food IS a theme park
Select Disney World hotels are getting ready to welcome back guests next week and the theme parks are gearing up for their July 11th and July 15th grand reopenings!
Magic Kingdom
And according to a recent post on Unite Here Local 737’s Facebook page, we’ve just learned of a few more groups of restaurant Cast Members that are being asked to return to work.
Alright, listen; we’ve got some burning questions!
Cinderella Castle and Main Street USA in Disney World
There’s no doubt about it, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the current situation. And while we understand that Disney World will remain closed until there is more clarity on how things progress, there are a few questions that we hope they’ll address sooner rather than later.
Here are six questions we’re still waiting on Disney to answer!
Greetings from the Hundred Acre Woods, friends!
Winnie the Pooh Topiaries
And no, we don’t mean the United Kingdom pavilion in Epcot — though how cute are the Winnie the Pooh and Rabbit Flower and Garden topiaries!? (Psst – you can go on a Virtual Tour of the Flower and Garden Festival with us here!)
What we DO mean is the Crystal Palace! If you’re unfamiliar, the Crystal Palace is a character dining restaurant in Magic Kingdom where you can dine with Winnie the Pooh and his friends during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a classic character dining experience, and one that Winnie the Pooh fans will love! But is the high price of the meal ($55/ adult at lunch or dinner) worth it? Read on to find out — plus what you can expect on the buffet!
[Read more…]
Whether or not you were you excited when Disney World unveiled a fourth tier option to its Disney Dining Plan recently, you probably have more questions NOW than ever before!
Mickey Pretzel and Cinderella’s Castle
You might be asking, “Will it save me money?”, “How do I know if it’s right for my family?” and maybe even, “What’s the catch?”
Valentine’s Day might be next week, but we’re already looking forward to spending Easter and Mother’s Day with our families in Disney World!
Mr. Easter Bunny and Mrs. Easter Bunny
You’ll want to know where you can hop on over to a HUGE Disney Resort meal that will satisfy everyone in your family! Just don’t forget to wear your best bunny-themed apparel. 😉
Something happened under-the-radar last night while all of us were sleeping!
Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno
But luckily for YOU, our Mickey senses were tingling this morning when we woke up (they’re especially sensitive when it comes to price increases!). And you know those already pricey character meals at Disney World? Well, they just got EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE!
In 2015, Minnie Mouse started a brand new holiday celebration: Minnie’s Hollywood & Vine Holiday Dine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This buffet celebrates the season with flavors that bring the comfort and warmth of the holiday to your plate. And there are characters! In their holiday attire! With sparkly shoes!
Sorry, that was a lot of exclamation points. But the punctuation expresses our love for the overall experience at Minnie’s Holiday Dine. Though the decor is relatively subtle (just a sparkly Christmas tree and some wraps on the pillars), the opportunity to meet Santa Goofy and to mingle with Minnie, Mickey, Daisy, and Donald is fantastic.
As character meals go, this is one of the more underrated options at Walt Disney World. Perhaps because it’s tucked into a Park rather than in a generally more accessible Resort setting, Hollywood & Vine is oft forgotten by guests planning their Disney World dining. Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine features Disney Junior pals, and lunch and dinner are now Minnie’s Seasonal dining; in addition to the Holiday Dine, Minnie also celebrates spring, summer, and Halloween! (See — even Minnie knows it’s Halloween and straight into Christmas. Sorry, Thanksgiving!)
Welcome to Hollywood & Vine!
Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays — let’s go eat!
In the pantheon of Walt Disney World character meals, 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has not historically been one of our favorites.
It’s passable, with food that will fill you up even if it’s otherwise lackluster. And the atmosphere is in keeping with the Victorian stylings of the Resort, which many guests really embrace and enjoy.
There are characters at breakfast and dinner that cover a lot of ground. The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast brings Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Tigger together in an inexplicable mash-up of British-y and colorful characters. Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner is a little more thematic, with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella.
Afternoons from 2PM to 3PM, 1900 Park Fare transforms for guests age 4-12 into the Wonderland Tea Party. This party is hosted by Alice in Wonderland and a couple of her friends and features apple juice masquerading as tea, the chance to decorate a cupcake, and a few fun games. Click here to read more about it!
Of all the options, the dinner line-up of characters offer the most fun for grown-ups, with Lady Tremaine and the Step-Sisters bringing the funny. But are the characters worth the price…and has the food improved since our last visit?
1900 Park Fare Decor
To get to 1900 Park Fare, you’ll need to find your way to the Grand Floridian Resort, located on the monorail loop and right next door to Magic Kingdom. [Read more…]
Jambo
from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Time to visit one of our favorite character dining locations: Tusker House! Tusker House is located in Animal Kingdom’s African village of Harambe and offers a character buffet for breakfast and lunch and a “family style dinner buffet” (really just a buffet — no family style service), also with characters!
One added element of dining at Tusker House is the opportunity to reserve the Rivers of Light Dining Package here, which saves a seat at Animal Kingdom’s newly-revamped Rivers of Life: We Are One nighttime spectacular. Generally, the price differential between the character meal and the dining package is pretty small here, so you may find it’s worth the slight splurge to score that reserved seating.
We weren’t after the Dining Package this time, but we sure were excited to see if the food and experience at Tusker House lived up to its past quality. And we ended up eating TWO full meals at once, which we really didn’t expect! (Read on to find out how we did it!)
Tusker House Entrance
Tusker House is a charming restaurant located on your left-hand side in Harambe as you head toward Kilimanjaro Safaris. Check in is at a stand near the Dawa Bar, and you’ll be given a pager. Here you’re welcome to glance at the menu — but keep in mind it’s pretty generic because it’s a buffet! (Don’t worry: we’ll get more specific, and we have photos of EVERYTHING below!)
Are you ready for an adventure? Then join us for Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Napa Rose in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Disneyland Resort!
Belle
From Thursdays through Mondays, guests at Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures enjoy a three-course breakfast along with interactions and photo ops with Disney Princesses, themed activities, and special take-home keepsakes for children. [Read more…]
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