Dining Review - September/October 2022

[Noreen411]

Final Thoughts
This was a great trip.

We enjoy driving to Florida and love Disney. We have had the timeshare for years and are glad we have it; it makes the trip easier having the space/amenities of a condo/villa rather than just a hotel room.

We had some great meals and like that Disney has so many different choices

I will still book dining 60 days out for the next trip (each day) but won’t stress if I don’t get everything I want as we will keep checking and changing things as we go.

If you have any questions, please ask. I love talking about my trips.

I also need to start working on my trip review/travelogue

Noreen

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

What a great ending to yet another wonderful trip! I like that you share your non Disney dining experiences as well. Thank you for the report. Happy holidays!

 

[Noreen411]

What a great ending to yet another wonderful trip! I like that you share your non Disney dining experiences as well. Thank you for the report. Happy holidays!

Thank you for the kind words. Happy Holidays!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Loved your report. I'm curious - are there any restaurants on your "bucket list" for future trips? Any absolute must-do's every time? Is there a spot (or two) that Scott thinks have the "best" martinis? Selfishly hope your next trip is soon as I'd love another report.

 

[Noreen411]

Loved your report. I'm curious - are there any restaurants on your "bucket list" for future trips? Any absolute must-do's every time? Is there a spot (or two) that Scott thinks have the "best" martinis? Selfishly hope your next trip is soon as I'd love another report.

Hi. Thank you for the kind words

Bucket List - We like to try a few new places but don’t make ourselves crazy if we can’t get a reservation. I would like to try Space220, BlueZoo, Jalao, Kona Cafe now that they’ve reopened, Topolino Terrace Breakfast, Narcoose’s when they reopen, Trader Sams, Sangria University to name a few things.

Our must-do not surprisingly is the bread pudding at Tambu Lounge.

I asked Scott and he said the best martinis were at Tambu Lounge and Abracadabar

Noreen

 

[elaine amj]

Thanks for your review!!

I am curious about how parking went for you at Shula?

I’ve wanted to eat at the Cabana poolside restaurant at the Dolphin but worried about parking.

 

[Noreen411]

Thanks for your review!!

I am curious about how parking went for you at Shula?

I’ve wanted to eat at the Cabana poolside restaurant at the Dolphin but worried about parking.

Hi

Parking at the Dolphin was very easy - we would normally valet park. When you eat at Shula’s they would validate the parking ticket for you (no extra charge for valet parking once validated).

When we went right after the hurricane, there wasn’t any valet so we just self parked pretty close to the entrance.
We didn’t self park at the Dolphin other than that since the valet parking was so easy.

However, I’m assuming it would be similar to any of the other resorts when you pull up to the entry booth if you let them know you are going to eat/drink on property they should direct you to regular self parking or valet. I know some hotels will only let you park there if you have a dining reservation. If you go to the poolside restaurant I would just let them know where you are planning to go. We’ve done that several times at the Polynesian when we were going to the Tambu Lounge for Bread Pudding (we didn’t have a reservation for that). I’m guessing if it’s a holiday week/super crowded they may be more concerned with someone parking there for a period of time vs someone with a confirmed dining reservation.

Noreen

 

[elaine amj]

Hi

Parking at the Dolphin was very easy - we would normally valet park. When you eat at Shula’s they would validate the parking ticket for you (no extra charge for valet parking once validated).

When we went right after the hurricane, there wasn’t any valet so we just self parked pretty close to the entrance.
We didn’t self park at the Dolphin other than that since the valet parking was so easy.

However, I’m assuming it would be similar to any of the other resorts when you pull up to the entry booth if you let them know you are going to eat/drink on property they should direct you to regular self parking or valet. I know some hotels will only let you park there if you have a dining reservation. If you go to the poolside restaurant I would just let them know where you are planning to go. We’ve done that several times at the Polynesian when we were going to the Tambu Lounge for Bread Pudding (we didn’t have a reservation for that). I’m guessing if it’s a holiday week/super crowded they may be more concerned with someone parking there for a period of time vs someone with a confirmed dining reservation.

Noreen

I’ve been wondering about the Swolphin because they charge for overnight parking. Don’t know how that works for eating there. I know they don’t have a gated entry and my son has picked and dropped me off there a few times.