Marathon Weekend 2021

[stitchsnk]

SAFD: My favorite resort quick service is Captain Cooks at the Polynesian! Oh my goodness, those pulled pork nachos!!! The atmosphere is casual, I can grab a fruity drink, and the service has always been fantastic. I asked my husband and he said his favorite resort restaurant is Beaches & Cream at the Yacht and Beach Club. Enormous ice cream sundaes and delicious sandwiches - the key to his heart.

 

[FFigawi]

Eating at the resorts is one of my favorite ways to explore parts of WDW I wouldn’t normally visit and many of those restaurants feel like hidden gems. For this week’s Sundays are for Disney, what are your favorite WDW resort restaurants?

We have several favorites....
- Victoria & Albert's for the food, the wine, and the outstanding service & hospitality. We visit every time we’re in Florida.
- Jiko for their excellent vegan menu. It’s fallen off a bit recently, but still a great place to go during marathon weekend.
- Chef Mickey's breakfast for a good way to celebrate after the half and load up before the full.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: Shutters at CB used to be a huge favorite. We’ve eaten at Sebastian’s Bistro once (2019 MW), and liked it, too.

For 2020 MW, we stayed in Gran Destino Tower at Coronado, and were wowed by Toledo. It’s on the 16th floor, with a great balcony shared by the Dahlia Lounge, where you can watch fireworks. We stopped eating meat about six months ago, and the Plant Based “Seafood” was amazing! The service was impeccable, and the restaurant is beautiful. The portion wasn’t as big as I would have liked after running a marathon, but it was a fantastic meal. I would love to go there again.

I also have to mention Boatwright’s at POR, too. It’s an old favorite.

 

[hotblooded]

Everything Pop food court has stepped up so tremendously that I hardly ever go to another resort to eat anymore. Plant-based waffles and scramble served all day, roasted vegetable sandwich, pineapple Dole whip. It’s all good enough that I haven’t felt the need to eat elsewhere on short trips. Boma has a really good dinner buffet that stands on its own, so I’m open to making the commute for a special occasion. It feels downright silly to take two buses to a $50 meal though.

 

[CDKG]

For this week’s Sundays are for Disney, what are your favorite WDW resort restaurants?

Like you, Boma is my favorite Disney resort restaurant! The variety makes it a great choice for everyone and that dessert buffet is amazing! I might of had three zebra domes when I was there after the marathon...

Honorary mention to the Top of the World lounge, not for the food, but for fancy drinks in a nice atmosphere with an amazing view!

 

[DIS-OH]

SAFD: Current favorite is Tusker House, if the granddaughters are with us and Ohana if DD#2 is with us.

DH’s favorite is Lotus Blossom Cafe. He always gets the Beef Noodle dish and we grin when the CM says, “It’s spicy, is that OK?”

 

[Neon Cactus]

Ohana and Boma are also two of my favorites. Love Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club, also Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. For quick service, we used to go to the Pepper Market at Coronado, though it's been several years since I've been there and I like the food court at Port Orleans French Quarter - cajun food and beignets!

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD:

Sanaa is my favorite restaurant on Disney property. Great ambience and great food that is very difficult for me to approximate in the Midwest. I like to eat there every trip. One of my favorite things to do is split up a day by rope dropping a park, scheduling a late lunch ADR at Sanaa and heading back to a park at night.

I also enjoy Boma and liked Sebastian’s when we tried it.The Bon Voyage breakfast at Trattoria al Forno was great as well.

The only less than expected experiences we’ve had were Ohana and Artist Point. One because of the experience and one because the food was underwhelming. We definitely got the rushed, need to turn over tables experience at Ohana. The food was good but it was like servers were racing to get us out of there. At Artist Point the characters and experience were really nice, particularly The Queen, but the food was not great. There were a couple main courses that were good; but the prix fixe, mass produced nature of a couple of the others left a lot to be desired.

 

[The Expert]

SAFD:

V&A obviously, but it's not an every trip stop for us.
Bluezoo at the Swolfin is a must-eat-at every visit and our favorite seafood on property, but...
Flying Fish is climbing back up the list with the "new" chef.
Sanaa and Jiko are also great, but a little inconsistent lately.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: We tend not to do too much table service at resorts. Our favorite has been The Yachtsman. We have also tried Artist’s Point and found it to be wildly overrated. As far as counter service goes, we enjoy the food court at POFQ, especially the shrimp & grits.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

SAFD:
Flying Fish
Wine Bar George
Boathouse
Takumi-Tei

I just miss restaurants in general at the moment. I mean, I would gladly eat at one of my least favorite places too right now.

 

[YawningDodo]

SAFD: I unfortunately haven't eaten many table service meals out at the resorts--it's only been in the last couple trips that I've really made food a focus at all, and since I've tended to stay at values it's often too much of a hassle to leave the parks and go to a different resort for a meal. That being said, I managed to get out to Boma for dinner in 2018 and loved it--great variety, food that was a little off the American beaten path, great service.

I just miss restaurants in general at the moment. I mean, I would gladly eat at one of my least favorite places too right now.

Ugh, right? Yesterday I caught myself fantasizing about IHOP. We don't even have an IHOP in town. I can't even eat half the things on the menu without stomache upset because of my dietary issues--but man if I didn't imagine how nice it would be to eat at an IHOP. We've been able to get takeout from some local places and the food is still great, but it's just not the same.

Question for everyone:
I'm trying to get a handle on what kind of merchandise preorders are likely to be offered at registration so I can plan and budget ahead. Right now the only preorders they've got listed are the ChEAR Squad packages, but I wanted to look at you know, pins and jackets and stuff. I'm primarily interested in pins--what types are usually offered? How much do they usually run? I know you're ordering blind as far as the actual design when you preorder. And with the jackets, I've heard they run small--is that true? And how has quality been on those? And are there any other common preorder items I'm not thinking of?

 

[bananabean]

SAFD: Does it count to say breakfast at Be Our Guest so I can ride Mine Train before the park opens?

edit: Oh! I can’t read and comprehend anymore. Oops. For resort choice (since I do not stay at Beast’s castle - mostly because they won’t let me - rude), I think I would pick Ohana. I’m a sucker for a character meal!

 

[Disney at Heart]

SAFD: I love all Disney restaurants previously mentioned and not mentioned. I especially like a lesser known, but most delicious, pearl of a restaurant. When I am in MK and things get hectic and I need a quiet moment, I hop the monorail and have a quiet, well-prepared lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe! The food is great, the view is beautiful, the atmosphere is relaxed, it takes only a few minutes to get there, and I’ve never needed a reservation!

 

[LdyStormy76]

Question for everyone:
I'm trying to get a handle on what kind of merchandise preorders are likely to be offered at registration so I can plan and budget ahead. Right now the only preorders they've got listed are the ChEAR Squad packages, but I wanted to look at you know, pins and jackets and stuff. I'm primarily interested in pins--what types are usually offered? How much do they usually run? I know you're ordering blind as far as the actual design when you preorder. And with the jackets, I've heard they run small--is that true? And how has quality been on those? And are there any other common preorder items I'm not thinking of?

This information is for W&D weekend, but it will give you an idea about offerings and cost:

$90 for the Logo weekend jacket
$45 for the Runner Bundle, which includes 2 pins (logo and medal replica) and the magnet. This bundle is available for the Challenge, 5k, 10k and half.
$45 for the Challenge logo pin bundle which include the logo pins for the 10k, half and challenge.
$150 for the Challenge Complete Pin Bundle which includes the logo, “I did it” and medal replica pins for the 10k, half and challenge.
$65 for the Commemorative bundle which includes the shoe ornament, weekend logo pin and an exclusive event pin.

There is also a magic band available and various pass holder bundles.

A disclaimer is attached to each item that the listed price does not include the platform service fee or sales tax. Hope this helps with your budget planning.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

SAFD: fun topic! We always try to eat at one new resort restaurant every trip. It's such a fun way to explore a new resort. My favorite is Sanaa. I love the bread and dip sampler- yum! I also love Ohana breakfast. I would say all of the others we tried have been good for different reasons, but not to the level of those two.

 

[Z-Knight]

Good morning, runDisney All-Stars!

Eating at the resorts is one of my favorite ways to explore parts of WDW I wouldn’t normally visit and many of those restaurants feel like hidden gems. For this week’s Sundays are for Disney, what are your favorite WDW resort restaurants?

My top two are definitely Boma and Ohana. The food is great, there is variety, I love the atmosphere and they are family-friendly. Both have been go-to destinations for post-marathon celebrating and dining.

Have a great week and stay safe, everyone!

can someone explain to me how to eat at OHana? I always feel like I come badly prepared - I think I have to starve myself the day of so that when I show up I will be able to get my money's worth.

 

[Disneyslowrunner]

SAFD:
Absolute favorite is probably California Grill
Other notables are Citricos, Flying Fish, Yatchsman, and Kona Cafe for breakfast.

That said, I am pretty easy to please in regards to quick service. I liked the quick service at pop century, riviera, Riverside, and grand Floridian.

 

[YawningDodo]

This information is for W&D weekend, but it will give you an idea about offerings and cost:

$90 for the Logo weekend jacket
$45 for the Runner Bundle, which includes 2 pins (logo and medal replica) and the magnet. This bundle is available for the Challenge, 5k, 10k and half.
$45 for the Challenge logo pin bundle which include the logo pins for the 10k, half and challenge.
$150 for the Challenge Complete Pin Bundle which includes the logo, “I did it” and medal replica pins for the 10k, half and challenge.
$65 for the Commemorative bundle which includes the shoe ornament, weekend logo pin and an exclusive event pin.

There is also a magic band available and various pass holder bundles.

A disclaimer is attached to each item that the listed price does not include the platform service fee or sales tax. Hope this helps with your budget planning.

Nice, thank you!! I can't believe I forgot about the MagicBand after I was so excited to see them start making those for race weekends last year!

 

[Neon Cactus]

can someone explain to me how to eat at OHana? I always feel like I come badly prepared - I think I have to starve myself the day of so that when I show up I will be able to get my money's worth.

What I usually do is eat something, but only a snack or a very small lunch when I'm going to Ohana that night. That and a day in the parks usually make me hungry by the time we get to Ohana. And then when I'm there, I take it really easy on the bread and other appetizers before the food you want to eat comes. On solo trips, I'll even tell them not to bother with the appetizers I won't eat. That works for me, but I have friends who eat a normal lunch and can still put it away at Ohana.