Category Archives: Disney Dining

Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

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Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

First, I was busy booking dining reservations, now I’m busy tweaking them.  I’ve noticed some definite trends in where we choose to eat. We like what we like and deviating from the tried and true is risky sometimes. Since this is a short trip, we’re not taking too many chances on not having great dining experiences.  Here are the restaurants we’ve got in our near future and why we picked them.  (I’ll point out the ones that fall in our favorites category.)

This Trip = Four Days and Nights

Via Napoli (Dinner) – We like the atmosphere and menu at this eatery in World Showcase’s Italy pavilion.  While it doesn’t make our list of top faves, it does offer sharable appetizers, pizzas and pasta dishes.  While we will be sampling some of the Food & Wine Festival booths on our way to Via Napoli, we know we’ll enjoy sitting down and relaxing with some decent fare and a glass of wine.

Tusker House (Breakfast) – WAY up on our list of favorites, it’s hard not to book a meal here.  Full disclosure – we’ve only ever eaten breakfast at Tusker House, but it’s so good in every way!  The buffet has something for everyone and the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy) are absolutely adorable. I love this character dining experience above all others.

Narcoossee’s (Dinner) – Booked for its proximity to our resort (Bay Lake Tower), Narcoossee’s has never disappointed us.  As this is our pre-Wine & Dine half-marathon dinner, we wanted to be able to get to bed early yet still enjoy plenty of tasty entrée options.  We love this restaurant’s location on the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort.  They have a big deck on the water and will gladly keep your food warm if a fireworks show is going on in Magic Kingdom. 

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen (Lunch) – This one’s a favorite as it should be for everyone!  I’ve spoken about my love for the Canteen before and why we need more in-park dining like it.  If the menu hasn’t changed, I’m ordering the exact same delicious dish I had last time I was there (Perkins Thai Noodles).  Bonus – I can have beer with my lunch in Magic Kingdom if I want to. 

Raglan Road (Dinner) – A family favorite for many years, one horrible visit has kept us away for quite some time.  We’re ready to give Raglan Road anther try, but I’ll be honest…if the food and service haven’t improved, I’ll be ready to write this place off for good. Probably. Maybe.     

Morimoto Asia (Dinner) – This one is currently way up on our favorites list (like near the very tippy-top).  In fact, this reservation was originally for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, but I was doing that tweaking thing when a Morimoto reservation became available in our preferred time slot.  Don’t get me wrong – Homecomin’ is good, but Morimoto’s is better.  If I can find a way to squeeze a Homecomin’ lunch in, I’m doing it.

That wraps up the plans for this trip. Are any of your favorites on the list? The rest of our meals will be Food & Wine Festival food and quick service meals or snacks. We have a Tables in Wonderland discount card that doesn’t expire for a couple more months and we’ll be able to use it at each of the places I listed. I’m pretty excited about our choices! No pressure, Disney chefs, but I bring my lunch to work every single day so we can splurge at Disney World and I’m counting on you!!!

What are your favorite table service restaurants at Walt Disney World? Have any been a disappointment? Let me know and as always, thanks for stopping by…Lisa.

Thoughts on Story Book Dining at Artist Point

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Our friends, Nick and Barbie, scored a dinner reservation at Artist Point for the new-ish Story Book Dining and invited us along (’cause they’re super nice that way). Here’s a recap of our experience including my usual honest feedback.

Thoughts on Story Book Dining at Artist Point

Overall, we had a wonderful time. The lateness of the reservation (8:30-ish if I remember correctly) was both good and bad. The restaurant was amazingly uncrowded, quiet, and virtually kid-free, but we were also very tired. After a day at the parks, I thought we might be too exhausted to enjoy this experience but I worried for nothing. I think I’ll recap our dinner in two parts – 1. Characters and Service 2. Food/Dining Experience. Hopefully, if you’re considering whether or not Story Book Dining would be a good fit for your family’s plans, this review will help you decide.

Characters and Service

We were seated promptly upon check-in and shown to a table in the back of the dining room – this location was perfect for us. Our server was excellent. Unhurried in a good way, she made us feel like her only guests. We noticed right away there was a multi-tiered tree-like stand in the middle of the table. Our server explained that appetizers and desserts are served to be shared (and the presentation is certainly unique) more on that later. Like other character dining experiences, we could expect the characters to stop by our table throughout our meal.

Because the restaurant was not busy, we got to spend what felt like extra time with each character (Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy) as they came around. Snow White was lovely and spoke to us adult-to-adult making her visit extra enjoyable and not a bit cheesy (which can happen occasionally with some face characters). Grumpy and Dopey were adorable and managed to communicate well with everyone at our table without speaking – Disney characters are typically excellent at this and the dwarfs were no exception. Grumpy gave lessons on being…grumpy.

The Queen is also at Artist Point for a meet-and-greet, but rather than visiting each table, the Queen is available to guests on their way out of the restaurant. I think this is clever and not only adds a special treat at the end, but also allows families to adjust for children who might find her a bit intimidating. There’s a special backdrop for pictures and for me, this was one of the best character interactions EVER. The Queen is one of my all-time favorite characters and I was fangirling like crazy. She was absolutely wonderful in appearance and attitude. Her condescending sneer, her regal bearing, her disdain for our presence – perfection! I was impressed beyond description.

Food / Dining Experience

Because this was a character meal, I automatically had low expectations about the food. I find most character meals entertaining, but the food is rarely the draw. Artist Point’s menu is creative and as I mentioned, the appetizers and desserts are presented in a unique way for sharing. While cute, I was not a fan. I don’t mind sharing, but the offerings were more dramatic and showy than tasty. Here are a few pictures of the appetizers and desserts. They weren’t horrible, just not great.

  • Winter Squash Bisque
  • Hunter’s Pie
  • Wicked Shrimp Cocktail (Jar)
  • Miner’s Treasures
  • Fairy Tale Gooseberry Pie, Poison Apple, Miner’s Treasures

While the appetizers and desserts met my low expectations, the entrees did not. My entree was absolutely delicious and a very pleasant surprise. The menu has changed since our visit early in 2019, but I believe the flavor and quality will still be excellent no matter what dishes make up the entree selection.

I ordered Bashful’s Butter-poached Snapper (Root Vegetable Risotto, Wild Mushroom, Citrus Butter Sauce) and Raymond had the Royal Prime Rib Roast (Horseradish Mashed Potato, Hay Smoked Carrots, Popover, Jus) – we were equally happy with our choices. Well seasoned and cooked to perfection, our entrees were the highlight of the meal.

As of this writing, the meal’s price is posted on Disney World’s website as $59.99 for adults per three-course meal and $35 for children. While Artist Point does not accept Tables in Wonderland, this experience requires only one Table Service credit on the Disney Dining Plan – a good bargain!

Practicing my evil sneer

Bottom Line

As far as character dining goes, this is a pretty good choice for families who like a more upscale experience. It felt quite a bit fancier than Chef Mickey’s or Tusker House and we enjoyed not having to get up and down to select food from a buffet. As it’s not too princess-heavy, the characters have appeal for all audiences and our party of four adults didn’t feel out of place. (Note: If you want both fancy and a buffet, try 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.)

Would we visit Story Book Dining at Artist Point again? We would! I’ll be watching for an opportunity to bring our family here in the future. How about you? Have you tried this new character dining experience? What did you think about it?

Disney Dining – Animal Kingdom’s Best Dessert

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We were big fans of Harambe Market in Animal Kingdom long before Joseph worked there during his stint in the Disney College Program.  We love the atmosphere and the consistently solid menu choices for a quick lunch or dinner.  Oh, and there’s good beer there too. Lately, Harambe Market has moved ahead of Flame Tree Barbecue and Yak & Yeti for me.

Disney Dining – Animal Kingdom’s Best Dessert

What we didn’t know before Joseph became an expert on all things Harambe is that the Market serves up an excellent dessert.  As part of his Disney College Program training, Joe tasted everything on the Harambe Market menu.  What surprised him most was the number of dishes he enjoyed after thinking initially they were not something he would like.  Dessert was a surprise to him because the Safari Cake’s description didn’t sound all that good. And this is why, I’m sure, Disney has those DCP members employed in food and beverage service taste the food! 

Not being a dessert person, I would never have noticed any dessert item on the menu, much less tried one.  On our last family visit to Animal Kingdom, Joseph encouraged us to try the Safari Cake and thought even I, born without a sweet tooth, would like it.

What’s a Safari Cake?

It looks a bit like Boma’s famous Zebra Domes, but much larger.  It’s a coconut cake, but fancy.  Inside there’s pineapple filling and coconut mousse and the entire concoction is covered in chocolate glaze.  It’s very tropical tasting and the blend of flavors is indeed delicious. Neither the coconut nor the pineapple are overpowering. I think even non-coconut people would like this dessert.

Intergalactic travel, safari expeditions, and Yeti hunting can surely work up a powerful appetite!

So the next time you find yourself in Animal Kingdom near Harambe Market and crave a sweet treat, you should consider giving this cake-y dome of deliciousness a try! Our family unanimously agrees that the Safari Cake is Animal Kingdom’s best dessert.

Have you tried a Safari Cake? What’s your favorite sweet treat in Animal Kingdom?

Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan Review

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When Megan and I were planning our recent trip to Walt Disney World, I mentioned our interest in trying the Quick Service Dining Plan.  With two snack and two counter service meal credits per day, we believed we’d have much more flexibility in our park touring versus our typical vacation habit of booking one or more sit down meals per day.  What we were hoping for:  Delicious food, tasty snacks, and a good value.

Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan Review

What we spent – Regular price for this plan is $48.19 per person per night of stay.  We got a small Disney Vacation Club discount, which brought our price down to $46.34 per person per day for a total of $278.04.Disney Quick Service Dining at Pecos Bill's

Where we ate – First, let me say that we enjoyed the meal choices we made very much!  We arrived on Sunday and had lunch at Pecos Bill’s (Magic Kingdom) then dinner at Wilderness Lodge’s new Geyser Point Bar and Grill. The next day (Monday), we enjoyed lunch at Harambe Market and dinner at Flame Tree Barbecue.  On Tuesday we had lunch in the Mexico Pavilion (Epcot) at La Cantina de San Angel.Tuesday night we didn’t use a credit and enjoyed our one-and-only table service meal at Paddlefish in Disney Springs.  That left one credit for the following day when we had lunch in the Morocco Pavilion at Tangierine Café.  This picture does not do it justice.  Our first time there and boy, was it delish!

What snacks we chose – We had to have Mickey ice cream bars in Magic Kingdom, but after that we got as creative as possible.  Mickey Premium Ice Cream BarWe enjoyed chocolate filled beignets from the Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in the France Pavilion (oh, wow!).  Stopped in Karamell-Kuche in the Germany Pavilion for a salted caramel cupcake, caramel corn, and a hunk of caramel (my absolute fave).  With one last snack credit, we grabbed some bagged pretzels at Saratoga Springs to eat on the way home.

The verdict –  We did not go hungry, that’s for sure, and were happy we purchased the plan.  Out of pocket, our meals would have cost about $210.68 with tax.  That left about $67.36 of the meal plan price for snacks.  Between us we got 12 snacks and I know most of them were over $5.  So we broke even.  We didn’t try to order the most expensive options on every menu and ate where we wanted to with no consideration for which restaurants would be the best value on the plan.  We also ordered bottled water (relatively cheap compared to soft drinks) with every meal in order to stay hydrated.  The ease of pre-paying for most of our meals was super convenient and budget-friendly.  Using our Magic Bands to access our meal and snack credits was great too.

What we’d recommend:  Don’t skimp on snacks because you think you’ll want to use them for something better later.  Use the two each day as you go or you’ll be like us and have to snack like crazy (or stock up for later) on the last day.

Have you tried the Quick Service Dining Plan?  What did you think about it?