Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Dining – Resort Loop Table Service (Part 2)

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RM-Polynesian-Lobby2Hop on the monorail with me for part two of our tour of resort loop table service dining options.  Today we’re headed to the Polynesian Village Resort and the two sit-down dining options there.  While choices seem somewhat limited, both restaurants are well-priced, and offer delicious fare in a casual atmosphere.

Walt Disney World Dining – Resort Loop Table Service (Part 2)

Polynesian Table Service

‘Ohana (1 TS credit) – Looking for great atmosphere and all you can eat?  This is the place for you…unless you failed to book an ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) then getting in is probably impossible.  This place is wildly popular!  For dinner, gather ’round and enjoy the family style dining and parade of grilled meats from the open fire pit. There’s something for everyone at this family friendly location.  'OhanaStarters include some mighty awesome wings, pork dumplings, and salad.  The pineapple-coconut bread is outstanding!  Chicken, shrimp and steak are brought to your table throughout dinner Brazilian Barbecue-style.  Sides include noodles and stir-fried vegetables. Sadly, my favorite Maui Potatoes, once the best (to me) part of an ‘Ohana dinner, are long gone from the menu.  Dessert is bread pudding and you’ll want to save room for it!

RM-Kona-SignKona Café (1 TS credit) – Home of the world-famous Tonga Toast!  On our upcoming trip, Raymond and I are staying at the Polynesian and may finally get to see what all the hubbub’s about over this breakfast specialty.  I can say, Dinner’s great, if a bit crowded table-wise, and the menu is full of excellent choices that make the eating part of this place feel more like a Signature (2-table-credit) place to me. RM-Kona-EntranceIn spite of the bad service we had here on our first visit, we already have a dinner reservation booked for Princess Half Marathon weekend.  As an alternative to ‘Ohana, Kona Café is a great choice.  The Pan-Asian menu includes delicious appetizers like pot-stickers, sticky wings, and Samoan corn fritters, a variety of sushi options and reasonably priced entrees ranging from lamb, beef, and pork to chicken and duck, to shrimp, scallops, and other seafood options.RM-Kona-Wings

Again, the Poly may not offer as many table-service options as the other stops on the Resort Loop (and no signature dining), but the two options there are, plus excellent quick service choices and the dinner show available (Spirit of Aloha) mean this iconic, original resort has something delicious for even the hungriest guests!

What’s your favorite place to eat at the Polynesian? 

Epcot’s World Showcase – Holiday Storytellers

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Epcot’s World Showcase – Holiday Storytellers

by Nick

I love Santa Claus. Always have, I am, after all, named after the Saint himself.

I also enjoy hearing and reading about the various gift givers that different cultures have.
One of my very favorite things about the Holiday Around the World at Epcot is the storytellers that several of the countries have.

My wife, friends, and I caught as many of the offerings as possible on our recent trip, and I’ve shared a brief look in my trip reports, but I thought it appropriate to share a more in depth look at them on this Christmas Day.

Heading around to the right of World Showcase, we’ll start with Father Christmas, who can be found in the United Kingdom.

Each pavilion’s storyteller has a scroll describing customs and traditions from that country, and you can find appearance times in park guides.

Father Christmas shares a few of the traditions that started in the UK, such as the sending of Christmas Cards in 1843, and the hanging of mistletoe which dates back to the Druidic ceremonies of the Winter Solstice.

Many storytellers also pose for photos with guests.

 
Left to right: Barbie, Nick, Father Christmas, Jill, Nicole, and Josh

Moving on to France, we find Père Noël, who delivers gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

He tells of the importance of the Creche, or Nativity Scene. Traditionally, candles are lit around the Creche, or a special Yule Log is burned on the fire.
He continues telling us of le reveillon, a feast after Midnight Mass, and how children set our shoes around the Christmas tree in anticipation of a visit from le Père Noël.

Continuing on to Japan, we learn about O-Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year. lasting from January 1st through the 3rd. An important symbol of the New Year is the Daruma Doll. There are no pupils in the Darumas eyes. The tradition is to make a wish, and paint a pupil in the left eye. If the wish comes true, you paint in the right pupil.

We’ll come back to The American Adventure later. Our next stop for now will be Italy.
To me, the most heart wrenching tale of a gift bringer is that of the kind-hearted witch La Befana who arrives on the eve of the Epiphany, January 5th, to grant gifts to good children.

As her story goes, the Three Wise Men visited Befana at her home and asked if she knew where to find the baby Jesus. She did not, but offered them shelter for the night. The magi invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the little baby. -sniff- This story gets me every time I hear it.

In Germany, we meet Helga, who teaches us how to say Merry Christmas in German. She explains how many Christmas traditions such as the advent calender and Christmas trees began in Germany. She also tells us of her first nutcracker.

Norway has, in my opinion, one of the most entertaining gift givers, Julenissen, the Christmas Gnome.

But before we meet him, we meet Sigrid, who cannot see Julenissen, only we, the audience can at first.

While we learn of the traditions of Christmas in farm communities in Norway, Julenissen gets up to mischief, and plays tricks on poor Sigrid, with the help of the audience, until, in the end, he reveals himself to her.

Back to The American Adventure, where Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are represented, both of which we never did get to see this trip.

Here, you won’t hear a story from Santa, but instead, get to sit on his knee, and tell him what you’d like for Christmas. He is joined by Mrs. Claus.

Did we get our photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus? Of course!
In fact, Barbie made the dress she is wearing for just this occasion!

Regardless of how you celebrate, we wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

Don’t miss a moment of Nick and Barbie’s Disney adventures!  Follow along at the Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest. You can listen to Nick, our friend Dave and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about…well, you can probably guess.

Headed to Walt Disney World in 2016? The Disney Exchange Podcast will be having a meet-up in February during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend! Details will be available on The Disney Exchange’s Facebook Page and also on Twitter. We’d love to see you there!!!

 

Walt Disney World 2016 – 6 Things I’ll Miss

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Change happens all the time.  While some changes are welcome (bring on Pandora in Animal Kingdom and Star Wars in the Studios!), others take some time to get used to. There have been (or will soon be) a few changes that will leave noticeable holes in our future vacations…

Walt Disney World 2016 – 6 Things I’ll Miss

The Roasted Pork Shank at Gaston’s Tavern – My beloved pork shank is gone!  Somewhere near the end of October it disappeared from the menu at Gaston’s and beef stew took its place. Based on everything I’ve read, the pork shank’s absence is permanent.  I love the area around Gaston’s Tavern, but gone is my reason for entering the restaurant itself.  I’m sure I’m better off without the fat and calories, but that sure was one delicious hunk of meaty goodness.RM-Gaston's-Pork-Shank-and-Lefou's-Brew

Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons (discontinued beginning in January 2016) – It was a thing…you know, a vacation tradition!  Soarin’ early in the morning with a stop for breakfast at Sunshine Seasons afterwards.  Raymond and I always split a breakfast sandwich and potatoes with a chocolate croissant for dessert.  We’ve never eaten at Sunshine Seasons for any meal except breakfast – maybe it’s time to give lunch a try.Sunshine Seasons Breakfast

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (Ending after the 2015 holiday season) – It’s hard to see anything go that had a successful 20-year run.  The lights were part of many families’ Christmas traditions and will most definitely leave a gap.  There’s no doubt that new and exciting things are in store for us in the Studios’ future.  Maybe the lights will return in a different venue?  I hope so.

Soarin’, The Original – While we can still see the original Soarin’ through January 3rd, I’m counting it among the losses for this year.  I’m going to say goodbye and I’m going to be enormously sad.  This ride has been one of my favorites since it opened and I’ve got those silly emotional attachments to it fueled by happy memories of many, many family vacations that involved Epcot rope-dropping and bee-lining for the Land.Soarin's Patrick

World Showcase Entertainment – In September of 2014, Epcot lost several acts at once (Off Kilter, Mo’Rockin, World Showcase Players, and the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps).  I’m pointing this out, not because they were individually near and dear to my heart, but because I would expect discontinued acts to be replaced with new ones of equal quality.  Such was not the case!  In fact, as of November 24th, 2015 the Canada Pavilion’s Lumberjack show, just a year old, ended for good.  This show was never well-received by the general public and personally I did not care for the act’s county-fair-ish-ness.  This is Walt Disney World!  Much of World Showcase’s charm has always been based on the availability of a variety of quality live performances.  I’m hoping for a return to the days of fun acts and great music!

Duffy!  He no longer appears for a meet-and-greet in Epcot.  Yes, I have referred to him as the “Domestic Dispute Named Duffy”, but as an inside joke in our family, he was priceless!  He might be controversial (like a Kardashian, he’s famous for being famous) but he was one of the cutest and funniest characters we’d ever interacted with.  The kids won’t miss him a bit, but Raymond and I will remember him fondly.RM-Duffy

What about you?  What will you miss the most at Walt Disney World next year?  The Sorcerer’s Hat?  Star Wars Weekends?  Something completely different?  Shout it out now – you’ll feel better.

 

Walt Disney World Dining – Resort Loop Table Service (Part 1)

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RM-Bay-Lake-Tower-Contemporary-ViewIt’s time to talk about food (Big Surprise, right?).  Pros and Cons of Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Resort Table Service dining, to be exact.  As always, I’m providing information mostly based on my own experiences and opinion – I like to be completely honest.  This means I’ll do my best to give you balanced reviews.  Since there are three resorts on the Monorail, I thought we’d, you know, make this simple and take one at a time.  Thus, part one is Disney’s Contemporary table service dining options – it gets the #1 spot because it’s my favorite resort.  Let’s talk food!

Walt Disney World – Resort Loop Table Service Restaurants (Part 1)

Hop on the monorail from the Magic Kingdom and you are just a stop or three away from some of the very best dining those genius Disney chefs can dish out!  The best part of this deal is that you can easily avoid in-park dining if you want to.  Not that the Magic Kingdom’s food is all bad, but it is somewhat limited if you want to get away from the crowds a bit and maybe have an adult beverage (currently only available in-park at Be Our Guest for dinner).  On the resort loop, you will find quite a variety of experiences to choose from and while I’ve not eaten at every restaurant in every monorail resort, I’ve eaten at enough of them to make some well-informed recommendations.  I’ll also include the number of table service credits each eatery requires for those of you who use a dining plan.RM-Monorail

Contemporary Resort Table ServiceIMG_2651

Chef Mickey’s (buffet, 1 TS credit) – Character dining at its best.  I’ve covered the joys of meeting the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto) in a couple of previous posts because we have had many excellent times at Chef Mickey’s for both breakfast and dinner.  Pros: No waiting in line in the Florida heat to meet these beloved characters – you get one-on-one time for plenty of prime photo ops.  The buffet, while not extremely imaginative, is full of decent, basic food with plenty of choices that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.  Cons: It’s loud, super crowded (usually), and you can often find a bunch of families with ill-behaved children.  It’s worth it, though, especially since boys and girls alike will enjoy the character lineup here.RM-The-Wave

The Wave (1 TS credit) – Raymond and I stopped in for a late lunch and ate in the bar.  What a delightfully unexpected surprise!  We shared several things which were all absolutely delicious and we each enjoyed a fantastic glass of red wine.  The menu offers fresh, sustainable, locally grown ingredients.  Pros: Good eats for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.  Expect a decent selection that is designed to please almost everyone.  The dinner menu includes beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and a couple of vegetarian options as well.  Cons: Décor is Dark and a little dreary – feels like you’re in a basement.RM-California-Grill-Menu

California Grill (2 TS credits) – LOVE this place.  I thought our dinner here on our 25th Anniversary Celebration trip (October, 2014) was absolutely fantastic with some extra-special touches just for us.  Raymond wished we’d gone someplace quieter.  To me, pretty much everything about this place is great – the atmosphere, the view, the food, the wine list.  RM-California-Grill-InteriorYes, it’s expensive and while we’ve taken our kids to eat here, I would categorize the California Grill as a best-appreciated-by-adults dining experience.  Pros: Excellent menu and service, great view of Magic Kingdom, guests are welcome to watch Wishes from the restaurant (If you had dinner there early, you can come back later the same evening.).  Cons:  If there are lots of children present, the noise and action can kind of kill the romantic atmosphere – make a late reservation to minimize the impact.

Check back soon for Parts 2 & 3 – Table service options at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Have you eaten at Disney’s Contemporary Resort?  What restaurant(s) would you recommend?