Couples dining suggestions at Christmas

[Myhandsfull]

Howdy. We are 9 days out from ADR day and are trying to finalize our choices.

My family has been to Disney five previous times as a family, which I share so you know we have experience but aren’t the “pop in three times a year” type. My husband and I are doing our first trip with the two of us the first week of December. It’s a quick five day/four night trip to see decorations and experience Christmas at Disney!

We love food but more than amazing food (which we can get at home), we love the Disney environment and experience. We also have the Dining Plan Plus, but would prefer to not do two table service meals every day to use up our limited time. *I do have a gluten allergy, if that would impact your suggestions.

My questions are:

1) With the plan we have, we could do signature dining and use two credits at night and be fine. Which signature dining restaurants, if any, are worth it?

2) Which restaurants are your recommended cant-miss on a couples trip for atmosphere and experience?

3) Are any restaurants particularly amazing at Christmas?

Thanks,

Dana

 

[JZCubed]

3.) Few places are any more amazing at Christmas. But Biergarten is a bit more festive with both decorations and musical selections.

The 'best' Decorations for Christmas are in the lobbies of Deluxe Resorts. Personal favorites include: Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club. We enjoy Animal Kingdom as being 'spectacular' year-round.

2.) As a former manager of very large restaurants, I'll offer this: there are no can't miss places at Disney. Moreover, my 'taste' may not be yours. For those willing to indulge, Victoria & Albert is likely the most likely to be can't miss. Then there's everything else.

Swan & Dolphin Signatures offer 'best of' Disney Signatures for seafood (BlueZoo), steaks (Shula's), and Italian (Il Mulino). Atmosphere tips-the-scale to BlueZoo for me (while some folks really dislike the dining room). Also, Capa is a fantastic spot atop Four Seasons inside Disney.

1.) OK, I'll now limit my choice to Disney-Dining Signature: CA Grill. For the price of dinner, you might get to enjoy fireworks, but kinda' always get a view of Magic Kingdom. BE ADVISED - fireworks are postponed 'til further notice due to COVID-19 precautions. 'Worth it' is something that is very divisive on DisBoards; value of Dining Plan is something you've already determined is 'worth it'.

 

[TCRAIG]

Best Christmas decorations by far are at Wilderness Lodge - so any dining there is a visual treat! Grand Floridian does have The Gingerbread House - but it’s not viewable from the restaurants and there’s always crowds looped around it...

 

[sapphirerose915]

Best Christmas place we went to was Hollywood and Vine.. I know I know.. it gets a lot of slack.. however.. the characters in their little outfits were soooo cute it made it worth it. Idk if they will still be doing character meals.. but ... it's so cute.. you get santa goofy and everyone else in their holiday finest.

Other place we went was grand floridian cafe. The smell of gingerbread is intoxicating.. and the ambiance is amazing. I had a toddler with me so I'm not much help in the nice couples only places... but I would pick both of those again even if I was going without my son!!

 

[mmsportsmom]

Hubby and I have now been a few times just the two of. This a perk of being empty nesters! We enjoy trying resort restaurants. We are more relaxed with just the two of us and like to pick quieter restaurants. We prefer to avoid the signature restaurants. Some of our new faves are Ale and Compass in the Yacht Club, it was nice and quiet and the food was good; and Citricos in the Grand Floridian, it was quietish and we had an awesome view of the lake and monorail. We chose to dress a little nicer for Citricos but it wasnt necessary.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We just went at Xmas, with kids not as a couple but I would recommend Artist Point even if the characters don't appeal. The lobby of the Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous at Xmas and the food was really great, with interesting cocktails included in the DP. Animal Kingdom Lodge also has an amazing tree at Xmas time, so Jiko might be a great option if you are looking for a Signature meal in a more adult setting.

 

[SamFaniam]

We really enjoyed Ale and Compass on our last trip, and the Yachtman is always a favorite. We also enjoyed Trattoria al Forno, and if you ask for a table by the windows, you can have a nice view of the boardwalk, and even high fireworks if the timing is right. Plus dining in this area would allow you to go see the decorations at all of the Epcot resorts.