Going To Disney - Orlando

[Kevin Bresnahan]

My wife and I decided to spoil our girls like good Americans, so we've booked a week in Disney for April vacation (4/23-30). I look forward to going to the bathroom with Lester Young and Satchmo.

My sister-in-law is coming along and she will be taking the girls out two nights, leaving me & the wife alone for a little romance... after 25 years of being together, a "little" is all we need. Anyway, I wanted to take her to a nice restaurant and we've perused the Disney-area places like Narcoossee's et al. I was wondering if anyone had experience outside of Disney? We are staying at the French Quarter resort but we'll have a rental car.

Any good Italian or Thai restaurants nearby that could be recommended or should we just stay on the Disney compound and pay through the nose? Any "upscale" Italian joints with a good wine list that won't cost $200 for the two of us (like Victoria & Alberts would)?

Actually, while I'm at it, maybe on one of these road trips, I might see if I can swing by a CD shop. That's romantic, right?

Kevin

[catesta]

I'm not from the area, so I can't really help.

Although, I've heard this place is pretty good.

Christini's

[skeith]

Don't forget to check out that place where Sam Rivers plays

[JSngry]

Our sole excursion into the "real" Orlando was not particularly thrilling (to put it mildly...), but we didn't try real hard to find anything excellent, either. Still, if we ever go back to Disney, we've pretty much decided to stay the hell outta Orlando and just keep it in-house. The real world fucks up often and easily (and Orlando per se seemed to do both more than normal), but Disney does not!

Disney World offers a meal plan that can potentially be a good deal. You pay something like $35 per day per person (that's the adult price, don't know if it's different for younger kids or not), and you get one snack, 1 counter service meal (which includes appetizer, entree, dessert, and drink), and one full-table-service meal (same coverage as conter-service, except you're waited on) per day, fully covered. Doesn't matter what the actual cost is, you're good, tax and tip included. Pays for itself, and then some.

Plus, you have the option of combining two table-service meals for one "Signature" meal ("fancier" cuisine and settings). We did that and got a $250+ seafood & steak meal for 3, and walked out of there w/o dropping a cent, other than that we bumped the tip up from the covered 15% to 20%.

Disney World's food does not suck, and the portions are very generous. Plus, between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, & MGM, they offer all kinds of food in all kinds of settings. There's character meals for the kids (and trust me, the kids DO love that), and more sophisticted settings for the adults, especially outside of the Magic Kingdom. It's all still Disney, but if you're expecting typical theme-park food in typical theme-park settings, you might be pleasantly surprised.

I'd definitely recommend calling the DW toll-free to ask for more info. As evil as those fuckers ultimately are, they give you one helluva good family vacation experience and value. In particular, the package deals offer some potentially inviting perks (especially the extended hours at the parks), and since the kids will be along, you'll probably want to at least investigate the options.

[RDK]

The last time I was in Orlando it was strictly no frills for us - and an old friend comped us through Disney/Epcot - but it's a huge tourist town and Disney is only one of several major theme parks in the area so I would expect that there are a number of finer restaurants in Orlando itself.

[ralphie_boy]

Although not Italian, I recommend California Grill (at The Contemporary) and Artists' Point (Wilderness Lodge).

[Kevin Bresnahan]

So, it looks like we're going to take Jim's advice and get the meal plan. Thanks for that info, Jim. The "travel agent" who booked us obviously didn't know how to save us a few bucks with that. I called to book it and she sounded exasperated, like, "You're gonna make me work, again".

Since we do want to go to one of the "Signature" places one night, Joanne & I are going to go to try Christini's another night, probably Monday. Kinda steep but this vacation is already very steep so what's a few more $$? Thanks for that link, catesta.

I found out that Sam Rivers is playing at a weekly Wednesday night gig at a downtown bar called Wills Pub. First set kicks off at 10... hmmm... might work.

Thanks everyone.

Kevin

[TheMusicalMarine]

I second that Artist's Point notion. Classy venue.

[JSngry]

So, it looks like we're going to take Jim's advice and get the meal plan. Thanks for that info, Jim. The "travel agent" who booked us obviously didn't know how to save us a few bucks with that. I called to book it and she sounded exasperated, like, "You're gonna make me work, again".

You're more than welcome, sir!

Probably too late for you, KEvin, but if anybody else is planning a Disney vacation, I really do recommend dealing directly w/Disney for planning, reservations, etc.. Their rates are as good as you can get, and they have a lot of "insider" info and plans that the ordinary travel agent probably doesn't know about.

[Dan Gould]

I was in Orlando this past weekend for a 40th birthday celebration with my best friend and we ended up at the Disney Swan because one friend had offered to pay for the birthday boy's room, and I got the free ride.

So for the first time, I stepped foot inside Disney, and for the one meal we had on the premises, this showed up at our table:

He started in at me and I told him what I promised my friend I would tell him:

Get your goofy ass away from me.

I hate that shit.

[DTMX]

Get your goofy ass away from me.

I hate that shit.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Tired today... got back late last night.

Christini's was awesome, with the perfect atmosphere and very tasty food. Weird location though, it's located in a strip mall. They said they were building a standalone restaurant that they planned to open in about two years.

The meal plan turned out to be a blessing and a curse. It was certainly a bargain, money-wise. However, every meal comes with an appetizer, entree and dessert. Way too much food for me!

As for Disney, my favorite "show" was Mickey's Philharmagic. Great 3D show. My favorite ride was one they were previewing (it officially opens May 5th) called Soarin'. It's a hang glider simulation, complete with smells. The Rock & Roll Rollercoater was a close second. Of course, you have to dig Aerosmith to really like this ride.

The hotel was OK. The Port Orleans French Quarter was supposed to be Jazz-themed. The closest they came was naming the streets with cute names like "Jazz Alley". The live "Jazz" they had performed in their bar consisted of a solo act who played sax, guitar... well, pretty much every instrument... all accompanied by some keyboard with pre-recorded rhythm. Gack. When he broke out in "Rockin' Robin", I knew I had to vacate the area quickly.

I never made it to see Sam Rivers. Too much going on that night. I also discovered that he was playing with his Rivbea Orchestra which is not really the way I wanted to see him so maybe it was better this way.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. If I could give one back, it's this: Go at least once. It was a great time.

Kevin

[fent99]

Hi All

I'm not going to Disney but am going to a conference in Orlando (NAVC if there are any veterinarians here?). Any music spots or record stores worth checking out if I escape the conference. I'm there over a weekend 16-20th Jan and wondered if there is anything I shouldn't miss!

Thanks for looking!

C

[bertrand]

See if Sam Rivers still has a weekly gig somewhere. He is a national treasure.

Bertrand.

[fent99]

See if Sam Rivers still has a weekly gig somewhere. He is a national treasure.

Bertrand.

I'll definitely look out for this. Nothing of his website but maybe a regular gig?

Las one noted was in November. Anyone know if this is a regular fixture?

Club 57 West

57 West Pine St, Orlando FL 32801

[Kevin Bresnahan]

13 years later, we're going back to Orlando. We'll be there 2/24-3/03/2018.

We'll likely be going back to Christini's as I see it's still open.

Anyone with some insight into the Jazz scene?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

So after looking around, the Jazz scene in Orlando is deader than Boston's jazz scene. At least Boston has a couple of clubs that bring in some good shows. Nothing down there that I could find.

So I'll go back to Christini's one night but no Jazz in Orlando. Again.

[kh1958]

I've been there for meetings a few times in the last several years; I could never find any live jazz.

[Teasing the Korean]

Jazz schmazz.  Disney has a killer tiki bar called Trader Sam's with great decor and high-end rum cocktails along the lines of Don the Beachcomber's and old-skool Trader Vic's.  None of that Jimmy Buffet beach dive swill. It is located in Disney's Polynesian Village.  I highly advise anyone who is going to Disney and who appreciates good cocktails to waddle over there and have a drink.  Or four.  

[Kevin Bresnahan]

What a difference 13 years makes. Went to Christini's last night. Excellent food again and I can still highly recommend it IF you have the budget. This place got tres expensive! From the food to the wine, everything was big bucks. $60  for a (retail $20) bottle of Conundrum White? And that was one of the cheapest bottles on the wine list. Ouch. BTW, they never did move. It's still tucked into a strip mall but the strip mall has grown quite a bit since our last visit. It's now in a strip mall with a huge Publix next to it.

We're going to try Trader Sam's Monday or Tuesday. Any drink you particularly recommend?