Guest Review: The NEW!! Oasis Bar and Grill at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Guest Review: The NEW!! Oasis Bar and Grill at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Guest Author, AM Appleby recently visited the NEW Oasis Bar and Grill at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Walt Disney World. Aloha! Thanks for the review AM!!

I had the opportunity to check out the new Oasis Pool and Oasis Bar & Grill during a recent stay with my family at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. This has been our favorite resort since our first stay in 2008. We’ve watched this area transform over the years, but have to say the latest metamorphosis is the best.

Oasis Main Entrance

The Oasis officially opened March 17, 2016, and its hours are 11am to 11pm. Although the main theme pool at the Polynesian usually gets all the love, the newly renovated Oasis Pool will undoubtedly have its own loyal following.

[Read more…]

News: Disney’s Early Morning Magic Event Now Available for Booking

By AJ 25 Comments

Good Morning, Sunshine!

A new extra-ticket event has appeared on the Walt Disney World website. Early Morning Magic will give early risers a chance to enter the Magic Kingdom before regular park hours to experience three Fantasyland attractions along with breakfast at Pinocchio Village Haus.

From 7:45 am – 10:00 am on select Tuesdays and Saturdays beginning April 26th (according to the dates currently available for booking on the website), guests will be part of the first people to enter the park and will have access to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Peter Pan’s Flight. The event is currently bookable on DisneyWorld.com through June 2016. [Read more…]

News: Muppets Courtyard is Officially Official…for now…at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By AJ 12 Comments

For those keeping track of changes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week, there’s one more to add to the list. You already likely know that the construction of Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land is now officially underway, as evidenced by the very recent closure of Streets of America fixtures such as Studio Catering Co. and the Lights! Motors! Action Extreme Stunt Show to make way for the new ventures.

Construction Walls Blocking the Streets of America

But what about Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano? It was always part of the former Streets of America section of the park, and yet it’s still in operation. (Yay!)

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

Well, it’s now part of the newly renamed Muppets Courtyard! The new name of this area of the park is revealed in the updated Guide Map for Disney’s Hollywood Studios (it’s listed on the bottom right of the shot below). [Read more…]

Review: The NEW Writer’s Stop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By AJ and the DFB Team 9 Comments

Editor’s Note: We are hearing the news that the Carrot Cake Cookie is BACK at Writer’s Stop. Yay!

Well, April 2nd has come and gone, and it was a big day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Learn About:Writer’s Stop

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney World Restaurants

It was the last day guests could enjoy the Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show, or grab a bite to eat at Studio Catering Co., or a sip at High Octane Refreshments. This is all, of course, to make way for construction of the future Lands of Toy Story and Star Wars.

Writer’s Stop — a bookstore-meets-coffee-shop also specializing in some of the best bakery treats this side of the Studios — was originally on that same list to close down on April 3rd. However, it got a reprieve of sorts from the ol’ chopping block, and for a limited time it is still in operation… though in a different form than what we’re used to!

With many thanks to our Instagram pal, @savepointstu, we were alerted about the new menu. But we also couldn’t resist going over to search everything out ourselves and ask a few questions! What’s being served at Writer’s Stop now? And what is — or WAS — the fate of the spot’s signature item, the Carrot Cake Cookie?!?

When we arrived, we noticed the sign still remains, though the location has been taken off of the Hollywood Studios map. This is definitely a time of transition for Writer’s Stop.

Writer’s Stop

The menu now features three key items: a Charcuterie and Cheese Plate, a Warm Pretzel with Cheese Sauce, and Sugar-Spiced Nuts. [Read more…]

News: Sense of Africa Tour Coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

By Wendy 8 Comments

Beginning Tuesday, April 5th, booking opportunities will become available for a new tour coming to Animal Kingdom Lodge: the Sense of Africa Tour.

Taking place on Tuesdays and Saturdays starting April 9th, this 3.5 hour experience is designed to engage the five senses and offer a “backstage peek at the care, feeding, well-being and social interactions of the resident animals,” such as okapi, giraffes, and ostriches.

©Disney

Tour participants will start the day with a “unique twist” on breakfast at Boma, engaging the senses of Taste and Smell. [Read more…]

Review: Katsura Grill in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion

By AJ 24 Comments

Konnichiwa! And welcome back to another visit to Katsura Grill!

Learn About:Katsura Grill

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

The counter service spot, located in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion, sits higher than the rest of the elevation in the area. Nestled into a garden behind the temple, this spot offers lovely, serene surroundings.

And in the past, we’ve really enjoyed the food here as well — especially lighter, healthier options, like Steamed Veggies and Miso.

I decided to visit Katsura spur-of-the-moment for lunch recently to see if I could still recommend this out-of-the-way counter service location. Come with me as we check out what I found.

Atmosphere

If you haven’t fully explored the Japan Pavilion, then make sure to carve out a little extra time to do it on your very next trip to Epcot. There’s lots to take in.

As you make your way through the Pavilion to the back, Katsura Grill sits to the left. You’ll do a little climbing to get up to it, however.

Katsura Grill

The building itself demonstrates a simple Japanese aesthetic. Whereas the temple in front of it is a showstopper, Katsura is plain and functional, with dark wood accents and a thatched roof. [Read more…]

Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival FIRST LOOK!

By AJ 8 Comments

Woo-hoo! We were SO excited to hear that the California Adventure Food and Wine Festival was coming out of hiatus this year. And I’m thrilled to report that it’s AWESOME!

Yep — the festival, which runs in Disney California Adventure in Disneyland Resort on weekends through May 1, opened for business yesterday. And DFB was there to explore!

Food and Wine Festival Signage

Yesterday, we mostly explored the brand new food booths that are debuting at the festival for the first time. Those of you familiar with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival in Walt Disney World will know the set-up. Small booths featuring several tapas-sized menu items and selected beverages are set up around the festival. This is the first time that the California festival has done this, so we were super excited to check it out.

Here’s what we sampled and tasted yesterday!

[Read more…]

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Recipe: Shrimp on the Barbie from the Australia Booth

By AJ and the DFB Team 1 Comment

We’re still months away from the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival but it’s always fun to look back at favorite dishes from the past years!

We loved these Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze way back in 2012 and we’ve had a few reader requests for the recipe too!

Now it might be a wee bit cold in your neck of the woods for grilling outside but you can use a grill pan on the stove for this recipe and it’ll be just as delicious! Plus, the pepperberry sauce is delightfully spicy so it’s the perfect dish to whip up on a cold winter day!

We love exotic-sounding dishes that are actually really easy cook, and this Shrimp on the Barbie recipe is right up our alley! The shrimp would make a great, quick appetizer for a dinner party or a spicy side dish with pasta or steak.

Let’s get cooking and throw a few shrimp on the barbie!

Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Guest Review: Table Service Dinner at The Diamond Horseshoe in Magic Kingdom

By Kim LaPaglia 12 Comments

Join us at the The Diamond Horseshoe. Recently guest author, Lori Fries, enjoyed dinner at this iconic spot in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. An all-you-care-to-eat feast will be offered through September 10, 2016.

Learn About:Diamond Horseshoe

Magic Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

The Diamond Horseshoe recently re-opened for table-service lunch and dinner in Frontierland.

We made an advance dining reservation (ADR) for The Diamond Horseshoe the first day we could. We ate dinner at 3:30PM, so I guess it was more of a late lunch/early dinner. We read one bad review from opening night, but as a local experienced Disney foodie I was excited to try something new.

Atmosphere

The horseshoe-shaped restaurant looks the same as it has for years.

The Diamond Horseshoe

Diamond Horseshoe Seating and Stage

On the stage sat a beautiful old-time player piano. [Read more…]

News: More Details on Tiffins Restaurant and Nomad Lounge, Opening in Animal Kingdom This Summer

By AJ 3 Comments

Disney fans everywhere are pretty excited for Aprill 22nd — the anniversary of Animal Kingdom’s opening, and the debut of the Rivers of Light evening spectacular as well as the Harambe Wildlife Parti and the Discovery Island Carnivale. [Editor’s Update: Please note that since the original publishing of this article, Disney has announced that the Rivers of Light spectacular will be delayed, and they will be releasing further information regarding an updated debut date for the spectacular and both street parties in mid-late May 2016.]

But after that date, it’s not as though the changes will stop coming to Animal Kingdom as it transitions into a all-day-into-nighttime park. Even after the arrival of Rivers of Light, two more highly anticipated additions will still be on the way this summer: the opening of Tiffins, Animal Kingdom’s very first signature restaurant, and the accompanying Nomad Lounge in the Discovery Island area of the park.

Artist's Rendering of Tiffin's Restaurant ©Disney

Tiffins will serve lunch and dinner daily, and the menu will feature food that “takes diners to Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americans.” But Disney has now released more about the restaurant’s atmosphere and backstory. Emily O’Brien, the Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Show Producer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, states that “Tiffins is not about a make-believe place, it’s about real people and places.” [Read more…]

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