Dinner at DS from MK - dumb idea?

[Canuckgirl78]

Hi all,

On the day we're planning on going to MK, my thought was to leave the park around 4:30pm, use the direct bus from MK to DS, have dinner there, and then return to MK around 6:30pm or 7pm using Uber so we can watch Happily Ever After at 9pm.

It's an EMH day as well, so the park closes at 11pm, but we have a 5 and 2 year old so will probably leave after HEA. It's our only opportunity to DS but I also really want them to watch HEA (ok, I admit I really want to watch HEA! ).

I should also add we are doing another day at MK to ensure we see MK really well and get on all the attractions, but that 2nd day is a MVMCP day, so no HEA, and we have 'Ohana reservations that evening.

So my question to you is, is this a dumb idea because it'll take too long to go to DS and back, and we should just plan to eat dinner at MK, or is this a feasible plan?

Thanks!!

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Have you estimated how long this would take? Let's say 10 minutes to walk from the MK to the bus, 15 minutes waiting for the bus, 15 minutes drive to DS, and 15 minutes to get to wherever dinner is. That's an hour of transportation each way, noting that it's an estimate off the top of my head.

No reason you can't do this and be back by 9pm for the fireworks.

Personally, I avoid making a trip like this for the purpose of doing one activity. I guess it comes down to whether or not the specific meal you have planned for DHS is worth the time and hassle.

 

[slappy magoo]

My 2 cents, save DS for another trip.

First of all, I thought they stopped direct service from any of the parks to Disney Springs...unless it's started up again recently? When it was still Downtown Disney people were parking there for free and shuttling to the park du jour so WDW wound up only permitting buses to other resorts, not to the parks. Has that changed? If it hasn't, you'll need to walk to Contemporary or monorail to any of the MK resorts to bus it to the Springs.

Even if there are now direct buses to the Springs from MK, you're going to want to give yourself around a half hour just to wait for the bus, plus a half hour to actually travel, double it to get back, that's two hours of your day just to travel to eat (not including the time it'll take to eat) on a trip that sounds pretty short.

If it only takes you an hour to eat (and that's a big if which also depends on how quickly you're seated), you're leaving MK at 4:30, you're back at 7:30. And that's if pretty much everything goes your way, AND you spend absolutely no time doing anything else in DS. And you're doing it with a 5 and 2 year old who might already be spent anyway.

I'd say either plan of making an evening at DS (and if it so happens your kids are down with going back to the park and you make it that's icing on the cake), OR try to get a reservation for dinner at a MK resort. It gets you out of the hectic nature of the parks for a bit. You can find a less bustling area of the park just to relax, see if the kids are good to stay for the fireworks. Or if your kids are like mine, maybe they'd a loop on the monorail.

If the kids are in that hazy netherworld where asking them to go back to the parks is too much but theyr'e not ready to go back to wherever you're staying, find a spot along one of the MK resorts where you can see the fireworks.

Really, if you can afford it, try for a super early dinner at the California Grill at Contemporary. Regardless of when you dine, your receipt allows you to come back to see the fireworks from the balcony. Go early enough, it won't be too crazy. If the kids can go back to the park, great but if at any point the park's overwhelming, use the receipt as your safety net.

 

[Epcotfan21]

Boathouse is probably the only restaurant at DS worth doing this for. If you were planning on eating somewhere else, save DS for another trip like a previous poster mentioned.

 

[Canuckgirl78]

So I was thinking we'd go to T-rex for dinner because (1) I have a $50 gift card and (2) I thought my dinosaur-loving son would lose his mind when he was the restaurant. I know the food won't be great, but I thought the kids would have a great time.

I thought the one-way direct bus from MK to DS was still happening after 4pm (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/) but it's hard to tell! Does anyone know if this is the case?

But you've given me a lot to think about how much time it would take to get to DS and back, so maybe we'll just do Capt Cook's or Pecos Bill for dinner instead...

 

[Weather_Lady]

If it was an option and you really wanted to go to DS, I'd switch and do your DS dinner on the MK "party" day when it closes early (so you don't feel you have to rush anywhere afterwards), and do 'Ohana (which is an easy trip to/from the MK) on the day you plan to return to MK after dinner.

 

[Canuckgirl78]

If it was an option and you really wanted to go to DS, I'd switch and do your DS dinner on the MK "party" day when it closes early (so you don't feel you have to rush anywhere afterwards), and do 'Ohana (which is an easy trip to/from the MK) on the day you plan to return to MK after dinner.

I would do 'Ohana on the non-party day, and signed up for Touring Plans to see if I can snag a reservation that day, but I'm not going to hold my breath as I know it's impossible to get 'Ohana reservations. I had a hard enough time getting a decent time for dinner at 'Ohana 180+ days out!!

As for going to DS on the MVMCP day, we actually leave WDW that day, so we're doing an early dinner at 'Ohana before going to the resort, grabbing our bags, and getting on the DME . I'm trying maximize our time at MK since we'd be leaving the park around 3:30pm to make our 4:15pm ADR, and I don't want to lose an hour more to travel to DS when we could be at MK!

 

[Dave B]

So I was thinking we'd go to T-rex for dinner because (1) I have a $50 gift card and (2) I thought my dinosaur-loving son would lose his mind when he was the restaurant. I know the food won't be great, but I thought the kids would have a great time.

I thought the one-way direct bus from MK to DS was still happening after 4pm (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/) but it's hard to tell! Does anyone know if this is the case?

But you've given me a lot to think about how much time it would take to get to DS and back, so maybe we'll just do Capt Cook's or Pecos Bill for dinner instead...

Make sure you go to Animal Kingdom if he loves Dinosaurs, their is a little bit of a themed place to eat with Dinos at AK

 

[correcaminos]

So I was thinking we'd go to T-rex for dinner because (1) I have a $50 gift card and (2) I thought my dinosaur-loving son would lose his mind when he was the restaurant. I know the food won't be great, but I thought the kids would have a great time.

I thought the one-way direct bus from MK to DS was still happening after 4pm (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/bus-transportation/) but it's hard to tell! Does anyone know if this is the case?

But you've given me a lot to think about how much time it would take to get to DS and back, so maybe we'll just do Capt Cook's or Pecos Bill for dinner instead...

I personally would not rely on Disney transport. Even with direct buses you should give yourself an hour to get there. If you can pick up a paid ride service I would do that. Though in reality I would not waste my time doing this just to go back to MK. Especially with such young ones.

Don't mean to be a downer but I am not sure this is that great of an idea.

 

[Canuckgirl78]

Make sure you go to Animal Kingdom if he loves Dinosaurs, their is a little bit of a themed place to eat with Dinos at AK

We're definitely going to AK as well! But we're planning to eat at Boma that day

 

[Canuckgirl78]

I personally would not rely on Disney transport. Even with direct buses you should give yourself an hour to get there. If you can pick up a paid ride service I would do that. Though in reality I would not waste my time doing this just to go back to MK. Especially with such young ones.

Don't mean to be a downer but I am not sure this is that great of an idea.

You're definitely not a downer! And it seems like there's a pretty good consensus that this was a dumb idea, even if we did take Uber! We'll stay in MK or go to Capt. Cook's instead if we want to leave the park (although, knowing my kids they won't want to! )

 

[correcaminos]

You're definitely not a downer! And it seems like there's a pretty good consensus that this was a dumb idea, even if we did take Uber! We'll stay in MK or go to Capt. Cook's instead if we want to leave the park (although, knowing my kids they won't want to! )

Awww I wouldn't have called it a dumb idea at all.

You know an easy to book place at MK (relatively speaking) is the Skipper Canteen. We loved it there. They had fun with us like in the cruise and the food was excellent. Even the kids meal had flavor to it! You might want to check that out. If you do be sure to ask where the bathroom is and other various questions. The answers are quite witty.

 

[Canuckgirl78]

Awww I wouldn't have called it a dumb idea at all.

You know an easy to book place at MK (relatively speaking) is the Skipper Canteen. We loved it there. They had fun with us like in the cruise and the food was excellent. Even the kids meal had flavor to it! You might want to check that out. If you do be sure to ask where the bathroom is and other various questions. The answers are quite witty.

That's a great option! Thanks!!!

 

[correcaminos]

That's a great option! Thanks!!!

If you go I hope you enjoy! My 9yo got a huge kick out of the names on the menu!