Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Trader Sam’s or Jock Lindsey’s?

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When there’s something new at Walt Disney World, be it restaurant, show, attraction, or lounge, we are anxious to check it out!  Recently we had the opportunity to stop in for refreshments at two new (to us) Disney pubs – Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto (Polynesian Village Resort) and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar (Disney Springs).Trader-Sam's-Wall-Decor

Since we were staying at the Polynesian in the new DVC Villas, we hit Trader Sam’s first. Having heard it was small and filled up fast in the evenings, we decided to get there right at opening time (4:00 pm).  It is indeed very small – a hole in the wall almost literally.  It’s located behind an unassuming door near Captain Cook’s on the ground floor of the Great Ceremonial House.  Trader-Sam's-Volcano Trader-Sam's-Menu-PageTrader-Sam's-Interior Trader-Sam's-DetailsWe ducked inside and were immediately impressed by a million details and no small amount of ambient noise.  It’s dark inside and feels very closed-in due to the many artifacts and items used to create the theme.  The bar was wide open, so be bellied on up and took our seats.Trader-Sam's-Raymond Trader-Sam's-Tentacles

What to order?  The menu was large and contained a wide variety of drink choices as well as some delicious sounding snack options.  I wanted a specialty drink, but knew that some of them could be quite pricey, so I chose the relatively economical Polynesian Pearl.  Raymond ordered the Kona Beer Flight and we decided on the Pan-fried Dumplings with Soy-Sesame Dipping Sauce to snack on.Trader-Sam's-Kona-Beer-Flight Trader-Sam's-Dumplings

Like many of the signature drinks, the Polynesian Pearl was made with quite a bit of ceremony and flair (no spoilers here).  Raymond’s beer flight was delivered in the customary way.  Not a fan of mixed drinks, I wished I’d have ordered something with fewer ingredients than the Pearl, but I enjoyed the presentation if not the actual drink itself (I did keep the drink container, but consumed less than half the contents).Trader-Sam's-PearlTrader-Sam's-Drink-CeremonyThe dumplings were very delicious.  Our take-away?  Service:  Adequate, not overly friendly. Mixed drink: so-so.  Beer flight: thumbs-up. Snacks: A-OK!  Atmosphere:  Cave-like and noisy from both people and special effects.   (Read all about Trader Sam’s theme and backstory plus many more details here.)Jock-Lindsey's-Sign

We found Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar just opening for the day when we happened to have a few spare minutes before our lunch reservation at Morimoto Asia.  Upon entering, we found a bright, very well-themed lounge with soaring ceiling, smiling servers and plenty of seating.  Jock-Lindsey's-Interior Jock-Lindsey's-Shelves Jock-Lindsey's-Flight-JacketLike Trader Sam’s, the details are absolutely incredible.  We became totally immersed in the theme.  Also like at Sam’s, seats at the bar were open, so we sat on down and were immediately greeted by our very friendly server, “Howdy” (a nickname she was given due to being from Texas).  She was full of interesting facts about the bar and was ready with suggestions about what we should order to eat.  When we told her we’d just stopped in for a beer and were headed to lunch across the way at Morimoto Asia, she was happy to offer her recommendations on what we might like to eat there.Jock-Lindsey's-Howdy Jock-Lindsey's-Bar-Seating Jock-Lindsey's-Beers Jock-Lindsey's-Bar

The menu is an entertaining book full of clever add-ins along with the bar’s selection food and beverages.  We ordered Orlando IPAs and, since there was hardly anyone else there, I wandered around looking at all the neat stuff – and there are a LOT of cool artifacts.  Jock-Lindsey's-Menu-Cover Jock-Lindsey's-Menu-Page Jock-Lindsey's-MenuAgain, no spoilers – you really need to see this place and discover all the fantastic surprises for yourself!  It’s sort of a cross between a museum and a hoarder’s garage, but the combo definitely works!Jock-Lindsey's-Details Jock-Lindsey's-Cast-Member Jock-Lindsey's-Reggie's-Revenge Jock-Lindsey's-Swizzle-Sticks

Between the two…Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto or Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar…which one do we most want to visit again?  It’s Jock’s, absolutely.  The atmosphere, service, and overall experience trumped Trader Sam’s (our opinion).  While we enjoyed both locations and were pleased with how well-themed and kind of funkily (is that a word?) retro they both are.  Jock’s left us wanting more and we are even now planning how to squeeze in another stop there on our next Walt Disney World vacation (two weeks to go!).

Have you been to Trader Sam’s or Jock Lindsey’s?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

Disney Dining – Shula’s Steakhouse

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Shula's-Place-SettingSo many restaurants, so little time!  At Walt Disney World, steak-lovers have no shortage of options.  Three popular choices include Le Cellier (Epcot, World Showcase Canada Pavilion), Yachtsman’s Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort),  and Shula’s Steakhouse (Dolphin Resort).  We’d tried two of the three and on our most recent trip to the World made dining at Shula’s for the first time a top priority.  And we were so happy we did!

Disney Dining – Shula’s Steakhouse

If you’re not a football fan, brace yourself for the décor when you walk through the door (you’ll get used to it once you taste the first bite of food).  If you ARE a football fan, you are going to love Shula’s theme.  Shula's-Orlando Shula's-Dining-Room-OrlandoThe original Shula’s Steakhouse opened in 1989 (Miami Lakes, Florida) and, according to our hostess, the first menus were printed on footballs.  This explained why she escorted us to our table carrying a football (one of the menu-bearing ones) – which she left on our table for us to examine at our leisure.Shula's-Football

The wait-staff (dressed formally in black and white) is very serious about making dining in Shula’s an excellent, worth-the-splurge experience.  They are professional yet friendly and informative – a team working together to achieve the goal (see what I did there?) of scoring a return visit from first-time guests.  In our case, it was a big victory.Shula's-Wine Shula's-Bread

We started with an appetizer to share – the BBQ Shrimp – recommended by our server, Kyle.  The unique sauce and preparation made this dish a big hit with us.  Sweet, tangy, smoky and with a lovely crunch of bacon!Shula's-BBQ-Shrimp

We also shared a salad – the Chopped tomato and mozzarella, which was also delicious, but in hindsight, we should not have ordered because we could not finish the most important course of the evening.Shula's-Salad

It really is all about the steak.  Raymond and I each ordered a filet.  According to Shula’s website, the “Shula Cut” is key to how these (insert adjective of your choice here.  Ours include amazing, incredible, indescribably delicious, ridiculously tender, and unbelievably tasty) steaks achieve their well-earned reputation.  Shula's-Filet-Two Shula's-Filet-OneSeriously – if you love steak, you will be ecstatic.  Kyle stepped in with another recommendation on a side dish – the corn.  Corn?  Seriously?  OMG!!!  This was not like any corn we’d had before.Shula's-CornLike Kyle, we highly recommend the corn!  We also ordered a side of sautéed spinach.  (If you’re old enough to be a Quick Draw McGraw fan like me, we were like Snuffles the dog with our dinner!)Shula's-Plate-Before

Without a doubt, we loved our experience at Shula’s and wouldn’t change a single thing – except maybe skipping the salad so we could have finished our steaks and eaten more corn!  We skipped dessert and made our way back to our room at the Polynesian with joyful taste buds and full bellies.  Shula’s is now, without a doubt, our favorite steakhouse on Disney property.  Note:  Shula’s is not on the Disney Dining Plan, but does accept Tables In Wonderland.

Have you been to Shula’s?  What did you order?  Did your experience match ours?

Mitsukoshi in Epcot – Sake Tasting

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Mitsukoshi-EntranceOur love for World Showcase is indescribable – The whole being so much greater than the sum of its parts.  One of the very best of those individual parts is and always has been the Japan pavilion’s Mitsukoshi Department Store.  More than a shop – it’s a destination on its own – worth making time for or planning in advance.  Spend some time in this fantastic building and tell me if you don’t agree – what cool merchandise!  Amazing sights, sounds, tastes!  Fabulous service – excellent Cast Members!  And sake tasting.  Did I mention the sake tasting?Japan-Epcot

Sake is an adult beverage.  Referred to as rice wine, sake is actually brewed more like beer, but has a unique flavor unlike anything else.  We like sake with sushi and other Asian dishes, but until recently knew only basic sake info and had no idea it came in so many different kinds.  We learned all about Sake in Mitsukoshi at the Sake Bar.Mitsukoshi-Sake-Bar-Cast-Member

Way in the back of the store is the coolest room devoted to Japanese food, snacks, candy, and beverages – including Sake.  I highly recommend a stop into this very impressive corner…in fact, here are five reasons you should give it a try…

Mitsukoshi in Epcot – Sake Tasting

Enjoy Delicious Sake – There are choices aplenty.  Raymond chose something dry.  I chose my sake strictly on the fact that it contained gold flakes.  It just seemed so exotic and decadent!  I couldn’t pass it up.

Learn Something New – We picked up quite a bit of information just listening to the couple next to us ask questions.  The patient and knowledgeable Japanese Cast Member knew her sake!  Basically, she explained this, but with gracious loveliness and flair.Mitsukoshi-Sake-Menu3

It’s Economical – Unlike most pubs or lounges, this walk-up counter does not accept gratuities.  The price you see is what you pay and for less than $10 per serving, the entire experience is worth the price.Mitsukoshi-Sake-Menu

It’s Fun and Relaxing – This is actually not the place to take a load off since you stand at the counter, but stopping for a few minutes to be adventurous felt very relaxing.  We meandered through Mitsukoshi making our way to the sake bar and back out to World Showcase again.  We spent about 30 minutes there and loved every minute.  What a welcome break from the crazy World Showcase crowds!Mitsukoshi-Sake-Selection

Shop!  Mitsukoshi has a staggering array of goods.  From the pick-a-pearl counter to the knives and swords, the clothing, jewelry, home goods, bonsai trees, tea sets, chop sticks…and so much more.  Want to know more?  Read all about it here.

Have you visited the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Epcot?  What’s your favorite section? Did you know about the sake bar?  Is it something you’d try?

Has Disney Transportation Improved?

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Magic-Kingdom-Boat-DockOur family has sort of a love/hate relationship with Disney transportation.  We love the convenience and we certainly appreciate not having to rent a car or go through the hassle of navigating ourselves around Walt Disney World on vacation.  We hate waiting more than 30 minutes for a bus and we still, after all these years, have a hard time estimating the time it will take to get from points A to B – especially when we’re trying to get from a park to Disney Springs, which takes quite a bit of strategizing at times.  We’ve also noticed quite a few monorail breakdowns and closures in recent years, which can be frustrating (especially if you’ve just finished a runDisney event, are freezing, and desperately trying to get to Bay Lake Tower!).

Braced for crazy crowds and slow transportation during the über-busy week between Christmas and New Year, we’d built extra travel time into our daily touring and dining plans to allow for longer waits for the sure-to-be-packed busses, boats, and monorails.Disney-Friendship-BoatTurns out, it was unnecessary.  Except for one morning when then monorail we’d intended to take from the Polynesian to Magic Kingdom was down due to a loss of power, Disney seemed to have upped their transportation game.Disney-Bus

At the resorts, extra Cast Members were on hand at bus stops to help guests find the right bus, answer questions and give estimated wait times (not all stops have new screens installed yet for this information).  We rarely waited more than 5 minutes for a bus throughout the week and the longest we waited for any transportation was when we took the boat from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Epcot (but we had time & love this particular trip).Monorail-Red

We felt that Disney transportation was consistently better on this vacation than it had been for several years.  Was it due to the time of year we were there?  Were we simply lucky?  Is this a trend we can expect to continue?  We’ll have to wait and see, but after having my own complaints about Disney transportation and listening to the frequent criticisms of others, I thought I’d take the time to say that we were delighted with our most recent experience and look forward to our next visit in a few weeks.Disney-Boat-Transportation

Your turn – Have you visited Walt Disney World recently?  Was the transportation different than on previous visits?  Better? Worse? The same?  Are you someone who tries NOT to use Disney transportation at all?  Please share your transportation tips!