Best Special Occasion Meals at Disney World
We all want to celebrate something sometimes. In such instances, we grab our loved ones and head to a restaurant to break bread together.
At Walt Disney World, you’ll find a plethora of happy meals specifically designed for such big moments in life.
Here are the best special occasion meals at Disney World.
California Grill
Have you ever ridden the elevator to the top floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort?
For those who haven’t, you should add it to your Disney bucket list.
Credit: Disney
Since almost the beginning of Disney World, this restaurant has hosted guests while offering them an unprecedented view.
From the rooftop, guests relish a birdseye view of Magic Kingdom.
This experience has proven to be so popular over the years that Disney has added two other rooftop restaurants, both of which offer views of other theme parks.
California Grill remains the original as well as the best of them.
My wife and I specifically chose it as our meal for a milestone anniversary.
Disney thoughtfully seated us in an isolated, romantic spot, complete with a view of not just the park but also Bay Lake. This experience happened several years ago, but I still think about it often.
Chef Mickey’s
I swear that not all my selections will be personal, but anyone who knows me is acutely aware of the fact that this one is.
Every year for her birthday, my wife books a reservation for Chef Mickey’s, her favorite Disney restaurant.
You may think this is a rare practice, but we know otherwise.
There’s often a list of people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones at the restaurant.
Photo: Disney
You can tell because Disney brings them decorated dessert plates and other special items.
The ambience provides my second reason for recommending this restaurant.
Photo: Disney
You’ll hear the laughter long before you reach the check-in desk.
Everyone here is having a wonderful time, and that’s what you want during a celebration, isn’t it?
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Inside Cinderella’s Royal Table
This one shouldn’t require much explanation.
You get to eat inside Cinderella Castle!
Credit; Disney
I sometimes bump into people who didn’t even know this was possible.
The looks on their faces are scorched in my brain, as it’s like finding out that someone lives inside the Eiffel Tower.
Photo Credit: ComeSeeOrlando.com
If dining like Disney royalty weren’t enough, you also get to hang out with several Disney princesses, and they all come to your table to make small talk.
Out of everything on this list, I believe Cinderella’s Royal Table symbolically provides the best celebratory meal.
The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers
For the longest time, I would have listed Flying Fish as the go-to destination for fine dining at Disney’s BoardWalk.
In recent years, a new location has surpassed it, and not just because most people prefer cake to fish.
DIsney
The Cake Bake Shop somewhat belies its name by offering exquisite fine dining with cake as the decadent capper.
While the price of a meal here rivals anything else on this list except Cinderella’s Royal Castle and Victoria & Albert’s, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
Cake Bake Shop
Also, you can snack on a cake on your way out of the restaurant.
That’s reason enough to want to visit.
Hollywood Brown Derby
Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
I’ve made my stance quite clear on the best restaurant at Hollywood Studios. I am ride or die for Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.
Most people would list another fine dining experience as the optimal place to go for celebratory meals.
Really, this a generational thing, as the Hollywood Brown Derby as a concept will soon pass the century mark.
Hollywood Brown Derby – Celebrity Photos
During the golden age of Hollywood, studio bosses and starlets would dine here, meticulously choosing roles for movies we still discuss today.
The signature dish here, the Cobb Salad, harbors a funny secret.
DIsney
The restaurant chef made it from unused ingredients from the previous day’s meal servings. So, to my mind a Cobb Salad is and always will be a trash salad.
Despite this fact, it has stood the test of time as the restaurant’s signature dish. The Hollywood Brown Derby works perfectly for celebratory meals for a second reason.
The centralized location of the dining hall as well as the outdoor seating provide people watchers with a fabulous opportunity to enjoy the park.
I always prefer to eat indoors
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Le Cellier Steakhouse
There’s just something about a fine steak dinner that speaks to many people.
Simply by saying that you’re visiting a steakhouse, you establish credibility for your upcoming meal.
Photo: Disney
This statement comes into play twice among the rest of our entries, which speaks to how much I believe it.
At Le Cellier, Disney will toss in lots of maple flavoring to make the meal feel more Canadian.
Le Cellier – Steak Dinner
You should always make the meal feel more Canadian!
Whenever people talk about Canadian poutine, my eyes roll back in my head as I laugh that they’re not choosing maple dishes instead. (If there is a maple poutine, well, I don’t want to know that because it sounds disgusting.)
‘Ohana
Credit: Disney
When you think about celebratory meals, you may automatically assume romantic meals. You’ll notice I didn’t specify that.
If I had, Jiko – The Cooking Place would have earned a spot on the list.
Photo: Disney
Many celebratory meals involve families sitting together and relishing each other’s company for a while.
Stop and think about that for a moment. Can you name a better restaurant for such meals than ‘Ohana?
This restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort literally serves a family-style meal. It’s right there in the description.
You and your loved ones feast upon delicacies such as noodles, chicken wings, and ‘Ohana Bread Pudding.
This is another meal where you’ll hear the raucous sounds of the crowd long before you arrive. It’s Disney World’s most popular meal by a wide margin… and has stayed that way for decades.
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club
Here’s the second steakhouse on the list.
This one probably has more name recognition than Le Cellier, especially among the patrician crowd.
Image Credit: Disney
Disney strongly recommends Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to certain clientele and rewards them with meals here.
Yachtsman Steakhouse serves such a fancy meal that your server will judge you when you don’t order one of the extra sauces to compliment your entry.
Disney
I prefer Le Cellier, but there’s a tradeoff when you eat inside the park rather than at a Deluxe Tier Disney resort.
Both options are incredible, and you really can’t go wrong.
I’m more of a ketchup as a condiment guy, so Yachtsman Steakhouse doesn’t match my vibe.
Still, supporters would riot if I failed to mention it here.
Victoria & Albert’s
(Kent Phillips, Photographer)
Finally, we have the ultimate in celebratory meals, although the price tag narrows the target audience quite a bit.
A meal at Victoria & Albert’s will cost a minimum of $500 per person, and obviously not everyone wants to spend a thousand dollars on a romantic dinner.
Photo: Disney
Still, on special occasions such as proposals, anniversaries, and wedding weeks, Victoria & Albert’s exemplifies Disney dining elegance.
The award-winning menu here has earned a Michelin Star in multiple years.
Photo: Disney
Somehow, that’s not the most impressive part.
On multiple occasions, a ranking service has named Victoria & Albert’s as THE best restaurant in the United States.
Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., is the culinary crown jewel of Walt Disney World Resort. Guests will discover a lavish setting, flawless service and a tasting menu showcasing contemporary American cuisine using the finest ingredients from around the globe. A 500-bottle wine list and innovative zero-proof cocktails round out the offerings. (Steven Diaz, Photographer)
Can you imagine anything better for a celebratory meal than taking your loved one to the best restaurant in the country?
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