Unique Dining Outside of the Parks – Part II

Tired of the same old restaurants in the parks at Walt Disney World, or just looking for something new?  Check out the first installment check it out here to learn about unique dining options in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Resort areas. **LINK** 

Animal Kingdom Resort Area:
La
ndscape of Flavors located in the Art of Animation is one of the few quick service restaurants on my list of unique dining.  It makes the list due to its lunch and dinner menus where you can custom make any different types of meals such as pasta, omelet, burgers, and salads.  It is fun to custom make your own pasta with sauce and meat choices.  It is sure to win over even the pickiest of eaters.

 Dine with Animal Specialist with in the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a 4 course lunch at Sanaa where you can learn all about the animals that are just outside the windows of the restaurant!  This is a truly intimate lunch that is limited to 12 guests.  Once you are finished eating you will head into a secure area for and up close and personal encounter with radiated tortoises. 

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Photo via Disney.com

Wanyama Safari is available only to guests of Animal Kingdom Lodge and features a 90 minute tour with unique vantage points for observing the animals.  It is limited to 12 guests so you will have a very personalized tour.  Prior to the safari you will have a reception with the chefs and cultural representative from Jiko and then conclude your safari with a fabulous dinner at Jiko.  This is a one of a kind dining experience.

Disney Springs:
If you are in the mood for some fantastic food by a famous chef you will want to see Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs.  There is a large sushi menu and plenty of Pan-Asian food for every palate. The menu is extensive with lots of seafood but plenty of steak, noodle and chicken dishes.  Don’t miss this fantastic restaurant.

Wolfgang Puck Express is an easy choice for a single table service credit with amazing food.  People always rave about the macaroni and cheese as well as the bacon wrapped meatloaf.  Not to be mistaken with Wolfgang Puck Grand Café, the express is just a smaller version of the main restaurant by the celebrity chef. Here is a great review we have!

Boathouse

Photo via Disney.com

The Boathouse is another recent addition to Disney Springs, right on the water front.  You cannot beat the location and ambience at Disney Springs and the food is pretty darn amazing too.  They feature American, seafood and steaks and have gotten a reputation for the gigantic Gibsons S’mores Baked Alaska that serves four!

What other restaurants would you add to the lineup of unique offerings outside of a Walt Disney World park?  Let us know!

Unique Dining Outside of the Parks – Part I

Sometimes when planning dining reservations for a Walt Disney World vacation people focus on restaurants in the parks.   Fortunately, there are many, many choices outside of the parks and if you plan correctly going to a dining reservation outside of the parks doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your day.  Of if you aren’t planning to visit a park you can still have plenty of fun and even meet some Disney friends!

 Magic Kingdom Resort Area:
Grand Floridian Resort has two very unique character meal options both at the same restaurant, 1900 Park Fare.  For breakfast you can meet Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh.  For dinner you can meet up with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drizella.

Also at the Grand Floridian there is Victoria & Albert’s a very upscale restaurant, having an AAA Five Diamond rating since 2000.  There is also the highly coveted Chef’s Table at Victoria & Albert’s which features 13 courses and the chef personally conversing between courses.  This is definitely a bucket list item!

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Photo via Disney.com

Citricos Dining with an Imagineer is a very unique option outside of the park.  Who wouldn’t love to pick the brain of a Disney Imagineer?  This is your chance to ask questions and learn about the behind the scenes of Walt Disney World. 

Within the Wilderness Lodge you will find the Whispering Canyon Café, a buffet with some shenanigans.  If you love great food, a neat atmosphere and sassy and fun cast members you will want to make the trip to Wilderness Lodge for this family style bottomless platters!  Just be careful when you ask for ketchup or straws!

 In the Polynesian Village Resort there is a unique character meal featuring Lilo and Stitch as well at Mickey and Pluto in Hawaiian gear.  Lilo is not featured anywhere else so if you have a person who loves Lilo and Stitch this is THE place to go!

 Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is located at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness and boasts an amazing dinner show with great food, fun, vaudeville comedy, singing and dancing.  And of course Strawberry Shortcake!  There are multiple shows each day in different price categories based on your seat.  You can read Tara’s review here.

Epcot Resort Area:
Another great character meal option is at the Beach Club, Cape May Café!  This is a character meal for breakfast only and features Minnie and friends in their beach attire!  So if you are in Epcot or Hollywood Studios or staying at an Epcot are resort this is a fantastic option that isn’t as well-known as other character meals.  You can read a review right here! 

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Photo via Disney.com

Beaches and Cream in the Beach Club boasts more than just ice cream.  This old-fashioned soda fountain has a full menu of burgers, salads, sandwiches, and soup.  But most people are coming for The Kitchen Sink.  This creation has scoops of 5 different types of ice creams, every topping imaginable plus a whole can of whipped cream.  You will need the whole family to finish this monster!  But beware when you order it you will cause some heads to turn since the whole restaurant will light up as this treat makes its way to your table.

 Todd English’s bluezoo located in the Dolphin Hotel is a sleeper choice.  It is a pricey dinner, so maybe for a special occasion this is a great choice.  It has won numerous awards and does awesome seafood as well as plenty of beef, chicken and pork dishes to keep everyone happy.  They even feature a pretty great kid’s menu if you are bringing the whole family.  The restaurant itself is beautiful and you will want to get dressed up for this dinner.

bluezoo

Photo via Disney.com


Check back soon for more  dining suggestions on the Animal Kingdom Resort area and Disney Springs!

 

Adventures by Disney-Central Florida

Disney recently released a brand new Adventures by Disney itinerary for Central Florida! This is not just visiting Disney parks, but also the Kennedy Space Center, kayak, zip line, and airboat tours.

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photo via disney.com

This inclusive vacation would be seven days, staying at the Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. It includes 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners. The suggested ages are 8 and up with the minimum age being 6 years old. All transfers are included in the vacation as well.

The first day includes a private dinner at the Chef’s Kitchen at the Contemporary Resort and you will take home a cookbook as a souvenir.

Day two includes a private breakfast at Tony’s Town Square and pre park opening entrance to Magic Kingdom. Then you will take a walking tour of the Magic Kingdom with an Imagineer including a backstage look at the Utilidors! Of course you will get VIP access to Seven Dwarfs mine Train and lunch at the Skipper Canteen. You will also get a reserved spot for the Festival of Fantasy Parade and Wishes Fireworks. There will be plenty of time for exploring the park on your own during the day.

Highlights from day three include breakfast at ‘Ohana, and a visit to Kennedy Space Center. Here you will have a private tour with an astronaut-guide and feel what it is like during a shuttle launch, then lunch with an astronaut. Once back at Disney you will have a VIP preview of Disney Springs.

Astronaut

Day four start early with a private safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, followed by a private breakfast at Tiffin’s. You will then explore the park and learn how the Imagineers planned the park. Next you will go backstage at the Rivers of Light show with VIP seating at this brand new show. A private dinner is also provided at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, with plenty of time during the day to explore the park.

The next day starts with breakfast at Kona Café and a kayak trip down Shingle Creek. Next you will board an airboat on Lake Tohopekaliga, followed by a zipline and horseback adventure and barbeque.

 

kayakin

photo via disney.com

Day six starts with a grab and go breakfast at Kona Island and an escort to Hollywood Studios for a private ride on the Tower of Terror and Toy Story Midway Mania. After this backstage access will get you from Hollywood Studios to The Seas pavilion inside Epcot. With this you will have a special access viewing from the top of the tank and lunch at the Living Seas VIP lounge. There is also a private behind-the-scenes tour at the American Adventure Pavilion and then a farewell dinner at the American Adventure Rotunda. Finishing off the night with VIP viewing of Illuminations and a dessert party.

The dates for the Adventures by Disney vacation start June 19 and go through the rest of the year. Prices start at $4,699 per child and $4,939 per adult. Some are already sold out, so if you are interested you will want to sign up quickly!

Universal Studios Leaky Cauldron Review

Nope, not Disney today! We’re going to talk about our dining experience at Universal Studios for a change. What we liked, what we didn’t like and… a lesson Disney could learn from Universal.

This pub style restaurant is located in the Diagon Alley section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

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When you get in line at the Leaky Cauldron you have several opportunities to view the menu and decide what you’d like to order. We entered a very busy line but it moved at a decent pace and soon we were able to give our order at a cash register where we paid. Now, this is where the cool part comes in, and it’s something I feel like Disney could learn from. Once you place your order you are met by a team of greeters. One of them takes you (and your order number) to an empty table, all ready for the members of your party. This is where you’ll sit and wait for the food to be brought right to you to enjoy! If anyone has ever eaten at Cosmic Rays during a busy time, you can see why I’d suggest that Disney take a page from Universal’s book on this. The seating process was very easy and it took away the stress of having to find a seat with a tray full of food. Be Our Guest is headed in the right direction with the food being brought to you, but the one extra step of actually being seated was fantastic.

Shannon and I had already tried the Butterbeer, so we skipped it this time. Unfortunately drinks are one downside to the Leaky Cauldron with very few choices. We both ended up with water, as there is no soda (Coke or Pepsi products, anyway) to be found. But we did very much enjoy our entrees of Fish & Chips and the Specialty Chicken Sandwich!

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All in all the Leaky Cauldron was a great place to grab a quick lunch while we enjoyed our day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Have you eaten there? What did you think?

Be Our Guest Review: Dinner

With just the right amount of pixie dust (and a 6am phone call on 180 days out!) I was able to snag a Be Our Guest dinner reservation for my recent trip to Walt Disney World. This was actually my second visit for dinner, the first being last year. Sadly, I did not enjoy my dinner that first visit. After some thorough research I had decided that I simply made the wrong choice of entrée, meticulously picking my new choice for dinner this time. I’m happy to report it was so much better!

But before we jump the gun! Let’s start at the beginning. My husband and I had a reservation at 5:30pm. We checked in at the desk and headed to the front door of Beast’s Castle for a short wait. Our name was called and we were led to our seats in the main seating area, the ballroom.

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I love the atmosphere in the ballroom. The windows are dark and you can see that it’s “snowing” outside! A cool little tidbit: The angels painted on the ceiling are actually based off of baby photos of some of the Imagineers who helped create Be Our Guest! Pretty cool.

Ok, now on to the food. Be Our Guest is the only place in the Magic Kingdom where alcohol is served so my husband took advantage of that and ordered a Saison Dupont (beer). I was intrigued by the All-Natural Fruit Punch (sweetened with Organic Cane Juice and Wildberry Extract topped with Lemon-Lime Foam) so I ordered that and it was really good!

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Fresh bread was delivered to the table with sea salted butter. These rolls were delicious!

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In addition to the bread we decided to order a few appetizers (hey, we’re at Disney… why not!) My husband got the French Onion Soup, topped with a Croutons and Gruyère Cheese.

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We also got the Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages served with cornichons, pickled onions, and a toasted baguette. I wish I knew what some of the meats were but nothing was explained to us, the one minor disappointment of this meal. The cornichons (pickles) were my favorite, and I really loved some of the meats.

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For entrees! After all the research I had done I’d found that two meals were always mentioned as standouts. So that’s what we ordered! My husband got the Grilled Strip Steak with Garlic-Herb Butter and Pomme Frites. He raved about this steak for days!

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I went with the Braised Pork (Coq au Vin Style): Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Puréed Cauliflower and Seasonal Vegetables. It was SO good! I wasn’t sold on the pureed cauliflower as I’m a starch addict and was sure I’d have preferred mashed potatoes but these were so good, and just different enough as to be really interesting. The braised pork was delicious, and I probably could have drunk the gravy off a spoon!

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Despite being completely stuffed we did not decline when a dessert menu was brought to the table. It was not at all hard for me to choose what I was going to have for dessert, but it was still nice to see the cart of different treats rolled over to look at.

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I, of course, went with the “Grey Stuff”: a Chocolate Shell, Cookie Crème topped with Lumiere’s special “Grey Stuff” (a cookies and cream type mousse). It was perfect, and just light enough to not send me over the edge after such a large dinner.

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My husband went with a special seasonal dessert, the blood orange cream puff.

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A few times during dinner Beast made his way through the dining rooms to his library where he’d meet guests when they were finished with dinner. This was as close as we’d get to him that night though!

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Delicious dinner complete we paid our bill and headed back out the doors of Beast’s castle and into the Magic Kingdom. I’d highly recommend trying dinner at Be Our Guest if you’re able to snag a reservation (or have your travel agent snag one for you!)

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