Dinner Date!

We drove up to Downtown Disney in Orlando yesterday for a date! Without kids and everything. This just doesn't happen. We arrived at about 4pm, checked into the Regal Sun Hotel, rested a bit from the drive and decided to head out to dinner. The Regal Sun is directly across the street from Downtown Disney, but it is still quite a hike to get to Pleasure Island in the center. Luckily they have a bus that runs every half hour from 6pm to 3am to Pleasure Island. So we hopped aboard and headed inside. We had left the house at noon, so we were very hungry at this point. There are quite a few dining choices at Downtown Disney, but we were looking for something special so we decided on Fulton's Crab House.

Fulton's Crab House is housed in the original Empress Lily Riverboat, one of the first restaurants in what was then called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. You dine within a docked paddle boat with lovely nautical decor and both indoor and outdoor seating. It was way too hot to sit outside. This is Florida in August! We were seated in the Stone Crab Lounge in the stern (back end) of the boat. It wasn't crowded, so we were seated immediately. The stools in the lounge were a little high for me, but once I managed to get up there it was quite comfortable. However, when I dropped my napkin out of my lap, it was too much trouble to climb down and get it. The view over the water was impressive. I did wander farther forward at one point and there was regular seating in the main dining room. It was a little more crowded there with quite a few kids. As we were trying for some romance, we appreciated the relative quiet of the lounge.

The service was speedy and friendly. We had fresh bread and drinks in no time. Then we settled into the menu. Um. Ouch. This restaurant is quite pricey! We decided to forgo appetizers and ordered Louis Fulton's Ultimate Crab and Lobster Experience for Two at $41.95 per person. Shortly we were dining on King Crab Legs, Snow Crab Legs, Dungeness Crab, and a 1 1/4 lb lobster. Happily we had bibs or it would have been an utter mess! There were sides of tasty hash browns and grilled asparagus. We were also brought some sesame crackers and their new signature crab boursin dip. Very tasty. We almost made it through all the food, but not quite and we were too full for dessert, which is a shame as I have heard good things about their creme brulee. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted wonderful.

All in all, it is a great dining experience, just a bit more expensive than we are used to. Although the liquor prices were very reasonable which helped keep the bill affordable.

Quality of food: Excellent
Service: Excellent
Value for the money: Good
Stars: *****