food IS a theme park
The walls around Magic Kingdom’s Club 33 location are entirely down, revealing in full the exclusive members-only lounge.
Adventureland Club 33
It’s located in Adventureland to your right upon entry into the area.
Adventureland pathway
Though we received a pretty good glimpse of the space just a few weeks ago when much of the surrounding construction tarps were removed, even more has been revealed as of our latest visit to the Magic Kingdom… [Read more…]
In the pantheon of character meals at Walt Disney World, there’s only one where you can dine with big, fluffy friends straight out of the Hundred Acre Wood — and in a classic Magic Kingdom location: Crystal Palace!
Truth be told, we’ve had a bit of a roller coaster relationship with Crystal Palace over the years. Some visits have been good (like this lunch four years ago and like breakfast here back when you could get into the nearly-empty park!), and one was particularly awful (dinner at the end of the night = icky buffet remnants…I didn’t even do a post about it).
But the opportunity to dine with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger is pretty much a Disney World rite of passage and something that every Disney fan should do at least once. And dining in the Crystal Palace — a gorgeous building that’s been a mainstay since Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 — is a lovely experience.
But what about the food — arguably the most important aspect of any restaurant? It’s standard, but acceptable on most visits, with breakfast having, perhaps, the most interesting options with Pooh’s Breakfast Lasagna and Puffed French Toast being crowd favorites. And so I returned recently, for lunch this time, to see how things are going.
Welcome to Crystal Palace!
Disney World will be moving to date-based pricing for theme park tickets starting October 16, 2018. This means that tickets will be priced differently depending on the day you visit.
The new system will:
Starting October 16th, guests wishing to purchase Disney World tickets will be able to access the new system via DisneyWorld.com or the My Disney Experience app.
Look who we found! Mickey Mouse is the center of attention right now, even more so than usual, for his 90th birthday year. And everything seems to be taking the form of the main mouse these days!
Over at Pop Century’s Everything Pop, we spotted him (and his bae, Minnie) as a whoopie pie!
Chocolate Mickey Whoopie Pie
The chocolate Mickey whoopie pie has two chocolate cakes shaped like Mickey and dusted with sparkly edible glitter. Inside you’ll find sprinkle-decorated frosting!
A while back we told you about Disney Springs’ Wonderfall! event, where dining spots in Disney World’s shopping and dining district featured a specialty item and beverage for the fall season.
Today, we’re headed over to Daily Poutine to check out the Wonderfall! Oktoberfest Poutine!
Daily Poutine Oktoberfest Poutine Sign
This limited time poutine option combines Bavarian flavors of Stout Gravy, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, and those yummy, sqeaky cheese curds!
Great news! We reported last week that the Epcot Family Play Zone had been shut down and dismantled. But, since it was still on the Times Guide, we promised we’d be watching to see if they reconstructed the kids’ play area later in the festival.
Sure enough, it’s back! Though some of the equipment has been changed out, and the sign is different with this incarnation.
Family Play Zone at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival
We’re not sure why the temporary closure happened or why changes were made, but it’s great to have the play area back for families at the festival!
So it’s time to book your flights, y’all.
Just a few weeks ago, Casey’s Corner in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom put a bunch of mac and cheese and bacon on some french fries.
Bacon Mac and Cheese bacon Fries at Casey’s Corner
And now…well, they’re taking it up a notch.
Meet the Loaded Mashed Potato Hot Diggity Dog. This one is topped with garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, scallion sour cream, and green onions.
When Spice Road Table opened its doors in the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase way back in 2014, we loved the small plates concept and the stellar location.
But while Spice Road Table has a lot going for it, it’s remained a little less of a crowd favorite than, say, Via Napoli or Rose and Crown. This is probably owing to its slightly more unusual cuisine, which includes dishes that highlight the flavors of the Mediterranean.
The thing is, those dishes are actually really promising! Stand-outs from the Small Plates menu include Fried Calamari and Spicy Garlic Shrimp — two seafood dishes that are really stand-outs for their flavor and execution.
And this is one location where vegetarians (or those who like to incorporate non-meat dishes into their diets!) can get some unique eats (read: not salads!). There are no fewer than four vegetable dishes on the small plates menu, which means there are actual decisions to be made and veggies to be shared!
Welcome to Spice Road Table!
Join me as we journey on the Spice Road!
Well, well, well! If you’re missing your Montague it’s time to celebrate, because Earl of Sandwich is BACK in Disneyland!
Earl of Sandwich in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney To Re-Open
Just announced on Disney Parks Blog, the guest-favorite sandwich shop will be returning in its original location for a limited time.
If Walt Disney World dining establishments competed for superlatives, California Grill atop Disney’s Contemporary Resort would vie for several titles.
Best Dinner View? Best Sushi? Most Likely to Knock Your Socks Off? Yup — it would make a strong case for all.
And, in truth, we’ve included Cali Grill in lots of our lists, including 56 Must-Read Disney Dining Tips, where we tout that view, and 36 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do at Walt Disney World, where we highlight the extraordinary sushi.
One of the more exciting (and for some disappointing) aspects of dining at California Grill is its ever-changing menu. The intent is to adapt to local availability of ingredients — seasonality, in other words. And what that means for this signature restaurant is that the dishes you have one night may very well be absent from the menu the next.
But it also means the dishes on the menu are always high-quality and seriously fresh. And that’s why we keep going back — because there’s always something new (and thankfully always a couple of old favorites, though they might look a little different).
California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
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