Wine Bar George and the craziness of DS on a Friday OR resort ADR?

[The4mousekeeters]

Hi everyone -
We'll be down in late July/early August. We arrive on Friday and we're staying at the Poly. We usually hit DS the first night for dinner, but it was so crowded in Sept. when we were there and I keep reading about it being crowded right now.

I really want to try Wine Bar George, but thinking a resort restaurant ADR might be a better choice? Thoughts on WBG at DS or opinions on other restaurants to consider at resorts (that are open at the moment)?

If Ohana is open by then we will try to grab an ADR at some point that week. It's our daughter's 16th birthday that Saturday and that's her favorite. Any thoughts/ideas about resort ADR's appreciated! Thanks!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I'd stay away from DS on the weekends, which include Friday night, your arrival night. DS is pretty busy anytime, as you probably know. For a resort ADR: Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club, The Grand Floridian Cafe, Olivia's Cafe is very under-rated for dinner, IMO. The Wave at the Contemporary, Whispering Canyon at WL, Saana at AKL (go early so you can walk out and view the animals on the grounds of the resort). At the resorts, take some time to wander and enjoy the atmosphere. When we do it, we really feel immersed in our vacation!
I hope you find something you like! We find resort dinner reservations are a great way to start our trip and generally out of the way of the large crowds we will be facing the rest of the trip.

Maybe WBG on a middle of the week night...

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I think the "crowding" is more due to capacity restrictions rather than actual "crowds". Most crowded Friday I ever saw it was Black Friday (a few years ago) where you couldn't park in the garages and even the overflow parking was insane. Have been several times since re-opening and never had an issue parking in the garages (even on Fri/Sat nights). I think a lot is going to depend on whether or not the capacity limits are still intact at the time of your visit.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We ate at WBG on a Saturday back in February. While DS felt crowded, the actual restaurant part didn't. We were a little early, but we walked up and they seated us right away. I know there are no guarantees of this happening for everyone, but it was a nice evening once we were inside and seated. Parking also wasn't bad and the line to get into DS moved very quickly.

 

[JohnD]

Hi everyone -
We'll be down in late July/early August. We arrive on Friday and we're staying at the Poly. We usually hit DS the first night for dinner, but it was so crowded in Sept. when we were there and I keep reading about it being crowded right now.

I really want to try Wine Bar George, but thinking a resort restaurant ADR might be a better choice? Thoughts on WBG at DS or opinions on other restaurants to consider at resorts (that are open at the moment)?

If Ohana is open by then we will try to grab an ADR at some point that week. It's our daughter's 16th birthday that Saturday and that's her favorite. Any thoughts/ideas about resort ADR's appreciated! Thanks!

WBG is a great choice but have you also considered Jaleo? It's excellent.

 

[Benjamin_Nicholas]

DS in general is an underwhelming zoo when it comes to food.

I'd recommend getting outside the Disney bubble, or, if you have to stay close, try the bars and eateries at the Four Seasons in Golden Oak. You can easily make a res through OpenTable and the service/food is consistently fantastic.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I haven't actually tried WBG, so I can't comment on what locations are specifically better, but if you have transportation, I second the possibility of eating off WDW property.

Among the fun dining options, and places that would likely be quieter is the dining at the Universal hotels. Citywalk has fun options, but also gets pretty busy.

If you want to minimize crowds, but still want to eat at DS, consider dining at an off-peak time. For DS, maybe try eating at around 4:30pm, if possible. If you choose to eat a resort, early or late would probably work in most locations.

Among currently open locations, Kona Café and Sanaa both have pretty decent food.

One more possibility would be to get the food to go, and eat it back at your hotel room or find an outdoor seating area. The Poly has some outdoor picnic tables. If I recall correctly, they are near the outdoor grills. There's also seats on the beach, if you were able to eat about the time of the water parade, that could be fun.

 

[The4mousekeeters]

I'd stay away from DS on the weekends, which include Friday night, your arrival night. DS is pretty busy anytime, as you probably know. For a resort ADR: Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club, The Grand Floridian Cafe, Olivia's Cafe is very under-rated for dinner, IMO. The Wave at the Contemporary, Whispering Canyon at WL, Saana at AKL (go early so you can walk out and view the animals on the grounds of the resort). At the resorts, take some time to wander and enjoy the atmosphere. When we do it, we really feel immersed in our vacation!
I hope you find something you like! We find resort dinner reservations are a great way to start our trip and generally out of the way of the large crowds we will be facing the rest of the trip.

Maybe WBG on a middle of the week night...

I think the "crowding" is more due to capacity restrictions rather than actual "crowds". Most crowded Friday I ever saw it was Black Friday (a few years ago) where you couldn't park in the garages and even the overflow parking was insane. Have been several times since re-opening and never had an issue parking in the garages (even on Fri/Sat nights). I think a lot is going to depend on whether or not the capacity limits are still intact at the time of your visit.

We ate at WBG on a Saturday back in February. While DS felt crowded, the actual restaurant part didn't. We were a little early, but we walked up and they seated us right away. I know there are no guarantees of this happening for everyone, but it was a nice evening once we were inside and seated. Parking also wasn't bad and the line to get into DS moved very quickly.

WBG is a great choice but have you also considered Jaleo? It's excellent.

DS in general is an underwhelming zoo when it comes to food.

I'd recommend getting outside the Disney bubble, or, if you have to stay close, try the bars and eateries at the Four Seasons in Golden Oak. You can easily make a res through OpenTable and the service/food is consistently fantastic.

I haven't actually tried WBG, so I can't comment on what locations are specifically better, but if you have transportation, I second the possibility of eating off WDW property.

Among the fun dining options, and places that would likely be quieter is the dining at the Universal hotels. Citywalk has fun options, but also gets pretty busy.

If you want to minimize crowds, but still want to eat at DS, consider dining at an off-peak time. For DS, maybe try eating at around 4:30pm, if possible. If you choose to eat a resort, early or late would probably work in most locations.

Among currently open locations, Kona Café and Sanaa both have pretty decent food.

One more possibility would be to get the food to go, and eat it back at your hotel room or find an outdoor seating area. The Poly has some outdoor picnic tables. If I recall correctly, they are near the outdoor grills. There's also seats on the beach, if you were able to eat about the time of the water parade, that could be fun.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and suggestions!

 

[ABQ]

I know this is a couple week's late, but do consider Sunday brunch at Wine Bar George. It's very good. They are on Open Table also and you can book a reservation well in advance.