Guest Review: Epcot Food and Wine Festival's Party for the Senses

Guest Review: Epcot Food and Wine Festival’s Party for the Senses

Please welcome guest author Melissa Sorrells Galley with a review of the October 15th, 2011, Party for the Senses at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival! Thanks to Melissa for TONS of awesome and useful PftS tips!!

Party for the Senses is a truly magical dining event offered on Saturday nights throughout the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Bringing food and beverage specialists from around the world in one giant, colorful pavilion, the Party takes place in the World Showplace, located between the United Kingdom and Canada pavilions on the west side of the World Showcase Lagoon.

Signage outside World Showplace

Atmosphere

Parties this year last from 7:30-10pm. Cost is $145 per person, and $260 for the Wine View Lounge (not including park admission, which is required). In addition to the wonderful food and drink, the ticket price includes performances by the artists and entertainers of Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba during the Party as well as reserved seating for the Eat to the Beat Concert prior to the Party.

Check In
When you arrive, there will be a huge throng of people gathering outside the gates of the World Showplace Pavilion. Resist the urge to join them! Check in for Party for the Senses is located near the [Read more…]

Review: Disney World Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage

By Kim LaPaglia 13 Comments

Ahoy there, Mateys! Get your sea legs firmly in place, because today we’re sailing on the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage in Disney World!

The Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage is available on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, casting off from the Contemporary Resort. When the holiday season arrives, the cruise will sail every night from November 20, 2011 – January 1, 2012.

Currently, the fare for guests 10 and over is $53.99, and $30.99 for the 3-9 year olds with pre-payment required. To book, call 407-WDW-PLAY (407-939-7529) up to 180 days in advance.

Atmosphere

Upon arrival at the Contemporary Resort, you’ll find the cruise meeting location on the Daily Events Board in the lobby. We knew we had found the right location when we bumped into this scraggly lookin’ fella. Clearly he has not yet discovered the Parmesan mashed potatoes at Chef Mickey’s!

Skeleton Pirate

While the room was filled with entertainment (music, characters, pirates), the pirate decor [Read more…]

2011 Disneyland Candy Cane Dates

By Heather 45 Comments

UPDATE: Thanks to our buddy Linda, we’ve learned that vouchers are still handed out at Candy Palace. You will receive a wrist band and a reminder paper about what time to pick up your Candy Cane.UPDATE #2: More thanks to DFB friend, Corinne for the following info: I was lucky enough to get a candy cane on my first try!
We took advantage of the Magic Morning early entry: we were at security by 7:15, at the turnstiles by 7:30, and then the mad dash to the Candy Palace. Here’s our experience: Many people had no idea why there was a line at the candy palace! When the park opened at 8, I sent my husband ahead to get a place in line–that was a minor mistake…all of your party must be there to get in line, they will not allow people to join others already in line, so stay together. We received a wrist band a few minutes after 8, it had the date and “batch” time on it so we could return anytime after 9:30 am up until 4 pm. We went about our day at Disney, and returned in the afternoon to watch them make the candy. When we went in to purchase them, a cast member cut off the wrist band and kept it in a plastic bag so there was no potential to pass them around, I suppose. I did talk her into cutting just the date and time from my wrist band so I could put it in the scrapbook! We immediately took the candy canes back to our resort to avoid breakage. Thanks to your blog I was able to do my homework and increase my chances to get a candy cane!

For the past week I’ve been calling Disneyland EVERY SINGLE DAY to try and get the scoop on this year’s candy cane making schedule. I even visited twice to ask in person to no avail.

I am excited to announce that I finally made some progress and that we are the FIRST to deliver the schedule and “rules” to you, our awesome DFB readers!

For those of you who don’t know about Disneyland’s hand made candy cane tradition, you can read all about the famous Disneyland Candy Canes here.

This year things are a bit different:

Disneyland Candy Cane Tickets/Vouchers

Tickets/Vouchers will be handed out at the entrance turnstiles at park opening; you no longer have to make the dash to the Candy Palace to get your ticket. This INCLUDES magic mornings, so if you are staying at the hotel and want candy canes on one of the scheduled dates listed below, you will have access to a voucher one hour before [Read more…]

Guest Review: Epcot Food and Wine Festival Pizza and Beer Pairing Event at Via Napoli

By AJ 4 Comments

Learn About:Via Napoli

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Join me in welcoming back Werner Weiss from Yesterland with his take on the Pizza and Beer Pairing at Via Napoli that he attended on October 11th! Interestingly, his menu was different from our menu, so it will be fun to get a comparison!

One of the new premium events for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is the Italy Food & Beer Pairing at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria, the restaurant that opened at the back of Epcot’s Italy pavilion in August 2010.

The event is held each Tuesday for the six weeks of the Festival form 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The cost is $50 per person, which includes the gratuity, plus sales tax. Theme park admission is required.

Display in the center of the room.

Here’s how Disney’s official Food & Wine Festival website describes the event: “A representative discusses the pairing of pizza with regional Italian beers.” Based on the official description, I assumed that there would be several types of fancy pizza, each served with an Italian beer and a short lecture. Instead, it turned out to be [Read more…]

Review: Rose & Crown Restaurant’s New Menu

By AJ 15 Comments

Learn About:Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

You know that the Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room is one of our favorite restaurants, and I’m excited to say there’s been another small menu change here! (Excited because that means I get to go eat there again!)

Atmosphere

Since we’ve reviewed Rose and Crown previously, you can find loads of atmosphere photos here! But I’ll add a few below just to give you a good feel for the place.

Rose and Crown is fashioned after a neighborhood pub in Britain, with long expanses of polished wood, dark interiors, rich tapestry fabrics, and leaded glass windows.

Dining Room Seating Area

The pub and restaurant are separated by a low wooden wall with a swinging gate allowing restaurant patrons access to the restrooms that are through the pub area. There are separate entrances for both — if you’re headed to the pub, just walk in through the pub doors that face the World Showcase promenade.

View of the Pub and Bar

If you’re checking in to the restaurant, you’ll need to go to the [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: Special Menu Event at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

By Heather 2 Comments

Looking for an adventurous dining opportunity? Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is hosting a special menu event on Thursday, November 17th, at 6:30pm.

Created by Executive Chef Darrin Finkel, the meal is titled “A Modern Twist on New Orleans Classics” and features 6 different courses.

Special Event Menu

Cost is $99 per person (tax & gratuity not included) and reservations must be made. For more information or to reserve your seats, please call the Jazz Kitchen directly at 714.776.5200.

Disney Food Post Round-Up: November 6, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

New Jingle Smells scented Vinylmation now available

Are your Halloween decorations put away? We hope so! Disney Parks is moving on to the Christmas season with decorations and merchandise popping up already!

Latest Disney Food News

If you missed some of the Disney Food news this week, we’ve gotcha covered!

Some brand new Holiday vinylmations have hit the scene this week! And they’re “smellable!” Sniff your favorite holiday scents on these foodie collectibles!
We’ve got a treat for you — the first glimpse of holiday food merchandise at the Disney Parks!
Out with the old and in with the new with construction updates for Blue Ribbon Bakery and Jolly Holiday Bakery at Disneyland.
We’re still touring the Epcot Food and Wine Festival via photos and reviews. Check out the South Korea and South America booths and Desserts & Champagne and Cheese Booths at the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
New digital menu displays were installed at Cosmic Ray’s. Love the rotating food images!

Still hungering for more Disney news? Wander over to our Disney News Pin Board, where Disney Food News is updated regularly!

Coming Very Soon… The DFB Dining Adventures: Start Point, Magic Kingdom e-Book!

We’ve been working on this one for a while and are happy to announce that it’s now just a short while away from being published!

The DFB Dining Adventures: Start Point, Magic Kingdom e-Book will feature dozens of fun, themed dining adventures to help plan your family’s next Disney World vacation! Mix, match, and customize one-day, two-day, and week-long adventures to fit your family’s needs!

Try out Dining Adventures themed to Hidden Mickeys, Milkshakes, Pirates, Princesses, and even Plastic Cheese! But there are lots more where those came from! Stay tuned for details!

Until then, don’t forget to pick up a copy of our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book! A 250-page guide to planning and enhancing your dining in Disney World! The book has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no risk!

Listen Up

PassPorter Moms Podcast

brought me on the show to chat about holiday dining at WDW!

WDW Today Podcast features a show where the guys and I talk about the 2012 Disney Dining Plan changes.

On to the Round-Up!

DisMarks

showcases some awesome Disney-related articles in their 33rd Disney Blog Carnival!

Walt Disney World for Grownups escapes to the Wave Bar at the Contemporary Resort.

Muppet Cookbook featured on Tugley Wood

A Wedding Cake Blog treats us to a fabulous Beauty and the Beast cake. It even has a clear vase showcasing a single rose as a creative element!

Tulgey Wood takes us back to 1981 with a look at the Muppet Picnic Cookbook. And a hat tip to Imaginerding for the heads-up!

Main Street Gazette attempts to re-create the classic Sunshine Tree Terrace Orange Swirl!

AllEars.Net reviews the Tequila Lunch Pairing at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Is it worth the price? This review will help you decide!

Rate the Plate Utah reviews tasty eats at the Food and Wine Festival!

DisneyParks Blog celebrated National Cookie month with a sugar cookie recipe. Cool Jack Skellington icing too!

Guest Review: Kona Cafe Breakfast

By AJ 15 Comments

Learn About:Kona Cafe

Polynesian Resort
Disney World Restaurants

Please welcome guest author Aaron Crum with a review of breakfast at the Kona Cafe from his last Disney vacation! Let’s make our way to the Polynesian Resort this morning! Aloha!

We arrived at Kona Café around 10 o’clock. We didn’t have reservations and we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. The time passed quickly as we strolled around the resort and took in everything the Polynesian has to offer. Sometimes, I forgot I was even in WDW and not off the coast of Hawaii somewhere!

After about a 20 minute wait, our buzzer went off and we were seated at our table.

Atmosphere

The dining area here is very open and has a very comfortable feel to it. However, because of the open feeling, and lack of separation between the restaurant and the lobby, it can get somewhat noisy. This is even more so the case as the new waiting procedures at ‘Ohana have all guests waiting in the lobby.

We were fortunate to get a table on the near side of the restaurant along the wall, which are 2-person booths. This gave a more intimate feel to the meal.

Kona Cafe Dining Room

Seating Area

Eats

After taking several minutes gazing over the Kona cafe breakfast menu, we ordered [Read more…]

“Jingle Smells” and Other Foodie Vinylmations Available Now

By Erin 5 Comments

There’s a feast of food-related Vinylmation available on DisneyStore.com and in Disney Store retail locations. This is a great way to do some holiday shopping for Disney foodie friends, even if you can’t make it to the parks this winter.

Smellable Holiday Vinylmations

Now available is next best thing to edible Vinylmations, smellable Vinylmations.

“Jingle Smells,” which retail for $11.95 each, are Vinylmations actually embedded with scents of the holiday season: gingerbread, marshmallow, candy cane, and chocolate.

My Jingle Smells haven’t arrived in the mail yet, but from all reports I’ve seen, these cutie patooties do actually smell like their namesakes. To add to the deliciousness quotient, the Jingle Smells are topped with a little cap that allows them to accept a hook and function as an ornament. You know what, I think I’m going to go order some more now.

Peter Pan “Never Grow Up” Vinylmation Set

And here’s the second in the “Kidada for Disney Store” series. This one, a combination 9″ and 3″ set, is called “Never Grow Up.” The larger figure features Peter Pan fighting his shadow while cavorting on a giant ice cream sundae. (I think I had [Read more…]

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