It’s our family’s first trip to WDW so I would like to do the most magical experiences with the least amount of hassle. ( 4 and 7 yr old boys.) We are not park hopping. So when I first started planning I thought eating dinner at the park we were at each day was the easiest thing to do. (Less walking, less buses, etc). But I see many of you leave parks for dinner which has me thinking… the day that we are at Hollywood Studios, we have an ADR at Sci Fi diner which Ive heard is just so-so. Would you recommend leaving HS in the evening and going somewhere that is a better Disney experience? (A resort or Disney Springs since we arent park hopping) If so, tell me your favorite! Rules of the game: it should be 1 TS dining credit and tell me the best way to transport there from HS
We are staying at AKL and We already have these planned other days to give you an idea:
T Rex cafe
Be Our Guest
Cinderellas Royal Table
Tusker House
Sanaa
Also tell me if you think Sci Fi is the best choice fora HS day instead of leaving.
My opinion on the food in HS does not tend to follow the norm of this forum, but, I don’t like ANY of the food in HS. If I must eat in the park, I choose 50s Prime Time, but I don’t like the service or the atmosphere of that particular restaurant. That said, SciFi has decent burgers and I like sitting in a car (if you get a car seating).
All that said, With two small children, staying in the park is easier, and I’d keep SciFi.
Sci Fi would be my pick to be honest, I love it. For experience, it’s tough to beat. The food isn’t the best you’ll ever eat but it’s perfectly fine.
There’s a direct bus to DS after 4pm from parks, and obviously buses to all resorts so that’s what I’d advise using if you leave the park. Raglan Road is a fun but loud restaurant at DS. Maybe a character meal? Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary, 1900PF at the Grand Floridian.
Raglan Road at Disney Springs (bus or Lyft from HS to DS). My boys loved it (they’re 6/8 but just turned that age the week we went). My older son went up on stage for the little Irish dance they do with the kids. My younger son sat that out but they both loved the dancing and the music.
My 9 and 6 year old boys loved Sci Fi. My DH and I also enjoyed it. Good burgers and fries, great milk shakes and some relaxation. It is dark and cool and my DH and I felt like we had a dinner to ourselves, which was great for one meal on our trip. The kids were in the row in front of us enjoying the science fiction clips and eating and did not bother us once during the meal. It was a nice change of pace.
I absolutely love Raglan but I think you should stick with Sci Fi, or 50s. It is your first trip and I think you should focus on ease and experiences. I would say TRex isn’t a great food choice but most likely your family will love it!
We like to take the friendship boat to Beach Club on HS day. We had planned to do Cape May last trip but our plans changed and we ended up having a late afternoon snack and the kitchen sink at Beaches and Cream for “supper”. We’ve also enjoyed a real meal at Beaches and Cream (grilled cheese and tomato soup is surprisingly good).
Sci Fi is our pick in Hollywood Studios as well. Our first trip, the kids were 4 and 6, so we did Hollywood and Vine. The characters we saw (Disney Junior) were good for their ages and they recognized them. The next trip, the kids were 5 and 7, and we tried Sci Fi. We all enjoyed it so much that the kids requested it the next year, when they were 6 and 8. We skipped Disney this past year to save up, but this year, Sci Fi is already on their list. And what’s funny is the clips, which I would have thought would be scary to my daughter at age 7, didn’t bother her in the slightest. She is easily scared and refuses to go on the PeopleMover because it goes in the dark where Space Mountain is but I told her already that we are trying it this year!!
To the adults in our party, the best parts about Sci Fi were that it was indoors, air-conditioned, and when you’re seated in a car, pretty neat! Our two kids sat in front of us in the car and the waiter helped them open water bottles, etc. So it ended up feeling like we were on a dinner date since our kids were in front of us and quiet. I sure hope it works that way again this year, lol.
You might go to Sana’a again for the bread service. When we stayed at AKL, we ate there three times. It’s so delicious. Then you’re already at your resort! No traveling from wherever back to your resort. That is tough from another resort.
We had a fantastic dinner at Brown Derby, but my kid is much older and I think that one is two credits. We had lunch at 50’s Primetime Cafe which has fantastic theming, but the food just did not taste good. I think you should pick one of the restaurants at Swan & Dolphin or Boardwalk and walk over there. We had not paid any attention to Boardwalk until we walked from HS to Epcot one night, and it looked like a lot of fun! I’d like to have dinner at Trattoria al Forno on Boardwalk and then get ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery.
Oh, you’re staying at AKL? Aren’t you planning to eat at Boma? We had breakfast there on our AK morning and it was FANTASTIC! Excited to have dinner there sometime.
but I told her already that we are trying it this year!!