Eating at Downtown Disney

[helend]

Hello. We're Florida newbies - flying out this Friday. We've been reading up about all the different restaurants and a lot of the well-reviewed ones seem to be in Disney - either in the theme park itself or in the marketplace.

Is it possible to eat in Disney/downtown in the evening even if you haven't been in the parks during the day? Or would we have to get some special evening pass?

Many thanks.

Helen

[caroline]

Hi Helen - to eat in the parks themselves you will need to pay park admission or use your hoppers, however you can eat at Downtown or the Boardwalk without having to pay any admission - we've tried the Portobello yacht club, Fultons, Planet Hollywood (all at Downtown) and can thoroughly recommend them all

[tinkerbell]

Downtown Disney is free at all times to stroll around, there are loads of great places to eat there! We have eaten at Rainforest Cafe, and if you time it right, and ask to sit on the back patio, you get a great view of Epcot's fireworks!

[helend]

Thanks for this! Can you see the fireworks from Fultons/The Yacht Club and, if so, what time would be best?

[orlandobabe]

We rather enjoyed the food in Wolfgang Pucks.

[caroline]

Hi Helen

From memory I can't remember seeing the fireworks from anywhere in Downtown Disney, unless you pay to go to the part called Pleasure Island, they have fireworks at Midnight as well as lots of live entertainment.

[Nostromo]

quote:Originally posted by tinkerbell

Downtown Disney is free at all times to stroll around, there are loads of great places to eat there! We have eaten at Rainforest Cafe, and if you time it right, and ask to sit on the back patio, you get a great view of Epcot's fireworks!

I'm not a pasta person, but there is a very good pasta dish at the Rainforest Cafe; you can even get it as veg or non-veg with the same taste. It looks greeny but I cannot remember its name or anything else except that it was delicious!

[neilandkay]

I was told by a guest relations person that you couldn't see any of the Disney park's fireworks from Downtown Disney. :-(

The restaurants and atmosphere at downtown Disney are great. We often use it as a first night visit when we just want a little bit of Disney Magic, but don't have time to do the parks.

Recommend Rainforest Cafe - great with kids - good food and HUGE portions; Planet Hollywood - neat to see the mevie stuff - great pork ribs; House of Blue - more grown up but nice food; Portabello Yacht Club - more refined dining.

There is a great play area outside the Lego shop for young kids.

If you get the opportunitiy go see Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at downtown Disney. Stunning!

--Kay

[tinkerbell]

Well I am living proof that you can deifnitely see Epcot's fireworks from the outside dining area at rainforest cafe, although now that I'm thinking about it, I can;t remember if it was Epcot's?! It's deifnitely one of the 4 theme parks, I'll taeka look at the maps and figure it out!

They're bound to tell you that you wont see them there anyway! Unless the trees have grown so much that you can no longer see from there?! I'm sure you can!