On our trip this November we have a bit of a dilemma for our DHS day. We will rope drop to hit the big stuff early, but my husband and son are also huge Star Wars fans and want to make sure we are still in the park for the Star Wars fireworks which we have never seen. With DHS having such limited attractions right now it’s difficult to imagine stretching things out to make them last rope drop to close though.
Our kids are teens and have plenty of stamina so we aren’t ones for taking midday breaks back at the resort. So, we thought we might take a leisurely (I’ve heard how slow they are) boat ride from DHS to the Beach Club/Boardwalk area for lunch. Our first thought was Beaches and Cream considering all of my crew (except me) are ice cream fanatics, but I realize that reservation may be difficult to get. We could always choose another restaurant in that area if need be. Then we thought we might just stroll around those resort areas before returning by boat to DHS. We have never visited BC or Boardwalk.
Opinions on whether this is a good idea for a way to spend the middle of the day and get a decent meal? If not, other suggestions?
If you have park hoppers, another option would be to stay on the boat and go to EP. The boat takes you the the IG which opens into WS - there are tons of meal options there. Strolling around the BW/BC/YC area is pleasant (I like it much better after dark), but there is much more to explore in WS.
Flying Fish and Yachtsman - both excellent signature dining options, but only open for dinner (and expensive).
ESPN - Typical, average, “sports bar” food and many TVs.
Big River Grill - Microbrew pub. OK beer, OK food. Nothing special
Beaches and Cream - you know about this one
Ale and Compass - new restaurant at the YC. Haven’t been but its been getting pretty good reviews
Trattoria al Forno - the CM breakfast gets outstanding reviews; the Italian lunch and dinner mixed reviews.
Cape May - at the BC. I haven’t been, but the seafood buffet gets very good reviews.
Swan and Dolphin - I have never been to any of these. Shula’s is frequently sited as the best steak in WDW - but also the most expensive. Kimonos is supposed to have excellent sushi. Bluezoo also gets very good reviews. There are others that I can’t name off hand.
I second the hop to Epcot if you have hoppers. And I’ve heard good things about Ample Hills Creamery (which I believe is in the BC/YC/Boardwalk area if you can’t get into Beaches & Cream.
We thought about Epcot but just were not sure if we wanted the hassle of going through security and all to enter another park. I’ll definitely keep that in mind as an option though.
I knew walking would be faster than the boat but considered it anyway just because we hadn’t had that experience before. Is the boat ride any more scenic than the walk? Do you see any other resorts along the way?
That’s kind of the idea I had in mind too. Since we were doing this to purposefully pass time during the day, I wasn’t worried about the boat taking longer and I thought it might be a nice break off of our feet. I think we’ll just play it by ear and see what we feel like that day.
You also have “The Fountain” at Dolphin which is a sit down diner type sandwich place, you can find the menu easy. They also have creative ice cream treats. Picabu at Dolphin is a cafeteria-ish style Qs at Dolphin. Fresh Med at Dolphin. (Sticking to the qs-ish places at Swan Dolphin here)
BUT. For Ice Cream addicts? You want Ample Hills on the Boardwalk. Beaches and Cream has some fun concoctions that are made with standard issue ice cream, but if you want premium ice cream, you want Ample Hills on the Boardwalk.
All of the Epcot area places are walking distance between each other, by the way. You might just decide you won’t stay anywhere else once you visit and see how close they are to HS and Ep. They are all set up connected by walking paths along the little lake. The boats are fine and dandy, (and they DO save you steps you might want later in the day,) but unless you catch the right boat at the right time, walking is usually faster between the resorts and parks.
If you are sushi eaters, and Kimonos is open at the time, from what I know. I wouldn’t think twice about taking the boat from hs to Swan/Dolphin (1st stop) hitting Kimonos, then walking over to Ample Hills. (The Boardwalk is basically at the Swan’s back door. It’s about a one city block walk)
all good suggestions, but if you truly want B&C, you won’t have any problem at 180 days. I am going in April for first time and got 1 ADR at 5-1/2 months, and 1 at “just” 3 months. but grazing through EP WS is also a great idea. We are staying at BW and have read that EP WS is a great “food court” if you have parkhoppers as well. good luck!