food IS a theme park
Calling all donut lovers!! We have found a BIG one – and by big we mean HUMONGOUS!!
Introducing the all-new GIANT Mickey Celebration Donut…
Strawberry Mickey Celebration Donut
…did we mention that it’s huge?! You can get this all-new sweet treat at The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland.
When you decide to purchase the Disney Dining Plan (or if you snag it during the yearly Free Dining offer!), you want to make sure you maximize your dining credits at every opportunity. With so many one-credit table service restaurants from which to choose, it can be tough to know where to go in order to get the best value for your credits. That’s where the DFB comes in.
, located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, recently changed its menu, and now there’s a lunch and dinner item that makes this table service spot the biggest bang for your DDP buck! So if you’re a fan of a 20-oz. Bone-In Black Angus Rib-Eye, prepare to be the master of the DDP! On top of the $55 steak, add a $14 Lapu-Lapu and a dessert selection (up to $9), and you’ve got a $78 value for your table service credit!
Walt Disney World has been a destination for families since the Magic Kingdom threw open its gates back in 1971. But over the years, Disney magic has drawn in people of all ages, and today it’s completely common to see grown-ups enjoying the parks with out kids.
We thought it’d be fun to gather some ideas on how to make the most of a girls’ weekend at Walt Disney World — from tips on where to stay, what to do, and (of course!) where to eat!
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom
Deciding where to stay during an adults-only trip can be a tough call
, and there are a few different approaches you might want to take.
If you’re looking to enjoy your vacation without breaking the bank, think about Disney World’s Value Resorts. Want to avoid the noise and crowds often associated with these massive resorts? Request a room far from the main building and pools — even on the backside of a building where you’re less likely to have noise from passersby.
See Donald and friends at the All Star Movies Resort
But if you and your crew prefer to live the sweet life, consider booking a Deluxe Resort room — which is often a decent deal when you split it 2, 3, 0r 4 ways! These rooms offer more space and higher-end finishes. Plus some of the Deluxe Resorts have added perks — like great dining options and entertainment.
The Flurry of Fun at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios might as well be called Flurry of Deliciousness because with the holiday festivities also came a ton of exciting holiday treats! Believe it or not, there are so many fantastic eats and drinks that we created the DFB’s exclusive Flurry of Fun Food Checklist.
Flurry of Fun Food Checklist
Yeah, we take our snacking pretty seriously. 😉
But now we need to break it down. Because if you’re trying to eat your way through the Disney Parks this year, you’ll have to roll yourself home. (Trust us, we know.) And that’s why you’ve got us!
This is one Flurry of Fun treat that you don’t want to miss if you’re an egg nog fan — and believe us when we say that it was a bit of a surprise! Panna Cotta that’s not done well tends to give us milk jello vibes, and that’s not a good thing. But the Egg Nog Panna Cotta from Catalina Eddie’s was a good example of panna cotta done right.
Eggnog Panna Cotta
The panna cotta itself is creamy and really carries that egg nog flavor. The tart raspberries are a phenomenal counterpart, and we also loved the bits of cranberry on top. It’s a dessert that’s both comfortable and classy. Get this!
is a table service option in Epcot’s Future World at Walt Disney World.
As you might imagine, Coral Reef is located in the Seas Pavilion, home of The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It’s one of only two table service restaurants in Future World — the other being Garden Grill in the neighboring Land Pavilion. The biggest draw to Coral Reef is the centerpiece of the restaurant: the six-million-gallon aquarium where fish, sea turtles, and (sometimes) divers swim by throughout the meal.
But even with that draw — making Coral Reef a truly unique Disney World experience! — Coral Reef often sinks to the bottom of DFB’s rankings of table service restaurants. Sadly the food just hasn’t been that great over the years. Lunch in 2014 was decent at best, with the Seared Mahi Mahi being the only I’d-get-that-again dish (alas, the Sriracha Shrimp we enjoyed on that visit are no longer on the menu…).
But you know we like to re-review restaurants on the regular, since chefs, menus, and servers change up regularly. My most recent visit was the best I’ve had in terms of food, and while it won’t move Coral Reef up to the top of the list at Epcot — admittedly a difficult park because there are so many awesome choices — it gives me hope that maybe the restaurant is providing a better experience for guests.
Coral Reef
The atmosphere of Coral Reef is the star of this restaurant, and for those who love sea life or aquariums, this really is a must-try. Nothing quite compares to the beauty of dining with only eight inches of glass between the diner and the sealife.
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!
Halloween is in full swing at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
, and during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, guests get to enjoy a special fireworks and projection show: HalloWishes! And for guests who want to plus-up their HalloWishes experience, there’s the HalloWishes Dessert Party!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Now you know I like a dessert party, having enjoyed the Happily Ever After Dessert Party — once for the before fireworks experience and once for the after party. And we’ve been getting a LOT of reader questions about the HalloWishes edition of the Magic Kingdom dessert party.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
So while I didn’t attend the HalloWishes Dessert Party this year, I had to grab some pics for you! Luckily the cast members were kind enough to let me take a few shots! If you’re interested in my thoughts on the value of a Dessert Party in Magic Kingdom, you can watch our video on the topic here.
Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant
at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is the foremost restaurant for fine dining in Walt Disney World.
Elegance is paramount in every aspect of the dining experience at Victoria & Albert’s, from decor to service to food. If you and your significant other want a fancy, sophisticated night out, Victoria & Albert’s — with its dinner jackets-level dress code and ten-and-older age restriction — is a unique experience.
What sets Victoria & Albert’s apart from other fine dining at Walt Disney World is the personalization that goes into each guest’s experience. About a week before guests dine here, the restaurant reaches out to learn about each diner’s allergies, likes, and dislikes.
Personalization can take multiple forms at Victoria & Albert’s, from the substitution of a specific ingredient to the creation of an entirely new dish, and so diners receive dishes that suit their likes from start to finish. That’s pretty amazing.
Victoria & Albert’s
I’ve dined at Victoria and Albert’s multiple times, but usually I choose the chef’s table in the kitchen. This time I headed into the regular dining room. I wanted to figure out 1) Is the experience worth the money, and 2) Which is better — the Chef’s Table or the Main Dining Room? Let’s find out.
Victoria & Albert’s has three dining room experiences from which to choose: the Main Dining Room, the Queen Victoria Room, and the Chef’s Table. As I mentioned, on this visit, I dined in the Main Dining Room, which houses layers upon layers of tasteful Victorian style. Luxurious window and wall treatments, muted colors, and classic wood accents create a space that is comfortable, but formal. [Read more…]
We’ve seen Dole Whip donuts and Dole Whip with rum recently, but now it’s finally time for a new Dole Whip Cupcake!
Dole Whip Cupcake with Sauce in Pipette
DFB Instagram follower @belleoftheparks found this Dole Whip Cupcake during her stay at Disney World’s All Star Music Resort.
This fun treat comes with sweet sauce in a pipette that you squeeze over the top of the cupcake. @belleoftheparks reports this tastes exactly like a Dole Whip!
Looks like the pipettes might become our next trend at Disney! This is our second pipette finding in the past few weeks — remember those Boozy Beignets at Scat Cats Lounge in Port Orleans French Quarter Resort!
Baton Rouge Beignets with Baileys
Have you tried this cupcake? What do you think of the possible pipette trend? Share your comments below!
Many thanks to @belleoftheparks for sharing her discovery with us. Be sure to follow and tag @DisneyFoodBlog in your photos to share your finds with us!
Get four awesome e-Books FULL of Disney park dining advice, bundled for 30% off the already discounted price! Yep, we’ve scoured the parks to find any and all snack choices — from the mundane to the spectacular — and we tell you all about them (with full-color pictures!) in our snack guides! These are updated every year, so you know your guide will be perfect for your upcoming trip, and they’re bundled with our DFB Guide to WDW Dining!
This money-saving bundle includes all of the following:
All four are being sold together — for 30% off the already hugely discounted bundle price. Use code BUNDLE18 at check out to get the discount. It’s a $63 value for under $30!!
With this Bundle of e-books you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips to plan the best Disney World vacation ever. And with our handy e-book format, you can download the Guides to all of your electronic devices and take them with you wherever you go!
And with our 100% money-back guarantee, what do you have to lose?
Happy 4th of July! We’re celebrating with another DFB Video, because we can’t wait to share five BRAND NEW Disney World desserts that you just have to try!
Mickey-Shaped Beignet at Port Orleans
These five sweet treats are super fresh on the scene! We’ve got everything from a new twist on an old favorite at Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter to our favorite dessert in the newest Land in Disney World: Toy Story Land!! So get your sweet tooth ready, because we can’t wait for you to check out these new dessert gems with us in our latest DFB YouTube Video! [Read more…]
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
