Category Archives: Walt Disney World

runDisney – The Road to The Dark Side

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When last I mentioned my future runDisney plans, I was whining about my treadmill and hoping to register for the 2017 Star Wars Dark Side Challenge.  Good news on both fronts!  I’ve made peace with my treadmill, have registered Joseph and I for the Challenge, and we’ve got just four months left before the big event.

runDisney – The Road to The Dark Side

Both of my children have started running and have frequently given their time generously to keep me company on my weekend long runs.  Megan’s had some knee trouble lately, but back in the early fall, she let me run with her for her very first 5K.  I was extremely proud and know that she’s got lots more races ahead of her!  She’s run 9-10+ miles with me a couple times, so I’m hoping a Disney half-marathon is in her future.  Princess 2018 maybe?  That would be perfect!

Back to the Dark Side.  When registration opened in August, I registered Joseph and I for the two races that make up the Challenge – The Star Wars 10k on April 22nd and The Star Wars Half Marathon on April 23rd.  Next we needed to find a race close to home to use for proof of time.  While proof of time is not mandatory, sending in official race results to runDisney from a 10k or half marathon helps determine a runner’s starting corral.  No proof of time = start at the very back of the pack.  I found a 10k, the Black Bear Grin and Bear It, and we ran as fast as we could on a chilly November morning.  Proof of time?  Check!

Fearing we’d lose momentum after the 10k and with the winter ahead, I found a half marathon in Lafayette, Louisiana and asked Joseph if he wanted to run it with me.  He didn’t even hesitate – we were a go!  So last weekend, during an extreme cold snap, we bundled up for the race!  Raymond and Joseph’s girlfriend, Lyndsey, found a spot along the race course where they’d see us three times without ever having to move.  Post-race, we spent the weekend enjoying Cajun Country and all the great food to be found there!  My friend, Karen, from Just Me and My Running Shoes (great blog for Disney fans & running moms!) also ran the half and I had a wonderful time catching up with her!  She’s the sweetest!

Photo courtesy of Karen Seal

Now I’m back to worrying about losing steam.  I’ve got my eye on another half marathon in February in Minden, Louisiana for St. Jude’s.  I hear it’s a hilly, but beautiful course.  I’m not concerned about how fast we’ll run during the Dark Side Challenge, I’m more about making sure we’re comfortable during the races so we can enjoy all the Disney details and soak up the atmosphere.  Keeping up a good training program will help maintain fitness and increase the chances of having smooth, easy races.  That’s my theory anyway.

How about you?  Are you eyeing a runDisney event in the future?  Got any training tips for us?

Disney World’s Best Signature Dining

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There are so many Walt Disney World restaurants to choose from!  Frequent visitors, like our family, develop a passion for certain snacks, an emotional attachment to a few quick-service places, and we’re downright territorial about our table service favorites!

Let’s talk about Disney’s Signature Dining.  If you’re going to splurge on a meal either out-of-pocket or by burning two table service dining credits on the Disney Dining Plan, it’s important to choose wisely!  While we haven’t quite made it to all the finest dining Disney has to offer (I’m looking at you, Victoria and Albert’s), we’ve tried a good many and have indeed developed enough of a fondness for a few to do what we can to squeeze them into our budgets for both time and money as often as we can.Signature Dining - Yachtsman Steakhouse

For those of you with little ones, fully enjoying a Signature Dining experience can be challenging.  You know you kids best and whether or not they’d like to sit in a fancy restaurant for a lengthy meal.  This is Disney World so signature restaurants are kid-friendly, but they are not as fun as character dining (like at Tusker House or Chef Mickey) or some places with funny servers (think Whispering Canyon Café or 50’s Prime Time Café) and cool themes (Sci-Fi Dine In Theater).  These places also tend to have more “adult” foods on the kids’ menu.  The list I’ve put together here is mainly geared towards families with older children and groups of adults.  If you’ve got something to celebrate, like an anniversary or graduation, signature dining is the way to go!

Disney World’s Best Signature Dining

In The Resorts

Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge) – Hands down this is our favorite Signature Dining Experience, but it’s not for everyone!  Jiko is best enjoyed by diners with adventurous palates.  That’s not to say that picky eaters won’t find something to love, but it may take a little creative work with the cooperative servers and chefs.  We’re game (see what I did there?) for trying exotic dishes made with wild boar or buffalo.  We welcome new flavors from African-spiced dishes of all kinds.  Options like pork and lamb shanks, beef short ribs, scallops, halibut, lobster, and vegetarian dishes make up the creative menu.  We have never been disappointed.  The wine list is as fantastic as the food.

California Grill (Disney’s Contemporary Resort) – The food’s good, but the setting is great!  The view from the top of the Contemporary Resort is fantastic and at sunset it’s downright awesome!  The California-inspired menu is broad and boasts a great selection of sushi along with other, many very complex, dishes.  Service is excellent and compared to Citricos and Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian (also signature), California Grill manages to seem extra special.  No matter what time you have dinner, you’ll be welcome to stay (or return) and enjoy Wishes (Magic Kingdom’s fireworks spectacular) from the restaurant’s outdoor viewing area.  We celebrated our 25th anniversary at California Grill and our experience was wonderful.

Flying Fish (Disney’s Boardwalk) – Recently renovated and with a new chef, Flying Fish has an awesome location (a short walk from Epcot) and has been very popular in the past.  One of our best vacation meal memories is of dinner at the Flying Fish.  Disney's Flying Fish Cafe ExteriorI don’t know firsthand how the restaurant’s new version compares to the old, but our next Flying Fish dinner is just days away.  The new menu looks fantastic (albeit expensive!) and it may well be worth two dining credits.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club) – A solid choice for steak-lovers, Yachtsman’s proximity to Epcot makes it a stellar alternative to Le Cellier in World Showcase’s Canada Pavilion.  Good service, solid menu, and the butcher/meat viewing area is cool!  We thought the atmosphere a bit more laid back than some of the other signature restaurants and that complimented, rather than detracted from, the overall experience to us.  If you’re not a steak fan, there are better places to eat.  If you love a good steak, I found even the smallest one on the menu (6-ounce Black Angus Filet) to be perfectly cooked, tender, and delicious.

In The Parks

Tiffins (Animal Kingdom) – As I mentioned in the review I did recently, this place is probably not for picky, non-adventurous eaters.  If you love Animal Kingdom for the incredible theming and you want to feel like you’re eating in an exotic far away place with amazing service, consider Tiffins.  It can be a bit expensive, but is very special, so worth it in my opinion (at least once).  The menu is extraordinary and the beer and wine lists are carefully cultivated and unique.  While all signature dining restaurants try to offer exceptional service in a special atmosphere, Tiffins succeeds in a way few others manage.The Hollywood Brown Derby / Disney's Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Brown Derby (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – While this may be our least favorite of the group I’ve listed here today, it’s worth mentioning.  The Derby has many devoted fans and it offers a wonderful respite from park noise and crowds.  The atmosphere is very cool and the menu offers a good variety.  The Cobb Salad is famous as is the Grapefruit Cake dessert.  If you’re on the dining plan, don’t waste two table service credits here.  If you want a nice meal at a low-ish price for signature dining and/or want the best meal in the Studios, give the Hollywood Brown Derby a try.

What did I miss?  Do you have a favorite signature restaurant that didn’t make our list?

 

About WDW Parks Express Transportation

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A couple of weeks ago, Walt Disney World announced a new option for park-hopping transportation.  Pass-holders and guests with Park-Hopper tickets can now pay an upcharge ($15 single day or $24 per 7-day stay) to travel from park to park on special, behind-the-scenes bus transportation.  Beginning at 10:00 am daily (through park closing), visitors who’ve added this Express Transportation Option can exit one park through a “back door” and enter the next park the same way.  As with everything Disney adds or changes, this has generated quite a bit of chatter on social media, much of it negative.

About WDW Parks Express Transportation

This new option sounds great to me!  If I don’t want to pay extra or do not plan to park-hop, I can still rely completely on Disney’s well-organized transportation that is included in the price of my stay.  If I want to park-hop (I DO!) and am visiting during a super-crowded time of the year (I AM!), I can pay the $24 and potentially save a bunch of time and extra walking.

We like to park-hop between Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Typically, we spend an entire day (or two) at Animal Kingdom with no hopping.  For five days during our upcoming Christmas vacation, we’ve either planned to switch parks or have left the option open to do so in our touring plans.  Based on our last visit in October, I can expect the bag-check lines to be longer and slower than ever before (due to increased security).  I’m pleased that Disney is taking security more seriously and, by the number of people they’ve caught attempting to enter a park with a weapon, they need to.  The metal detectors are also a way of life now and again, based on our last experience, I can expect to be chosen for extra screening every time I reach a park entrance.

Park-hopping has become much more time consuming!  Leave one park, walk to bus, boat, or monorail (depending on personal choice & which park is next), wait for transportation, travel to next park, walk to park entrance, wait in bag-check line, wait in security line (likely), wait in line to scan Magic Band/ticket, finally enter park.

The Express Transportation Option sounds like a way to avoid much of the walking, checking, screening, etc.  I expect to have my Magic Band scanned (maybe by a Cast Member with an iPad?) as I get on the bus to the next park.  No need for long walks, waits in line, bag checks, or metal detection!  Just exit the bus right into the next park!  (All the details about where to board and exit busses can be found here.) Entrance to DHS

Will it be worth $24?  I’ll have to wait and see if the process is as good as it sounds, but I’m certainly going to give it a try.  Do I believe this will negatively impact those who do not choose to pay the upcharge?  I do not.  Disney transportation has been, in our opinion, getting better over the past couple of years.  If enough guests choose the park-to-park Express, it could reduce wait-times at bag and security checks for other visitors.  I don’t believe busses will be taken away from non-Express users to offer this new service.  Like the in-park cabanas being tested in Magic Kingdom, guests can choose NOT to pay extra without being negatively impacted by visitors who choose to take advantage of these new options.

In my Disney fan bubble, I like to believe the Disney Parks folks are hard at work to find revenue-generating offerings so they don’t have to raise ticket and food prices as often.  Stop laughing!  It’s a nice thought.  I’ll let you know how the bus thing works out when I get back.

Would you pay an upcharge for park-hopping faster?

 

 

Disney’s Pandora – What I Want to See

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Since the recent announcement about Pandora’s opening date in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I can’t stop thinking about this new land.  What will it really be like?  After all the doubt and speculation, will Disney and Avatar fans all be pleased?  Will that amazing Na’vi shaman animatronic figure be as cool in person as she seems on Facebook?  What would I like to see?  That last part, I’ve got figured out!

Disney’s Pandora – What I Want to See

Joseph came home to visit for a couple of nights while Raymond was out of town on business this week.  He knows I hate staying by myself (Junior’s not much of a watch dog).  He gets free food, I avoid loneliness – it’s a win-win for both of us.  For fun, I came up with my best idea for a Pandora attraction and ran it by Joseph to see what he thought.  He not only liked the idea, he immediately started building on it to make it better!  Armchair Imagineering is FUN!!!

I started with this idea:  Think about the experience of Turtle Talk With Crush (in Epcot’s The Seas With Nemo and Friends).  Imagine that same technology used in a classroom made of glass (instead of just one wall).  Guests would enter a special environmentally controlled room (to protect humans), reached via short tunnel extended from the main Pandora research facility.  The tunnel would take “students” partially into the wilderness of Pandora lessons on the planet’s flora, fauna, and culture.  As everyone takes their seats, Na’vi “instructors” would approach the enclosure, introduce themselves,  and talk about what it’s like to live on Pandora.  Visitors in the classroom would be able to see Pandora and the Na’vi people through all four walls and the ceiling.  The experience would be interactive exactly like Turtle Talk, but instead of being geared towards the pre-school set, this attraction would mainly engage tweens, teens, and adults.  Students would have an excellent view of the plants, animals and people of Pandora with the ability to ask (and answer) questions.

Joseph added his thoughts:  The experience would change along with the time of day – just like Kilimanjaro Safaris.  Early mornings would show the Pandora landscape during sunrise (or suns-rise?) and the Na’vi teachers would explain how the planet changes as night turns into day.  Midday would offer completely different “lessons” and then, as the sun(s) set, dusk and nighttime would transform the experience yet again with different animals in the wild among the glow of the bioluminescent plants.

The technology is already available for this attraction!  Think about the possibilities!!!

What would YOU most like to see in Pandora?