Whether it’s your first visit or your 50th visit to Walt Disney World, we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks we think you should know before you go. We talk about tickets, dining, park touring tips, FastPass, and more!
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There are plenty of ways to spend your hard earned dollars at Walt Disney World, but you don’t have to spend them all on your park tickets or resort room. Here are some ways to try out something a little different on your Walt Disney World vacation.
Club Level rooms- This splurge come with great views, continental breakfast, snacks, beverages (including alcoholic beverages), desserts and cordials. Plus if you need itinerary, dining, childcare, transportation services, or golf time set up concierge services can do that. See our series here.
Theme Park View rooms- If you really want to make your family feel special choose a theme park view at select resorts. You cannot beat waking up this type of view or watching fireworks from your bed!
VIP Tour Services-This is an amazing experience but comes with a big price tag. So this is a good splurge to share with friends. Groups are limited to 10 people and must me a minimum of 7 continuous hours.
Photo via disney.com
Spa Services- There are a few spas to choose from at the Grand Floridian, Dolphin, and Saratoga Springs. Some services offered are massages, facials, nails and hair.
Epcot Seas Adventures- There are a few choices such as Dolphins in Depth, a 3 hour encounter for those 13 and up. There is also the Aqua Tour which is snorkeling in the 5.7 million gallon tank for a 2.5 hour experience for those 8 and up. If you are SCUBA certified and 10 years and older you can do the DiveQuest experience. During this 3 hour experience you can swim with over 6,000 sea creatures.
Photo via disney.com
Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian- high tea is served every day in the afternoon features specially blended teas, sandwiches and desserts. What a fun and fancy way to add a little splurge to your vacation.
Victoria & Albert’s- This AAA five diamond restaurant experience located in the Grand Floridian is the ultimate splurge, particularly the Chef’s Table with is a 13 course dinner created just for your party.
Photo via disney.com
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is a zany vaudeville comedy show and served with all you care to eat fired chicken, BBQ ribs, salad, and strawberry shortcake. Drinks include unlimited draft beer, wine and sangria for those over 21. This two hour event takes place in Pioneer Hall at Fort Wilderness. Check out Tara’s review here.
Have you ever splurged for something really unique at Walt Disney World? If so what has been your favorite splurge, we’d love to hear!
Join us this week as we talk about all the questions about Disney we get asked most often, as well as our favorite tips and general info items!
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This September I was lucky enough to stay in a recently refurbished one bedroom villa at Disney’s Beach Club Villas. If you’ve followed any of my room reviews before, my family tends to like their space in hotel rooms, meaning we seek rooms that are different from the standard 2 queen beds. From the family suites at Disney’s Art of Animation to the cottage suites at Disney’s Boardwalk we’ve tried some amazing alternative rooms at different Disney resorts and have loved them all. But Beach Club was something truly special!
The bathroom in this one bedroom consisted of 3 separate areas: a toilet behind a door, an area that held the tub and a sink/mirror combination, then the third area where the glass door shower and a second sink/mirror set was. I loved this area, so several people could be getting ready for the day at once. And that tub was perfect for the little one’s bath! If we’d had more time in this room I may have just taken a bath in here myself too.
Another great thing about these one bedroom villas is how they truly feel like home. The sitting area has a comfy couch, chairs and large screen TV and a table and chairs for meals just like at home.
From a full size fridge to a stove, dishwasher and all the cooking utensils and silverware you might need, these kitchens are perfect for those who’d like to eat some meals at “home” while on vacation.
Some other major benefits to staying at the Beach Club were the super comfy queen bed in the bedroom (plus more than enough room for the pack and play we used for my daughter), the location (all that entertainment on the boardwalk!) and access to the amazing Stormalong Bay pool shared by the Beach and Yacht Clubs. That pool is worth the price of admission alone, friends!
When you get the Dining plan or Quick Service dining plan you want to make sure you are getting a good value for your money. But cost can’t be the only factor. You will want to make sure you are checking out the menus to verify that you are choosing a restaurant menu that will appeal to your party. This isn’t a comprehensive list but some suggestions for great eats!
Be Our Guest for lunch is a fantastic choice based on the location, amazing atmosphere and the food. The food is similar to the dinner offerings but all at one quick service dining credit. Located in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland you will be immersed in the Beast’s castle and can choose from three different rooms to sit in. This restaurant is like no other. First of all it does require reservations for the quick service. Next you order solely from a kiosk and then get your “rose” and find a spot to sit. Your food will be delivered to your table. You can check out my lunch review here.
Wolfgang Puck Express located in Disney Springs is another amazing choice for a quick service meal, lunch or dinner. Similar to Be Our Guest, you will have your food delivered to your table. This food is pretty amazing, we recommend the mac and cheese and the bacon wrapped meatloaf. Check out this review for more information!
Photo via Disney
Sunshine Season in the Land pavilion in Epcot is a delicious option with seasonal foods grown right there in the Land Pavilion! Plus the amazing strawberry shortcake is always worth getting. This location is also ideal if you need to fuel up before waiting in line for Soarin’ Around the World. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner so any time the mood strikes you can check out this quick service restaurant. This restaurant has some amazing choices like Oak grilled salmon, slow roasted pork chops and Mongolian beef.
Columbia Harbour House located in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom is a fantastic option for a healthier lunch or dinner with many options. Some of the most popular options are the Lobster Roll, chicken pot pie, Lighthouse sandwich, clam chowder, and broccoli peppercorn salad. You cannot beat the location and people watching if you head up to the second floor seating.
Flame Tree Barbecue in the Discovery Island area of Animal Kingdom is probably one of the best quick services values. You can get more than just barbeque here though, some choices are ½ a chicken, ribs & chicken combo, smoked turkey sandwich, full slab of ribs, and roasted chicken salad.
photo via Disney
Landscape of Flavors is located at the Art of Animation resort is an awesome choice with unique and adventurous flavors. You can get things like curry chicken, beef stirfry, create your own pasta or pizza, burgers, soup, and salad. Yep, that is a lot of choices in one restaurant!
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café in Frontierland in Magic Kingdom is another fantastic choice. If you love tex-mex food this is the place for you. It is similar to Qdoba or Chipotle where you can get a rice bowl, fajitas, or burritos and then step up to the fixins bar to doctor up your dinner.
Capt. Cook’s in the Polynesian Village Resort is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can get the famous Tonga Toast for breakfast or the pulled pork nachos for lunch and dinner. This location is great whether you are staying at the Polynesian or just visiting from the other monorail resorts or want a break for the parks. The menu has variety and is a pretty good value.
Tangerine Café located in the Morocco pavilion in Epcot is a cool choice for lunch or dinner. They have many unique offerings such as Mediterranean chicken wrap, shawarma chicken or lamb platter, lamb wrap, and kefta sandwich. Plenty to choose from for the adventurous palate.
If you have a suggestion to add let us know! We are always looking for great values and interesting menus!
Here at Dole Whipped, we like to keep you informed of all the Disney information available so this week we bring you Fall 2016 Disney news! We hope this helps you better plan your upcoming Disney vacations!
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Recently Jamie sailed on the Disney Dream with her mom and daughter and she tells us all about her experience on board, especially how she experienced cruising with a toddler!
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Dole Whipped 