Planning a special dinner/evening at Disney

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HoneyQueen

New Member
Hi, planning a nice/dressy evening that begins with 5:30 dinner at Contemporary Resort. Wanted to be back at hotel for fireworks at 9:00. Neither of us has been to Disney in several years. Wondered what a nice itinerary might be between dinner and fireworks. Take monorail from Contemporary to other hotel properties and look around? Take a boat from Contemporary to _____? Does Epcot have a separate monorail.. if so.. where do you pick that up? Appreciate any suggestions.
 
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zurgandfriend

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
First, yes, Epcot has a separate monorail; you can pick it up at the Ticket and Transportation Center. A nice dinner at a monorail resort sound good. California Grill, Citrico’s, Narcoosee’s or Ohana are all-good. My DW and I like to tour the monorail resorts and the shops, we always find something new.
 
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networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
For time (if I'm reading between the lines properly), I'd budget 1.5-2 hours for your meal (based on our usual California Grill dining experience), that would take us to 6-6:30. From that you'd need to figure out exactly where you want to go and budget the usual transportation time duration (2x Monorail, Minivan, Car or bus) for any destination plus the time for the terminal experience to see what's reasonable to achieve.

Its 2,300 feet (half a mile) from Check in at the Contemporary to the tapstiles at Magic Kingdom if you're not wearing heels , but if you are... not something that would be very comfortable.

If you're considering Epcot via Monorail, then you'd need to go via resort monorail to the TTC and then swap to the Epcot Monorail (which runs every 10-15 minutes) outbound and then some variation of available options back.
 
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H

HoneyQueen

New Member
Original Poster
Thank you both for this information! Helps me figure this out. Thinking this is exactly what we’ll do. Appreciate the time estimates too.
 
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JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
The ride over to EP on the monorail is relaxing but there isnt a lot to see other than the view of roadways and property filled trees. If you are looking for something to do, I'd rather wander around the other resorts, checking out their shops & the themed areas. The Poly is wonderfully themed, the GF has shops & an orchestra that plays in the lobby area. ( not sure of their evening times )
 
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JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
JIMINYCR said:
The ride over to EP on the monorail is relaxing but there isnt a lot to see other than the view of roadways and property filled trees. If you are looking for something to do, I'd rather wander around the other resorts, checking out their shops & the themed areas. The Poly is wonderfully themed, the GF has shops & an orchestra that plays in the lobby area. ( not sure of their evening times )
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Agree. I'd stay in the monorail resort area. I won't necessarily say do a "monorail crawl" (which implies strictly imbibing) but you could check out the resorts. I agree that GF would have a nice classy feel. You could order a beverage and maybe an app at Mizner's while listening to the band. Don't carry a lot with you as you have to go through security each time you board the monorail. You could even hop into MK briefly if you want. Another option is boat from Contemporary to Wilderness Lodge.
 
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H

HoneyQueen

New Member
Original Poster
To JIMINYCR,
After reading your answer again I realized you essentially answered my question in that you weren’t sure of evening times.. Thank you for the input. Will pursue that!
DisneyFreak said:
If you like Dole Whips you can pick one up at the Pinapple Lanai at the Polynesian Resort and it's a nice casual stroll along Seven Seas Lagoon over to the Grand Floridian for after dinner drinks.
Click to expand...
DisneyFreak said:
If you like Dole Whips you can pick one up at the Pinapple Lanai at the Polynesian Resort and it's a nice casual stroll along Seven Seas Lagoon over to the Grand Floridian for after dinner drinks.
Click to expand...
DisneyFreak said:
If you like Dole Whips you can pick one up at the Pinapple Lanai at the Polynesian Resort and it's a nice casual stroll along Seven Seas Lagoon over to the Grand Floridian for after dinner drinks.
Click to expand...
DisneyFreak said:
If you like Dole Whips you can pick one up at the Pinapple Lanai at the Polynesian Resort and it's a nice casual stroll along Seven Seas Lagoon over to the Grand Floridian for after dinner drinks.
Click to expand...

Thank you John D. Nice suggestion. I think we will be checking out the Poly and GF!
 
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HoustonHorn

HoustonHorn

Premium Member
If you have some flexibility, my wife and I did the Highway in the Sky Dine Around back in November as a date night. You start with drinks and starters at the Contemporary. Board the monorail for drinks and more apps at the Poly. Back on the monorail to the GF for dinner and a cheese course. Then back to the Contemporary for a dessert party on the terrace to watch the fireworks. We had a blast. The food and drinks were really good and the other couples were all nice. The menu is pre fixe and seasonal, but everything was pretty mainstream (and I mean that in a good way, not a food snob way - it was food most anyone would eat, but done really well).

348052
348053



ETA: Pictures of our cheese course menu and the mains - sea scallop and beef.
 
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H

HoneyQueen

New Member
Original Poster
HoustonHorn said:
If you have some flexibility, my wife and I did the Highway in the Sky Dine Around back in November as a date night. You start with drinks and starters at the Contemporary. Board the monorail for drinks and more apps at the Poly. Back on the monorail to the GF for dinner and a cheese course. Then back to the Contemporary for a dessert party on the terrace to watch the fireworks. We had a blast. The food and drinks were really good and the other couples were all nice. The menu is pre fixe and seasonal, but everything was pretty mainstream (and I mean that in a good way, not a food snob way - it was food most anyone would eat, but done really well).

View attachment 348052View attachment 348053


ETA: Pictures of our cheese course menu and the mains - sea scallop and beef.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Had not heard of this.. sounds fabulous!
 
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