Tag Archives: table service

Unique Dining Outside of the Parks – Part II

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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:
Landscape 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!

A First Timer’s Review of Boma

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On our January girls trip, I got to experience Boma for the first time.  Jamie and Tara had already been there before so they filled me in on what to expect.  They love this African inspired buffet in the main building of Animal Kingdom Lodge and so did I.  I’m sure you will too!

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First of all, don’t get hung up on the “African inspired” part.  Yes, there are a few things on the buffet you might not be familiar with, but overall, there is enough selection and enough familiar that everyone is going to find something that they like.

Again, it is a buffet.  The price includes a non-alcoholic beverage plus all you care to eat.  Buffet items include: a variety of salads, a carving station that includes prime rib, a variety of soups, several different vegetables and sides, a bread selection, and a very extensive dessert collection.  Don’t worry, there are still standbys like mashed potatoes, different fruits, assorted hummus, and even sweet potato fries!

There was so much to choose from, I’m sure I didn’t try it all.  I have to say I liked everything I tried, some things I liked better than others, of course.  There is a tomato salad at the beginning of the buffet line that I just adored.  I really liked the chicken corn chowder, and the prime rib was amazing.

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Speaking of prime rib, at that station there are a variety of sauces you can choose from to accompany your meat.  I decided to try them all.  There’s a chipotle sauce that’s very smoky, a pesto with pecans, a tamarind barbecue sauce that’s amazing, and the Boma mustard.  Save yourself some time and head straight for the mustard.  It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s everything you ever need in life.

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Let’s move on to dessert.  Go ahead and grab yourself a few of those Zebra Domes because they’re the signature dessert here at Boma.  They’re a wonderfully light chocolate filling housed in white chocolate with a dark chocolate drizzle and they are so, so good.  I also tasted the apple cobbler which was great.  Other dessert offerings are assorted cookies and brownies, key lime cheesecakes, and even panna cotta.

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I am truly not an adventurous eater and I have to say that I loved Boma and I can’t wait to go back.  So I highly suggest everyone step out of their comfort zones and give it a try!  You won’t be sorry!

 

Is the Disney Dining Plan “Worth it”?

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It’s a question we hear a lot. Is the Disney dining plan worth it? Unfortunately this question does not have an easy answer! It depends. For most families the convenience of paying for your meals ahead of time is absolutely worth it. Budgeting for such a variable can be difficult but when “pre-paying” with the meal plan that’s one less thing you need to worry about. I was curious about cost though, so during my last trip I kept track of one of our day’s dining and decided to do a comparison.

Is the Disney Dining Plan -Worth It--

Breakfast

Location: Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (POFQ)

Three Beignets (snack credit, or $2.99), Coffee (resort refillable mug, or $2.49 out of pocket)

Lunch

Location: Be Our Guest Quick Service (MK)

Carved Turkey Sandwich ($12.99, quick service credit), Soda ($2.99 or included with quick service meal), Chocolate Cream Puff ($4.59 or included with quick service meal)

Dinner

Location: Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine

Buffet dinner ($46.99 for adults, or 1 table service credit)

Total cost: $73.04  or $60.64 per night per adult on the Disney Dining Plan. So in this case, we absolutely made out using the Disney Dining Plan! As always your family’s own eating habits will decide if the dining plan is right for you, but you can see that for some, it is a great choice!