food IS a theme park
We know you guys have a lot of questions about the Universal Studios theme parks grand reopening today!
Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure Queue
So far, we’ve been running around to give you guys some perspective on what it was like arriving at the parks as well as how the crowds have been today!
There comes a time when your kids start to get old enough to want to go to Disney World (for ours it was basically the second they were born. Shocker, right?). Or maybe you haven’t been for a while and you really want to go back — with your baby this time.
Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World
Whatever your situation, it can be a pretty hard decision to choose when you’re ready to take those kids to Disney World! After all, Disney is GEARED towards kids in a lot of ways, so you don’t want to miss the window that they’re going to enjoy it in a way that only kids can.
We’re taking a look at the pros and cons of taking your kids to Disney at different ages. Check it out!
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!
When Disneyland Resort introduced a brand new Pixar Fest Afternoon Tea a couple of weeks ago, we were chomping at the bit to learn more — and to get in on that tea and sandwiches action! The Pixar Fest Afternoon Tea is a part of the on-going (and delicious!) Pixar Fest, so guests can reserve tea through September 3, when the festival ends.
We were there on DAY 1 to enjoy it, so let’s head over to Steakhouse 55 and enjoy afternoon tea!
Steakhouse 55 Located Inside the Disneyland Hotel
The cost of the Pixar Fest Afternoon Tea is $52-$65 per adult and $35 per child, and its location at Steakhouse 55 raised our expectations. We’d already had a great experience at Steakhouse 55 for regular old afternoon tea. Imagine what would happen when they Pixar-fied it!
The 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival is coming up soon, and we’re already covering the latest news about the event.
Shrimp Tacos, Rib Eye Tacos, Flan and Strawberry Lime Margarita from the Mexico Booth
You can “follow the festival” on our Food and Wine Festival page here, and start making plans to attend September 28-November 12, 2012.
This annual event showcases food, wine, and other beverages from around the globe at marketplaces set up around Epcot’s World Showcase. You can also take advantage of some of the great seminars, demos, and events going on throughout the festival!
So, to kick off our coverage appropriately, let’s take a look at our…
Here are a few of our favorite dining tips when it comes to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival! I hope they’re helpful, and that you’ll share some of your great tips, too!
The World Showcase Booths around the Lagoon offer some great eats in small, appetizer sizes! Save one or two (or three!) meals for “eating around the World” Showcase.
Some of the perennial favorites include: Canada’s Cheddar Cheese Soup; Australia’s Shrimp on the Barbie; Italy’s Baked Cheese Ravioli; Argentina’s Grilled Beef Skewer; Poland’s Pierogies; and Germany’s sausage. We’re hoping that griddled cheese is [Read more…]
Coming up soon — new Italian food in Disney World! Soon we’ll have even more news about the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, but first…
We’ve got a sneak peek at some of the eats you’ll be able to try at the newly re-vamped Tutto Italia!
As we await the re-opening of this beloved Italian eatery in Disney World’s Epcot, we can finally share with you the new lunch, dinner, dessert, gluten free (!!), and kids’ menus!
Ready to dive in??? Let us know what YOU can’t wait to eat at Tutto Italia!
NEW Tutto Italia and Tutto Gusto Signs
Appetizer Menu
Dinner Menu
One of the reasons many families choose to travel to Walt Disney World is the Resort’s offerings for kids and the way they cater to the whole family.
High Chairs Ready!
You want to eat in a real restaurant with three small kids? Sure, no problem at Disney World. You need a space to change your baby’s diaper, feed them away from the hecticness of the main park spaces, or buy first aid supplies for your little ones? They’ve got you covered! But when it comes to high chairs and booster seats at Disney World, what does the situation look like right now?
Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster captures some great ways to encourage your kids’ love of cooking!
Obviously one of the many reasons that families find Disney destinations to be such compelling vacation spots is that the parks and resorts are fully prepared to accommodate the interests of children. At various points, all of my girls have been captivated with the idea of becoming a chef (well, at least until they began to realize that kitchens have to be cleaned after they are used).
Disney does a wonderful job of indulging the interests of the budding chef by allowing children, and their parents, plentiful opportunities to observe and interact with the real-life culinary craftspeople that make the food magic happen.
Our favorite Walt Disney World venue for chef interaction is at Goofy’s Candy Company at Downtown Disney. On one recent trip, my girls and I spent over an hour standing at the candy prep counter there watching a cast member make pan after pan of swoon-inducing fudge.
Fudge prep at Goofy's Candy Company
We have found that the cast members there are particularly gracious in taking the time to explain to curious bystanders exactly what they are doing, and why. We’ve even been offered small tasting spoonfuls of warm fudge batter to better assess the product as it transforms from [Read more…]
A new post in our Disney Food for Families Column by Erin Foster:
In the early days of my family’s Disney travel, we routinely went to at least one character meal every day, sometimes two. On my twins’ sixth birthday, we even ate at three character meals in one day. My waistline is still trying to recover!
Bonding at the Food & Wine Festival
But now that my girls are older, the character meals hold somewhat less appeal for them. My daughter Charlie, now 14, even went through a phase where she was (Yikes!) “too cool” for characters. My challenge has become, “How do you keep the magic of Disney Dining alive without relying on the classic character meal?” In other words: How do you make Disney Dining fun for teens?
Idea #1: Make the vacation about the food.
I have been to Walt Disney World twice with just Charlie during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. We spent a couple of days working our way around the World Showcase booths, trying to sample at least one or two things from each represented country. This sparked some interesting discussions about food taste, texture, and preparation styles. We had bonding moments over our mutual favorite: the beef with chimichurri sauce from Argentina stand. More please. And we shared [Read more…]
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