. However I do understand what you mean of wanting to relax at the resort especially with young kids. For the sake of your insanity, it may be a better option to have dinner at Boatwrights to have an earlier night.

 

[gharter]

I really like Raglan Road and its a great choice for Disney Springs. good food and a lot of fun.
However, given your early start, I would just hang around the hotel. Still lots to do there. Get the reservation at the restaurant and relax.
You may be able to catch an evening movie, if they have it that night.
Having a relaxing night will help the next day go much smoother.

 

[nighttowll]

I must be the only one who didn't really care for RR. It wasn't bad, just blah to me. I guess I'm just not a big fan of Irish food. I enjoyed the dancers when I could see them. If they had of sat us in the main room where the stage is, I would have enjoyed it more. But where we were seated, you couldn't really see the stage, so the only dancing we could see well was when they brought the little wooden platform thing over to our area. It was a one and done for us. The kids were too shy to try the dancing. It just wasn't a big hit with our group. We'd all rather go to Trex, not a bad seat in there, and if we can sit in the ice cave, our trip is complete! Plus, they have real southern sweet tea which is surprisingly hard to find at Disney.

I think you made a good decision waiting to go until the end of the trip. It's hard to enjoy any restaurant if you are exhausted. You definitely aren't in the mood for dancing lessons.

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

Yes worth it. Nice place.

 

[manicstreet]

Raglan road is one of our favorites. We never rest on travel day and we have two youngsters. Do what YOU think your family can handle.