Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend Step-by-Step Guide

Let us help you gear up for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend being held September 30 – October 1, 2011! Whether you are racing in the 5K or the half marathon, or cheering on a participant, this weekend will also offer time to dine on international foods at the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Be sure to check out our Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend pages for all the info you need!

Calendar of Events

Friday, September 30

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Expo

Jostens Center at ESPN Wide World of Sports 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

The Expo is a two-day event filled with fun, fitness and food! This is where runners will register for the weekend events, pick up numbers and goody bags, and attend any seminars or events having to do with the races.

Pre-Race: Race waiver forms are ready to be downloaded and printed. Fill out the waiver and bring it with you to the Expo so you can receive your race number. Go ahead and take care of it out now! Pack the waiver with your other race essentials. Download here.

Now is a good time to review your Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, Family 5K, and Disney Kids’ Final Race Instructions. Unable to attend Packet Pick-Up? See Absentee instructions.

Will you wear a costume? Costumes are permitted in the Half Marathon. No face masks and costumes must not “be questionable or offensive” to others.

Transportation: Buses from Host Resorts will leave every 20 minutes. Look for runDisney logo in the front window of bus. Buses will run from one half hour prior to Expo opening until one half hour after Expo closing.

Step 1: Pick up your race packet at the HP Field House, then proceed to the Jostens Center for your t-shirt and goody bag.

Note: Your race packet should contain Half Marathon Bib Number with B-tag attached, Bag Check Sticker, Finish Line Party Guide, Finish Line Party Wristband, $10 Disney Gift Card, Pre-purchased commemorative pin if applicable.

Step 2: Pick up pre-purchased items. You will need to show your ID to pick up your items including commemorative Ears.

Step 3: Purchase any tickets needed for [Read more…]

Disney Ice Cream Gallery

By Kim LaPaglia 39 Comments

July is National Ice Cream Month!!!

And since Sunday was National Ice Cream Day, we’ve put together a gallery of some of our favorite chilly treats from Disney parks and resorts! (Yes, you have permission to have ice cream for breakfast.)

We know we’re not covering everything, and we’d love it if you would leave us a comment mentioning your favorite ice cream-based dessert in a Disney restaurant. Can’t wait to find out what your choices are! 🙂

So now, without further ado, here’s where to go to get some of our favorite sweet-cold treats in our favorite theme parks!

The Plaza Ice Cream Sundae

Scoops of vanilla ice cream drizzled with hot fudge is then covered in whipped cream when you order this Plaza Ice Cream Sundae. There’s not just one, but many crowning cherries on this divine treat. And that’s all before you get to the crunch of a delicious waffle bowl (if you even make it that far…we didn’t)!

Okay, it’s served in a plastic bowl, which makes it a little less decadent but the crispy waffle bowl will make up for the lack of glassware. Got spare time while waiting curb-side for the parade? Grab one of these little beauties before staking out your piece of pavement! (Or, better yet, let someone else stake it out for you, then head over to the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor to snag one of your own.)

Location: Main Street Ice Cream Parlor

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor Sundae

And don’t forget to pick up this little favorite at the Plaza, too! A Mickey Ear ice cream cone!

Mickey Ice Cream Cone

Dole Whip Float

This is practically a food staple at WDW. Hey, it’s a daily fruit serving, right?! The Dole Whip float is soft serve treat with pineapple juice and should be on your Magic Kingdom touring plan.

No visit to Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom is complete without a Dole Whip. Before your flight on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, sit for a spell and give your taste buds a sensational journey!

Location: Aloha Isle and Sunshine Tree Terrace

Disney World Aloha Isle Dole Whip Float

Kitchen Sink Sundae

It’s everything but the kitchen sink! This must-share, ginormous dessert begins with [Read more…]

WDW Foodie Fest News: Special Room Rate and Free Upgrade at WDW Dolphin

By AJ 7 Comments

The 2011 WDW Foodie Fest is right around the corner, and we hope to see you there! We’ve got food and fun scheduled for October 2 – 8, 2011, the first week of the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, so take a look at WDW Foodie Fest’s Schedule of Events to see when you might be able to join the party!

As part of the WDW Foodie Fest, Disney Food Blog readers can arrange a special discount and room upgrade at the WDW Dolphin resort.

The WDW Dolphin is conveniently located just a five-minute walk from the Yacht and Beach Club Resort, where our main WDW Foodie Fest event in Ariel’s will take place on October 2nd. In addition, you’ll only be a short walk away from all the foodie fun taking place in Epcot for the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival and from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can’t get a better location than this!

Disney World Dolphin Resort

Disney Food Blog readers can book for $199 per night AND automatically receive a complimentary upgrade to the next room category!

Stay at the WDW Dolphin any dates between
October 1 – October 9, 2011
to be eligible for this rate.

To book, call 888-828-8850 and ask for code FOODFEST

Also, don’t forget that the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic will be coinciding with the Friday and Saturday of WDW Foodie Fest, so you’ll have the prime spot to take advantage of that great event! (We’ll even have a WDW Foodie Fest meet-up there during the Classic, so stay tuned for details.)

Please note this special rate is only for the WDW Dolphin.

Reader Favorites: Disney Grab-and-Go Breakfast Items

By Kim LaPaglia 26 Comments

It’s apparently a breakfast-y week here on the Disney Food Blog, so here’s another fun, nourishing post about the most important meal of the day! When your main goal is conquering Space Mountain after rope drop or securing FastPasses for Toy Story Mania, a quick breakfast will help get you there before thousands of your fellow vacationers!

Breakfast at the Main Street Bakery

DFB followers and Facebook Friends shared their on-the-go fave breakfast options via the Disney Food Blog Facebook page.

The most mentioned breakfast items were cinnamon rolls, Mickey waffles, and muffins (mostly blueberry)! Favorite Orlando and Anaheim locations for early morning fueling were the Main Street Bakery in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney Resort food courts, and White Water Snacks at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland

Many locations are available for quick-service breakfast items in Disney’s Orlando and Anaheim theme parks. With the quick-service locations at the hotels, finding a [Read more…]

Details on Orlando’s Magical Dining Month This September!

By Kim LaPaglia 5 Comments

September is the month for savings for visitors and locals to Orlando!

Magical Dining Month presented by Visit Orlando invites everyone to enjoy this annual event now in its sixth year. Celebrate Central Florida’s culinary delights when over sixty restaurants offer three-course prix-fixe dinners for $30.

Expand your palate and help benefit the Boys & Girls Club during this month-long event as $1 of every meal is donated to this wonderful organization.

Visit Orlando will offer this exceptional value from September 1 – 30, 2011, at top-rated Orlando restaurants, including: [Read more…]

Disney World Bread Pudding Poll

By AJ 31 Comments

Bread pudding is a ubiquitous dessert in Disney World. You can find versions of it on nearly every buffet restaurant menu (Boma’s and Crystal Palace’s are well-loved!), a counter-service version exists at the Main Street Bakery, savory versions have been found at Le Cellier and Cinderella’s Royal Table, and you could claim that Rose and Crown’s Sticky Toffee Pudding fits the bill.

But there are some spectacularly sweet, official bread pudding options at three of Disney World’s popular table-service restaurants.

Learn About:Raglan Road Irish Pub

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

Learn About:‘Ohana

Polynesian Resort
Disney World Restaurants

Learn About:House of Blues

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

It’s these three that I’m going to stick with today, and usually I can give you my clear favorite; but when it comes to these, I think it’s time for a poll. After having eaten each one of these desserts over the past year, I can’t make up my mind as to which I like best — I honestly can’t wait to dig into each one of them again!

So I’m hoping you’ll join in and cast your vote for a favorite. Let us know in the comments why you made your choice, and if you have another bread pudding version that you would [Read more…]

Review: Pop Century Food Court Breakfast

By AJ 27 Comments

Learn About:Everything Pop Food Court

Disney World Restaurants

Whew! It’s been a while since I wrote about the Pop Century Food Court, which is shocking since I like it so much there!

Seriously, this food court is one of my favorite counter-service spots in Disney World, and it always has been. They have such a variety of good food here, plus they still focus on making unique and “you-can-only-find-it-here” items, which I think is critical to a great Disney restaurant. Where else can you find things like tie-dye cheesecake and Mom’s Night Out TV dinners? (I want to feel like I’m eating somewhere special and unique, you know?)

So today I’d like to focus on one of the best meals to eat the Pop food court — breakfast. While lunch and dinner are great here, breakfast is a fantastic deal!

Pop Century

Atmosphere

The Pop Century food court, also known as Everything Pop Shopping and Dining since Pop Century was the first resort to integrate the food court and the resort’s gift shop into one giant experience, is a [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 17, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Event Banner

We’re so excited about the response to our 2011 WDW Foodie Fest Snack Attack event. Tickets sold out within just a couple of hours on Friday!

For those who won’t be able to join us, we’d love to see you at the other WDW Foodie Fest events. You can check out the Schedule of Events here!

Disney Food News

Check out some of the latest news in the Disney food world!

Updates from the 2011 Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner are in! Lots of great new events and details, as well as the overall theme of the festival, are included.
There were a few Le Cellier lunch menu changes recently.
A new refillable mug monitoring system using RFID chips will be tested at All-Star Sports Resort this week.
Epcot’s San Angel Inn unveils new menu items and decor.

New Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide Just Around the Corner…

Yep, we’re finishing up the final edits on our brand new Mini-Guide e-Book!

As you know, our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book covers a wealth of information about Disney World food. But after hitting 250 pages, we reserved some of the more detailed info for our upcoming series of Mini-Guides.

The first in the series will be the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks, and it will be debuting very soon.

Detailed reviews, photos, prices, and snack-credit-worthiness of over 70 snacks in the Magic Kingdom are packed into this Mini-Guide, but, as always, we’ve included a few extras and bonus items as well!

We’ll have more information for you very soon; we can’t wait to hear what you think!

Let’s go…On to the Round-Up!

WDW for Grownups

checks out some Disney dining discounts!

Disney Tourist Blog reviews Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue in Disneyland Resort.

DisneyContemporary.com looks back at the Contemporary Resort’s Fiesta Fun Center.

Eating (and Drinking) Around the World looks at tuna-inspired dishes.

Main Street Gazette tours the Magic Kingdom restaurant signs that beckon us to dine.

Hoperatives reviews the brew pub, Big River Grille and Brewing Works at the Boardwalk resort. Find your “better beer”!

DLP.info shows updates us on construction at Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost in Disneyland Paris.

4Parks1Blog.com reviews Kouzzina at the Boardwalk resort.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner Details

By AJ 20 Comments

Thanks to Zanna from Zannaland, who graciously agreed to cover the Tables in Wonderland 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner for us on July 16th, 2011! Here are a few tidbits of info she gathered at the event… . Please note that all photos are copyright Suzannah DiMarzio for Disney Food Blog and are not to be used without explicit permission from Disney Food Blog.

First, A Few Announcements:

The event revealed some important info, including the following:

The Festival Guide will be published on www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine on August 12th.
A weekly Festival Guide will be available at Epcot during the festival.
Reservations open August 16th at 7:00am ET — book events by calling 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378) or book online at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine.
Epcot will close at 10pm on select Fridays and Saturdays during the festival.

Don’t forget to check out the 6-page Special Events Guide with all the details as published by Disney.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Theme

The new theme this year is a nod to travel from a pre-World War I perspective, with vintage luggage tags with a culinary flair and transportation icons.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Theme Intro

The banners that will be seen throughout the World Showcase will be [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: Lunch at Tangaroa Terrace

By Heather 7 Comments

Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers chimes in with her review of the brand new Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel!

Since the day it opened, I’ve been wanting to check out Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. I had been by to take a peek, but had not had a chance to dine there. After the guest review posted here on The Disney Food Blog, I was so bummed to hear of a not so stellar experience, that I just didn’t make it a priority.

Restaurant Signage

And then I got an invite from a friend to meet her and her little ones for lunch… I am happy to report that I had a completely different experience and guess what? I absolutely LOVED it. Yes, LOVED in all caps.

Atmosphere and Ordering

We headed over for lunch about 1:30. The first thing I noticed is that there were zero people there. We walked through the empty patio seating area to the front doors without passing one person. My guess is that most guests were still in the parks and that there are still a lot of people who have no idea that this place even exists.

Empty Patio Seating

Ordering is simple, walk up to the kiosk, choose which type of menu you’d like to take a peek at, and [Read more…]

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