Restaurant suggestions for arrival night

Djsbride

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 23, 2018
Our first trip is next month and now I'm second guessing our ADR for our arrival night. I want it to be a fun place, we arrive the day my son turns 8 and we're surprising my children. They won't know we're going to disney until we're actually at Disney. We are not going to do a park on arrival night, so we can pretty much eat at any place that has an opening lol. I have 6:30pm reservations for Raglan Road. My son (the birthday boy) has Celiac so he has to eat GF. I'm planning on ordering a cake from the Erin Mckenna and have it deliver to the restaurant we eat. What restaurant suggestions do you guys have to celebrate a birthday and kick off our first trip to WDW.
 
Our go to dinners for arrival are Chef Mickey and 'Ohana. They would both be a great place for a birthday dinner, but I'm not sure about availability this close to your trip. Maybe Rainforest Cafe or T-Rex? They would be fun too.
 
You may consider Whispering Canyon Cafe. It's a very fun environment, especially at your son's age. I'm not sure on the GF options though, I assume they can accommodate but you would want to check with them if that is a place you are interested in. I wish we could pull of a surprise trip for our kids. That will be a lot of fun I imagine.
 
You may consider Whispering Canyon Cafe. It's a very fun environment, especially at your son's age. I'm not sure on the GF options though, I assume they can accommodate but you would want to check with them if that is a place you are interested in. I wish we could pull of a surprise trip for our kids. That will be a lot of fun I imagine.
Whispering Canyon looks fun. Keeping the surprise is easy, but the excitement is killing me haha
 


I think both Chef Mickeys and Whispering Canyon would be high on my list, both of my boys enjoyed those when they were younger. Though it's not a fav of mine a lot of kids enjoy Rainforest Cafe, you have two you could pick from though taking him to AK and not going it seems like a lot of work.
 
I think both Chef Mickeys and Whispering Canyon would be high on my list, both of my boys enjoyed those when they were younger. Though it's not a fav of mine a lot of kids enjoy Rainforest Cafe, you have two you could pick from though taking him to AK and not going it seems like a lot of work.

We went to Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Falls and I didn't care for it much.
 
Our first trip is next month and now I'm second guessing our ADR for our arrival night. I want it to be a fun place, we arrive the day my son turns 8 and we're surprising my children. They won't know we're going to disney until we're actually at Disney. We are not going to do a park on arrival night, so we can pretty much eat at any place that has an opening lol. I have 6:30pm reservations for Raglan Road. My son (the birthday boy) has Celiac so he has to eat GF. I'm planning on ordering a cake from the Erin Mckenna and have it deliver to the restaurant we eat. What restaurant suggestions do you guys have to celebrate a birthday and kick off our first trip to WDW.

I'd pick something close to or in your resort. I'm done carting my cookies all over WDW just for a meal when there are really good options everywhere. It adds aggravation and a bunch of transportation time. You could have dinner then watch the Movie Under the Stars and swim or enjoy your resort's entertainment options.
 


I'd pick something close to or in your resort. I'm done carting my cookies all over WDW just for a meal when there are really good options everywhere. It adds aggravation and a bunch of transportation time. You could have dinner then watch the Movie Under the Stars and swim or enjoy your resort's entertainment options.
We're staying at beach club, any suggestions?
 
We're staying at beach club, any suggestions?

Oh man, the Beach Club is awesome! There is so much to see and do right there on the Boardwalk and the *best* pool an 8 year old little dude could wish for.

Cape May seafood buffet: There are no characters at night, but the spread is phenomenal. If you or your kids like crab legs, this is the place for you.

Beaches and Cream: burgers and fries for dinner and a Kitchen Sink dessert for you all to share. It would be a birthday to remember, for sure! The pictures would be family legend.

Edit: I just saw that your DS is GF. Mine was for a long time, too. I did some checking on Disboards and it appears that the Kitchen Sink can be made gluten-free, kind of a deconstructed dessert so folks can eat what they like instead of everything being mixed together.

Trattoria al Forno: I have heard great things about this. A friend makes a point to visit for great Italian food every trip.

Is your son a sports fan? ESPN Club would be heaven for him. The food is just okay bar-type stuff, but the atmosphere is fun and lively, lots of TVs broadcasting live events.

If you are season pass holders or can otherwise go into Epcot that evening, Teppan Edo is a great place to celebrate a birthday. They gave my DH a chef's hat and made a big fuss over him. Biergarten is also super fun, a great place to celebrate and enjoy live entertainment.
 
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We're staying at beach club, any suggestions?

Raglan Road is a good choice, but you are staying at such a nice resort with so many entertainment options around it. I would suggest sticking "closer to home", so to speak. If you can get a reservation, I would suggest Beaches and Cream. It's colorful and fun. The food isn't great, but if he likes ice cream, you can order the kitchen sink (I'm not sure if that's GF). Are you on the dining plan? If not, you may want to consider the Garden Grove character buffet at the Swan. It's just a walk from the Beach Club and I'm sure they could accommodate his dietary needs. The nice thing about Swan/Dolphin restaurants is you can call to make reservations and you aren't subject to the $10 WDW no-show fee (as long as you don't make the ADR through WDW!) which might be good for an arrival day if you encounter any delays. After dinner, you could walk across the street to Fantasia mini-golf and/or stroll on the Boardwalk to enjoy the magicians and jugglers, play some carnival games and rent a surrey bike. If you don't mind adding another day to your park tickets, you could also see if you can get a reservation at Garden Grill for their character meal.
 
We went to Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Falls and I didn't care for it much.

We live in Niagara Falls and have been to the ones on both the American side and Canadian side, and the ones at WDW are the same. T-Rex is also the same, owned by the same company, just themed as dinosaurs. Its fun for kids, but its your typical chain restaurant.

OP, since you're staying at the Beach Club, Beaches & Cream would be a super casual option if you can get an ADR. Kids love the Kitchen Sink sundae.
 
Oh man, the Beach Club is awesome! There is so much to see and do right there on the Boardwalk and the *best* pool an 8 year old little dude could wish for.

Cape May seafood buffet: There are no characters at night, but the spread is phenomenal. If you or your kids like crab legs, this is the place for you.

Beaches and Cream: burgers and fries for dinner and a Kitchen Sink dessert for you all to share. It would be a birthday to remember, for sure! The pictures would be family legend.

Edit: I just saw that your DS is GF. Mine was for a long time, too. I did some checking on Disboards and it appears that the Kitchen Sink can be made gluten-free, kind of a deconstructed dessert so folks can eat what they like instead of everything being mixed together.

Trattoria al Forno: I have heard great things about this. A friend makes a point to visit for great Italian food every trip.

Is your son a sports fan? ESPN Club would be heaven for him. The food is just okay bar-type stuff, but the atmosphere is fun and lively, lots of TVs broadcasting live events.

If you are season pass holders or can otherwise go into Epcot that evening, Teppan Edo is a great place to celebrate a birthday. They gave my DH a chef's hat and made a big fuss over him. Biergarten is also super fun, a great place to celebrate and enjoy live entertainment.
Thank you for all the suggestions. I'll try to get a reservation at Beaches and Cream :) The desserts look delicious, and maybe I won't even need to order a cake from Erin Mckeena.
 
I don't know how long your trip is, but we're generally too tired on Arrival Day to go anywhere but the quick service at our resort.
 
On arrival day we like Chef Mickeys and choose it often. It is a great way to kick off a DIsney trip

If you want to stay close to "home" on arrival night I think maybe Beachs and Cream. It is not my favorite, however I think your son might like it.
 
One thing about Raglan Road is that they do have a lot gluten free options, more than a lot of places. You can also do a bit of Disney shopping in too at the springs and maybe go to the Void and do the Star Wars VR (Wreck it Ralph might be there as well then). Everywhere will have something though as Disney is great with allergies.
 
I was nervous about making an ADR for arrival day just in case there is some sort of delay...

So we have planned to go to Disney Springs and do a QS...

But of you are at the Beach Club I'd def try get an ADR at Beaches and Cream so he can get the kitchen sink for his. Birthday!!
 
Our flight lands at 4pm. Checking into resort then on to a park for a few rides then headed to Disney Springs and eating at Maria and Enzo's for a late night dinner at 10pm. We're from the west coast so our stomachs will think its only 8pm!
 
I don't know how long your trip is, but we're generally too tired on Arrival Day to go anywhere but the quick service at our resort.
Our flight down there is only 2.5 hrs. We should be at the hotel by noon if we don’t have any delays.
 

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