food IS a theme park
Even though Pandora has been open for over a year, Animal Kingdom is still a park undergoing some changes and construction. We spotted quite a few construction walls up around the park this week.
Animal Kingdom Construction
On top of the construction there was the announcement that Rafiki’s Planet Watch is closing October 20 for refurbishment until Spring of 2019.
It’s no secret Hollywood Studios (and all of us) are getting ready for Star Wars Land Galaxy’s Edge to open next fall. And, now it looks like Tatooine Traders, the gift shop attached to the Star Tours ride, is in the middle of a face lift to be ready for the Galaxy’s Edge opening!
Tatooine Traders
Disney has not announced what the refurbishments are or a timeline for the construction.
When we were at Hollywood Studios we saw something you don’t see very often — a clear view from the entrance of the park to the Chinese Theater.
Hollywood Studios Chinese Theater
Usually, during the day, the stage for the show A Galaxy Far Far Away is sitting in front of the theater.
Disneyland Hotel’s Tangaroa Terrace, an island-inspired dining getaway, will close soon for a rather lengthy refurbishment.
Tangaroa Terrace Entrance
The quick service spot will shutter its Polynesian-style doors beginning on September 4, with a reopening anticipated for mid-January 2019 according to the Disneyland website. [Read more…]
Editor’s Update, August 9, 2018: Please note: the text regarding the refurbishment has been removed from Disney World’s website and the dates mentioned in this post are now open for booking. It appears that — for the moment — the refurbishment has been cancelled.
In the world of Walt Disney World dining, Be Our Guest Restaurant has been a guest favorite since day one. But for four days this month, the popular restaurant will close for a brief refurbishment.
Be Our Guest Restaurant
From August 20-24, 2018, Be Our Guest Restaurant will be closed. Guests hoping to snag breakfast, lunch, or dinner as walk-up diners will have to look elsewhere. (We offer some alternatives here!)
For those (like me!) who have eagerly been awaiting the news about booking a reservation for the post-refurbishment California Grill restaurant in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, we’ve got a few new details for you!
Snagging a Table by the Window at California Grill is an Absolute Must!
While there’s no solid date for California Grill to re-open yet, reservations ARE currently available on November 18th. The reservations agent I spoke to said that booking times were also available after this date. (This means that for the next couple of days, you’ll need to have a Disney resort reservation and be calling at exactly 180 days out, using your opportunity to book 10 days after your check-in date in order to make a reservation.)
It’s my guess that they cannot open reservations earlier in the year until they have the final opening date set, but that they’ll be coming soon!
Availability is always subject to change, but I wanted to be sure those of you eager to book were made aware of every last detail. As is often the case with new reservations opening up, your experience could be different (you can see in the comments that some folks have not been able to book) — but keep calling [Read more…]
I’ll be publishing my FULL review of the brand new BoardWalk Bakery in Walt Disney World very soon, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek of what’s coming!
Brioche and the NEW BoardWalk Bakery
I popped into the bakery around 7am Friday morning — opening day — to check out the digs…
New Mosaic!
The space has been greatly expanded, and now offers two entrances!
The NEW Boardwalk Bakery -- three times the size of the old one!
There’s one for guests waiting in line for food and pastries, and one for guests who just need to refill their refillable mugs!
The Mug Filling Entrance is Clearly Marked
Once inside, the queue line is quite long. It takes up half of the bakery space!
Interior and Queue Lines for the new Boardwalk Bakery
The stuff-your-face options have expanded greatly at the bakery. They now feature a [Read more…]
Update:
The official bakery name is Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles. It will open at 9am ahead of World Showcase’s official 11am opening time.
Waaaaaay back at the beginning of 2012, we reported that Epcot’s France Pavilion would be getting an overhaul food-wise! And now it’s all becoming reality! Les Halles Bakery has officially opened!!
Les Halles Bakery Opens in Disney World
In addition to the opening on Monsieur Paul Restaurant in December, we can now celebrate the opening of Les Halles Boulangerie!! And we’ve got some incredible photos for you of the new Bakery, as well as the Disney Les Halles Menu! HUGE thanks go out to Michael Burk (@michaellburk) , once again, for sending over these great pics!
Les Halles Ordering Area and Queue -- click for larger image
The new bakery is HUGE compared to the old one, which will soon become Glacier Ice Cream Parlor. Once you enter, you’ll quickly see a long ordering queue line area, digital menus, and lots of yummo pastries waiting for you to choose them!
Les Halles Ordering Queue
The Les Halles menu includes an expanded selection, including pastries, soups, sandwiches (both hot and cold), salads, and more.
The Pumpkin Soup and Lobster Bisque are definitely on my list to try!
Les Halles Menu -- Soups, Sandwiches, Salads, and Specialties
Um…I’ll take one of everything on this pastries/desserts menu, please… [Read more…]
Chef Brian Piasecki reveals a few details of the upcoming renovation of the popular California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World!
This high-end restaurant offers exquisite cuisine and top-notch fireworks viewing, but we’ll have to find another signature spot to dine for the first half of 2013! According to the DisneyParks Blog, we finally have a solid date for the restaurant’s closure that we reported earlier this year.
California Grill will close in early 2013, and re-open in the late summer. Save us a spot at this window table! 😉
Great view from California Grill
While the menu will undergo some tweaking, a fresh, seasonal menu with top-of-the-line sushi will continue to be the main focus of the kitchen.
The continued use of creative flavors and techniques will allow chefs to [Read more…]
Andy over at Eating (and Drinking) Around WDW got the inside scoop on a bunch of news coming out of the Japan pavilion in Epcot! Here are the main subjects, but be sure to head over to his site for details!
The Yakitori House, now closed for refurbishment, will reemerge as Katsura Grill (menu will stay essentially the same, Andy says), and the beautiful gardens next door will be refurbished as well!
The Yakitori House in Epcot's Japan Pavilion Will See Some Changes
Those of us familiar with the Japan Booth will recognize the structure and sign here! It’s serving a limited menu of [Read more…]
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