Alternative to Cirque?

[Ariel484]

Hello everyone!

My fiancé and I have booked a lovely WDW honeymoon for May 2009. One of the things we were most looking forward to was a "date night" that included a trip to see Cirque du Soleil La Nouba. I've never been to a CDS show before (only seen clips on TV) and my fiancé has seen a show elsewhere, but never in Disney. We called our AAA agent to book the tickets a day before the 6-month window opened and she said to call back the next day since we couldn't get our tickets yet, but it should be no problem. Imagine our diappointment when we called the next day to find that CDS wouldn't be in town the entire week of our honeymoon.

My fiancé was pretty upset, saying that he was really looking forward to getting dressed up to go to dinner and the show, so my question is this - while I know that there's no replacing a Cirque show, what is a good alternative for a date night? We're not really into clubbing and none of the dinner shows sound like what we're looking for. My best thought so far is to go to California Grill and try to arrange it so that we be there for Wishes at MK...that or to just spend a lovely evening strolling the Boardwalk since we are staying right there at the Inn.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, the last time I was at Disney I was 13 so I am pretty clueless when it comes to date night activites at Disney! :shrug:

 

[figmentisgreat]

hmm, well maybe you could go on a carriage ride around Ft. Wilderness, that seems really romantic. You could try to go to Rose & Crown for illuminations. hmm...i'll post more when I think of it!

 

[Master Yoda]

Go for the evening at California Grill. The food and the atmosphere are great and IMHO there is no better place to see Wishes from than the roof of the Contemporary. Just FYI you do not have to rigidly plan your dining time around Wishes start time or have a window seat. Quite honestly if you are any where within about a 2 hour window before of after Wishes you can make it happen. If you reservation is well before Wishes hang out in the bar until the fireworks go off, if Wishes will happen during dinner let your server know that you want to watch wishes and they will work around it. For viewing Wishes the best place is the observation deck open to all California Grill guests.

 

[Todd L]

I vote for Rose and Crown during illuminations too. My wife and I got to sit at a table by ourselfs while the rest of our family sat at the next table.(my ds was asleep in the stroller) We help hands and watched the show and it was one of those moments you just never forget.

 

[Philo]

Sorry to hear about Cirque but don't be too disapointed. What about an IllumiNations or wishes cruise? Perhaps there is something going on at the House of Blues?

 

[SeaBreeze]

While it might not be considered as romantic as the other options on here (great ideas everyone btw), if you wanted to see a nighttime show, you could check out The Blue Man Group at Citywalk. I'm not too familiar with restaurants over there, but I'm sure one of them is a bit nicer and romantic for a date night

 

[wild01ride]

I can always second a vote for anything and Illuminations!

But other than that (to attempt to be slightly creative), why not try dinner at Wolfgang Puck (Dining Room) or whatever your favorite restaurant may be, then take a water launch from DTD to Port Orleans Riverside. The boat ride is very peaceful and serene and you get to see a good part of the secluded waterways that aren't visible from any other form of Disney transportation. Then, at POR, there is a lounge/piano bar that my parents have suggested to us that they said was quite entertaining (definitely not club-scene stuff; more sit down and relax and listen to some comedy/piano/etc.). The grounds of POR in itself are absolutely beautiful and the dimly lit pathways and whatnot could be a very romantic place for a stroll, a stop on a bench, etc.

No matter what you choose, have fun and enjoy! As sad as it will be to miss Cirque this time, there's always your Anniversary trip...

 

[EvilQueen-T]

Don't forget if you do California Grill it doesn't matter what time your dinner is you just keep your reciept and they let you back upstairs to watch the fireworks from the roof top. We had about an hour to kill between the end of our dinner and the fireworks and took a stroll around the resort. Just remember it can take a few minutes to get onto the elevator that takes you up there. It's a great grown up date night... slow leisurely dinner and the fireworks from the roof are a must see at least once. Another idea is a romantic picnic on one of the beaches at GF or Poly watching the fireworks. My husband and I did that on our last trip at the GF and it was really nice.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Blue Man Group over at Universal is FABULOUS!! Not as good as Cirque, but close :shrug:

 

[diddy_mouse]

I would say that a great way to cap off your evening is to take a nice stroll around the Boardwalk area. Seeing everything lit up at night is really pretty.

My husband and I had dinner at the Cali Grill on our honeymoon and really enjoyed it (at least after the table of horribly drunk and loud people left :lookaroun:lol Afterward we took a bus to DTD and just took a stroll. It's another place we love walking around at night.

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! I never realized there were so many romantic things to do around Disney :kiss: Everything sounds good to me! It certainly eases the pain of missing Cirque this time around.

Only, um...150-some days left! Hooray! :sohappy:

 

[Tink-erbell!]

I can only agree with the other posts on here - I recently went to the California Grill for a "date night" as such with my boyfriend on my 30th Birthday - he has planned it so that my day started in MK, then we went for Afternoon Tea at the GF, followed by shopping at Tiffany's and Jimmy Choos - and then finished with the most perfect meal at the California Grill - without doubt the best meal that I have had - and we went out to the observation desk with champagne to watch Wishes - I have never smiled so much in my life! :ROFLOL:The restaurant manager came and chatted to us at the end of our meal and took a photo of us which was e-mailed to me for when we came home! Perfection! I am sure that you will have a fabulous time, even without CDS. Enjoy!