First look at The BOATHOUSE menu - opening next week at Disney Springs The Landing

[Hakunamatata]

There is no shortage of restaurants that cater to adults at DD/DS and you know that. What there is a shortage of is kid-friendly restaurants and there hasn't been one built since T-Rex in 2008. If DD/DS is going to be for the adults, then we want WS back from the drunks and we want our character lines free from grown-ups who want to have a 5 or 10 minute conversation with an imaginary character.

Who is "We"?

 

[BuzzKillington]

We, as a family, have moved past the rainforest and trex novelty. The food quality isn't there and there. The theming of the boathouse is refreshing. The menu offers something for most spending ranges.

Just how many ways can you cook chicken fingers, mac and cheese or hamburgers? What am I missing here or are you talking about teenagers? And if that is the case, who brings teenagers to WDW?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

There is no shortage of restaurants that cater to adults at DD/DS and you know that. What there is a shortage of is kid-friendly restaurants and there hasn't been one built since T-Rex in 2008. If DD/DS is going to be for the adults, then we want WS back from the drunks and we want our character lines free from grown-ups who want to have a 5 or 10 minute conversation with an imaginary character.

My opinion is that lots of kids will enjoy the boat theming of the restaurant. Why do you think they wouldn't? Maybe that is also why there isn't a formal dress code. Makes it more kid friendly, since they don't have to dress up.

 

[Otterhead]

My opinion is that lots of kids will enjoy the boat theming of the restaurant. Why do you think they wouldn't? Maybe that is also why there isn't a formal dress code. Makes it more kid friendly, since they don't have to dress up.

I loved nautical theming when I was a kid! And this place has a BOAT inside the restaurant! Kids will dig the heck out of it. And holy crap, how much would I have loved riding in an Amphicar as a kid??

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I loved nautical theming when I was a kid! And this place has a BOAT inside the restaurant! Kids will dig the heck out of it. And holy crap, how much would I have loved riding in an Amphicar as a kid??

Exactly!!

 

[Mawg]

I think what people are failing to realize is that there are two adult mindsets when it comes to Disney. Those adults who think a trip to Disney is all about the kids and then those who go for their own enjoyment. As a member of the former mindset, I just can't fathom why a vacationing adult with kids would get excited about another signature restaurant that caters mainly to grown-ups.

Call me old fashioned, but Disney is and will always be about kids having fun and sitting in a fancy restaurant with some idiot next to you wearing a wife-beater (who happened to get a big tax refund at our expense) is not their idea of fun. Kids want theming in DD/DS restaurants that they can relate to like T-REX (2008) and Rainforest Café (1996) but as usual Disney ignores who Walt had in mind when he built these parks and they go for the almighty dollar instead. This is the same mentality that led to the drunks taking over WS on the weekends and at F&W.

I thought I read somewhere that the changes to Disney Springs was meant to focus more on bringing in the locals and not just focus on the vacationers. Vacationers will want family oriented restaurants which are all over Disney World and they have access to because they have theme park tickets. However, locals cannot jut go eat in Epcot without a ticket or season pass. Locals will want family oriented restaurants too, but they are also going to want places where they can enjoy a grown up celebration or special occasion like an anniversary without the kids. I believe there is a greater need in Disney Springs for restaurant diversity between family friendly and adult/higher end oriented than there is in the theme parks and resorts. The Boathouse seems to be the perfect fit for who they are catering too with is not just vacationers and families.

 

[betty rose]

Actually we've eaten steak at Le Cellier before (not that impressed), but our tastes run more to the following (our ADR's for the upcoming trip): Sanaa, Olivia's, Biergarten, Hollywood Brown Derby, Kona Cafe, Raglan Road and Boma. We try to visit restaurants that are somewhat different from those near where we live. We can get our fill of Steaks, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza (etc.) at home.

That's why food and wine is so much fun, getting to sample more unusual foods .....I'm not really a steak or fish person, so I'll pass....

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Well your dining choices of T-Rex and Rainforest clearly show you know your food. If you like reheated frozen food - keep going there. If you are looking for something better, break out and try The BOATHOUSE, and yep, you can get an entree there for $20. Not so scary is it?

I was thinking the exact same thing...

 

[SeanWM48]

if you want to pay that kind of money for a dinner on vacation you can go ahead, knock yourself out. i'll pass.

 

[wdwmagic]

if you want to pay that kind of money for a dinner on vacation you can go ahead, knock yourself out. i'll pass.

You realize there are entrees for $20. Do you eliminate all restaurants at WDW that have $20+ entrees?

 

[SeanWM48]

You realize there are entrees for $20. Do you eliminate all restaurants at WDW that have $20+ entrees?

just because i said i'll pass doesn't mean i eliminate every restaurant at $20+. i'm sure it's great food but the items i would order off of that menu aren't worth the money they're charging in my opinion. like i said you go right ahead and do it while i pass on it and spend my money elsewhere no big thing

 

[betty rose]

My god you're right. A whopper and a fish sandwich! Surf and turf for $10!

And you get the salad portion on the whopper!

 

[BuzzKillington]

I thought I read somewhere that the changes to Disney Springs was meant to focus more on bringing in the locals and not just focus on the vacationers.

I sure hope you are right and I expressed my glee at this possibility in a previous post. I am convinced that it is the locals who have turned WS and F&W into a drunkfest and they need somewhere else to display their deviance other than in front of our children!!

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

What's "kid friendly" anyways? Just because I want a nice steak doesn't mean my child has to stay home. I've taken my kiddo into all sorts of places. Dives and 5 star places. She's well behaved in both. I guess that's the argument though ;-)

 

[betty rose]

I sure hope you are right and I expressed my glee at this possibility in a previous post. I am convinced that it is the locals who have turned WS and F&W into a drunkfest and they need somewhere else to display their deviance other than in front of our children!!

You can go to food and wine in the afternoon, during the week and avoid all the "drunks"

 

[Otterhead]

if you want to pay that kind of money for a dinner on vacation you can go ahead, knock yourself out. i'll pass.

Dining at amazing restaurants is a highlight of my vacations, personally. I'll never forget my dinner at Victoria & Alberts.

World Showcase is not a "drunkfest" full of "deviance". That's insane.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Just how many ways can you cook chicken fingers, mac and cheese or hamburgers? What am I missing here or are you talking about teenagers? And if that is the case, who brings teenagers to WDW?

I will be. See countdown in my signature.

 

[Otterhead]

Just how many ways can you cook chicken fingers, mac and cheese or hamburgers? What am I missing here or are you talking about teenagers? And if that is the case, who brings teenagers to WDW?

I brought my 16-yr old nephew to WDW last month. He had an amazing time, went off by himself to do Magic Hours (and rode Space Mountain a dozen times), got his picture with every Disney character he could find, and ate at Boma, 'Ohana, San Angel, Chefs de France, and a bunch of other spots. Not sure what your experience with teenagers is but it's out of date.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Just how many ways can you cook chicken fingers, mac and cheese or hamburgers? What am I missing here or are you talking about teenagers? And if that is the case, who brings teenagers to WDW?

Again, not all kids eat these things. My kid recently turned down mac and cheese in favor of salmon.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I thought I read somewhere that the changes to Disney Springs was meant to focus more on bringing in the locals and not just focus on the vacationers. Vacationers will want family oriented restaurants which are all over Disney World and they have access to because they have theme park tickets. However, locals cannot jut go eat in Epcot without a ticket or season pass. Locals will want family oriented restaurants too, but they are also going to want places where they can enjoy a grown up celebration or special occasion like an anniversary without the kids. I believe there is a greater need in Disney Springs for restaurant diversity between family friendly and adult/higher end oriented than there is in the theme parks and resorts. The Boathouse seems to be the perfect fit for who they are catering too with is not just vacationers and families.

Disney has certainly never released any kind of information that stated they wanted more locals as opposed to vacationers at DS. If they have, please provide us a link. Here is the original press release from Tom Staggs:

Walt Disney World Resort guests and local Florida residents have been enjoying Downtown Disney for more than 30 years, but we knew we had an opportunity to reimagine and reinvent this corner of the resort. We’ve spent a good deal of time thinking through just what we want this area to be, and how to bring it to life to make it a place unlike any other. And we have even scrapped a few preliminary plans that we felt didn’t measure up to our aspirations for this place.

Our fundamental goal is to create a welcoming, comfortable space where families can enjoy time together and instantaneously feel right at home. We want to give them opportunities to relax, to be entertained, to wander in and out of unique and distinctive shops or enjoy a world-class dining experience. And because we are Disney, we’ve anchored the entire experience around a story that gives us the ability to deliver on the legendary place-making and creativity for which we are known. The result is Disney Springs, a timeless and vibrant place that celebrates the turn-of-the century lakeside towns that dotted the Florida landscape.

I bolded a few items that people seem to have questioned lately.

I sure hope you are right and I expressed my glee at this possibility in a previous post. I am convinced that it is the locals who have turned WS and F&W into a drunkfest and they need somewhere else to display their deviance other than in front of our children!!

Dining at amazing restaurants is a highlight of my vacations, personally. I'll never forget my dinner at Victoria & Alberts.

World Showcase is not a "drunkfest" full of "deviance". That's insane.

V&A's is absolutely the best!! Oh, and in all of our trips, with the majority of the nights ending at EPCOT, and many of those trips during Food & Wine, we have yet to see "drunkytown". Maybe some of you have, but it really sounds like people blowing things way out of proportion.