food IS a theme park
We’ve seen lots of changes made recently related to spots on Disney’s Boardwalk.
Disney’s BoardWalk
Some restaurants there recently got added to the Mobile Order feature on the My Disney Experience app, while an entertainment spot on the BoardWalk recently announced that its reopening date would be pushed back indefinitely. When we stopped by Disney’s BoardWalk today, we noticed something else that was new. One spot on the BoardWalk is currently offering a special Labor Day treat!
It’s almost time for the official grand opening of Pandora: the World of Avatar, but several DFB team members were able to secure an Annual Passholder Preview so that we could give you all the scoop on the foods and drinks you’ll find in Walt Disney World’s newest land.
We’ve covered the Build-Your-Own-Bowl options at Satu’li Canteen and sucked down more than a few boba balls and some green beer at Pongu Pongu.
So today, we’re trying three Pandoran prepackaged snacks, which you can find in various locations in Pandora. And these are totally thematic, people!
First up is the Teylu Gummi Candy. As the story goes, teylu are similar to shrimp and serve as a main source of protein for the Na’vi people. We can’t say the same for the gummies (no protein here!), but they definitely look the part!
Teylu Gummi Candy
They’re skewered on a stick, just as the Na’vi might skewer their teylu to cook over a fire. Great detail, right? Flavors here are, thankfully, not shrimp, but instead: Dragon Fruit, Lemon, and Fruit Punch.
Welcome back to Hollywood Boulevard! Disney’s Hollywood Studios has two new cocktails for us to try at Fairfax Fare!
On your way to two of the park’s blockbusters, Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, you’ll pass Fairfax Fare. The walk-up window is one of several restaurants in Sunset Ranch Market on Hollywood Boulevard. Fairfax is an airy counter-service restaurant with a laid-back California vibe and some really good barbeque! The meals are hearty, and there’s plenty of picnic table seating shared with the nearby restaurants making it the perfect place to wait for your next Fastpass+ window!
Today, however, we’re not focused on the smoky chicken and ribs, but on two new yummy drinks to cool off with this summer!
Fairfax Fare
Mystery has surrounded the creation of the Beauty and the Beast-themed Be Our Guest Restaurant — Disney’s newest dining location — since we first saw the Be Our Guest Restaurant concept art!
From the announcement that beer and wine would be served for the first time at a Magic Kingdom restaurant to our most recent Be Our Guest guest review, we’ve explored the Beast’s domain from afar.
Be Our Guest Bridge Entrance
Well, not anymore. I finally was able to dine at the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! And over the course of several meals I (and my various dining companions) ordered everything on the menu. (Well, the adult menu anyway.) I know how important it is to know what you’re getting when you’re planning your dining in Disney World, and I wanted to be thorough with this one for you guys.
After months (and months) of speculation about the decor and menu, stepping inside Be Our Guest Restaurant was truly exciting.
Be Out Guest Restaurant Check-In Area
After dining there several times this weekend, I’m anxious to bring to you my take on the food, beverages, and decor. So, let’s get started…
Guests begin their experience by checking in at the Bridge entrance — a bit like a Gatekeeper’s area. This is where you make your requests for a dining room if you’d like — the Ballroom or West Wing (the Rose Gallery is usually used only for lunch, though some overflow tables are seated there during dinner currently).
Once you’re checked in, you’ll be given a pager and asked to wait on the bridge. Once your page goes off, head toward the large restaurant entrance to be greeted by the Beast’s servant who will take you to your table!
Be Our Guest Restaurant Entry Doors
Beast’s Servant Leads Us To Our Table
Once you’re inside the castle, be sure to peek into the Beast’s Study. It’s the room where lunch guests make their orders, and is located right through the hallway where the Knights are all whispering to one another!
In the study, you might see Beast himself greeting his guests!
This was a surprise for those of us dining at the restaurant the first night of reservations. We’d all been told that Beast would not appear, but at 45 minute intervals throughout the evening he walks through the restaurant (with great fanfare and cheering) and then settles in [Read more…]
We are absolutely thrilled to bring you our first review of dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Welcome guest author Amy Gagliardi with details of her experience during an unexpected Be Our Guest Restaurant preview night!
Serendipity is one of my favorite things about visiting Disney. The unexpected coincidence of events that can make any moment a truly magical memory has come to be what I expect from each visit. This is how I came to dine at Be Our Guest Restaurant. It was quite by accident and good fortune.
My husband Peter was given a tip by a server at dinner one night that Be Our Guest would be taking walk ins the following night. He recommended we go to the podium and ask if we could dine and that is exactly what we did.
With a simple walk to the outside reservation podium, we were able to be seated for any time that we selected. In addition to myself, our party of five consisted of my husband, a friend of the family, our youngest daughter Faith and her boyfriend Jon.
We were thrilled and filled with anticipation as we were escorted beyond the heavy wooden castle doors and through a foyer, which brought us to the Ballroom dining room in which we were seated. The hostess and server seemed as delighted to be a part of the dining experience as we were. The congenial warmth of the staff contributed to a feeling of hominess even in such a grand surrounding.
We were invited to wander at will throughout the 3 dining areas. We truly felt like guests as we strolled through the West Wing and Rose Gallery and wondered in awe.
Panoramic View of The Rose Gallery
The rooms connected to each other with smooth thematic transitions.
Walkway Between Ballroom and Rose Gallery
The dimly lit rooms, common to each sitting area, reinforced an enchanted fairy tale atmosphere supporting the Beauty and the Beast story line.
From our table in the Ballroom we could see the large painting of the Beast as a handsome prince, which stands tall in the West Wing. At intervals we could hear a crashing of distant thunder and at that moment, like a stroke of a clock, the face on the portrait would turn to its Beastly counterpart.
Princely Beast
With faux snowfall gently trickling across a midnight blue back drop behind a window on the back wall of the Ballroom, we relaxed into our seats to view a rose theme at out table.
Rose Themed Menu
From the rose on the cover of the menu to the rose-like folding of the deeply red napkins, we were transported to another time. The room was filled with [Read more…]
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