Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

Disney Dining: Yak and Yeti at Animal Kingdom

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Welcome to “Saturdays with Nick”!  Today Nick (and Barbie) take us inside one of the most well-themed restaurants in Disney World – Animal Kingdom’s Yak and Yeti!  I’ve never been inside this restaurant…well, until now and thanks to this article, I cannot wait to give it a try in person!

Disney Dining: Yak and Yeti at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

By: Nick

Located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Asia section is perhaps one of the most beautifully themed restaurants in all of Walt Disney World, Yak & Yeti.

As with almost everything in WDW, there is a back story.
Yak & Yeti is a house owned by a wealthy merchant who has fallen on hard times. To supplement his income, he has converted his home into an establishment that well-to-do travelers might seek out in India. It is filled with items collected by the owner and his family on their travels throughout Southeast Asia.

You can spend plenty of time just looking at all the incredible items scattered throughout.

My favorite dining area is on the second floor. We request a table by the window overlooking the courtyard, making it a great place to people watch as you enjoy your meal.

My wife and I ate here during it’s opening week in 2007, and the food quality has not slipped a bit in the ensuing years.

On our most recent trip, my wife and I both ordered the same dish, the Chicken Lo Mein – Lo mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions and bean sprouts. Served with chicken $17.99.

Yes, you can get Chicken Lo Mein at any Chinese restaurant, but this is the best either of us has ever had! Perfectly cooked chicken, noodles and vegetables. I could go for some right now!

On past trips we’ve had the Baby Back Ribs – slow-roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw: $25.99.

The ribs are very tender, and the spice tangy, but by no means overwhelming. The fried rice is amazing.

Crispy Mahi Mahi – filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables: $23.99.

The mahi mahi is crispy on the outside, yet light, flaky and juicy inside. The chili sauce is lightly spicy and the vegetables are always fresh.

Duck with Anandapur Glaze – roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables: $23.99.

The duck was delicious, and the sauce a perfect compliment.

Yak & Yeti is owned by Landry’s Inc., which also owns the Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex Restaurants located at Walt Disney World, and they do not accept the Tables in Wonderland Card, but do give a 10% to Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members at lunch and dinner.

Have you eaten at Yak and Yeti?  What did you think about this unique restaurant?

Disney’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Again

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RM-7DMT-RocksAbout six months ago, I visited the Magic Kingdom’s newly expanded Fantasyland to ride the much touted and highly anticipated Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  During that first experience I was admittedly underwhelmed.  I’m 100% certain is was due all the build up and hoopla leading up (for a couple of years) to the ride’s opening and the subsequent realization that it is, in spite of all that hype, still a kiddie coaster.

I like to believe I’m a fair person and am pretty self-aware.  I knew I’d had my expectations too high for those poor Dwarfs and their train – the ride is literally two minutes long.  How much pizazz was I expecting in 120 seconds?  I rode it once and, boom! just like that, it was over.  I had to give the attraction a second chance.  A do-over.  A mulligan, if you will.  The second time, I’d know the ride’s length and what to expect so I could pay much closer attention to each and every detail.

While first impressions may make or break a relationship – not so with Disney attractions, I’m happy to report!  Attitude adjustment and FastPass+ firmly in hand, we made our way into the Seven Dwarf’s queue – it was a hot day and a couple of Cast Members were handing out cups of ice water to guests as they entered the attraction (nice touch!).  Remembering the somewhat tricky lap bar (be careful not to pull it down too far – it’s easy to do because it “glides” into place and stays there).  We climbed into our train car and waited for clearance to go.SevenDwarfsLoading

On the first ride, I was disappointed by how “firm” the cars were.  Rather than freely swinging from side to side as I’d expected, they felt stiff and barely moved.  By the second try, I noticed right away there was a lot more movement adding just the right amount of extra action to what is an amazingly smooth and quiet ride.RM-7DMT-Train1

When the train slowed down to enter the mine, I was ready!  I took in many more of the details the second time around.  This part of the ride is just fantastic!  The change from outdoor coaster, riding through the trees and hills, to a slow trip past the Dwarfs as they work is what makes this attraction so unique.  If you’ve not ridden this coaster before, be sure to pay close attention to this part!RM-7DMT-Train2

I still didn’t get a good look into the Dwarf’s cottage at the end of the ride, but did notice a few more details that I’d missed before.  I guess I’ll just have to ride it again next time I visit the Magic Kingdom.  Since we’d purchased Memory Maker, we got the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train video as a souvenir and it’s very adorable.

Have you ridden Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? What did you think of it?

 

Disney Attraction Review: Rock’n’ Roller Coaster

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Today’s installment of “Saturday’s With Nick” offers a terrific review of one of my favorite rides.  I always loving hearing a different perspective on Disney attractions, don’t you?  Enjoy!

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

by: Nick

I never considered myself a big Aerosmith fan. Sure, I liked some of their early hits, like Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, Dream On and Back in the Saddle, but never bought one of their albums, tapes, or CDs. And I really wasn’t a fan of their newer stuff.
But all that changed within the last few years.
I blame age.
My musical tastes have evolved, (though I’m still not a ballads guy).
With age has also come motion sickness.
What does any of this have to do with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you may ask?
Well, because of my lack of interest in Aerosmith, and because of motion sickness, I avoided riding this roller coaster for years.
What prompted me to get on?
Curiosity. I wanted to see if I could handle it. And you know what? I could!
But enough of all this! Let’s go on the ride!

After walking through the queue, guests enter the offices and recording studios of record label G-Force Records. The lobby is decorated with posters, rock memorabilia, and vintage recording equipment.

You then enter a room looking into the recording studio, where the five members of Aerosmith are shown working on a recording.
The group’s manager then comes in and tells the the band that they’re late for their own concert.

Lead singer Steven Tyler insists that all us fans get backstage passes to the show. The band then departs by limousine, and the manager calls for a “super stretch” to get us to the concert.

We then walk through an alley into a parking garage, owned by “Lock ‘n’ Roll Parking Systems” where we board a waiting 24 seat stretch limo for the trip across town to the event.

After loading passengers, the “limo” stops at the entrance to a tunnel.

Music is playing and an overhead sign displays a series of several different messages before a countdown. After the countdown, the car is then shot into the tunnel at 60 miles per hour.

The roller coaster goes through a series of inversions, passing signs that represent various Los Angeles Area Freeways like Interstate 5 and U.S. Route 101.
Different Aerosmith songs play, depending on which limo you get.

The ride ends when the limo arrives at the backstage of the concert venue.

I really enjoy this ride, it is very smooth, which is why I believe it doesn’t get me motion sick, and I can now enjoy Aerosmith songs in a way I couldn’t before, because they’re songs bring happy thoughts of a thrill ride I can actually go on!
I still haven’t bought any of their recordings, and for that I apologize to the members of the band who are doubtless fans of this blog!

Best Walt Disney World Foods of 2014

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Pineapple Dole WhipI did extensive research to come up with this list of food!  See, no sacrifice is too great for you and I’m carrying around a few extra pounds to prove it.  I made the most of the two-weeks-worth of Disney food consumption opportunities I had in 2014 and now organizing my thoughts on my favorite flavors and experiences is more challenging than I thought it would be.  Since we rarely eat out for breakfast (we bring granola bars from home), listing foods by meal is out.  I’m going with four categories:  Quick Service, Table Service, Snacks, and Food & Wine Booth Foods.  This is going to be fun!  Surely I’m not alone in the fact that when I think about Walt Disney World, I think about food first!

Best Walt Disney World Foods of 2014

Quick ServiceRM-Be-Our-Guest-Stained-Glass

Overall Experience:  Be Our Guest (Magic Kingdom) – While I was not thrilled with the French Onion Soup or dessert, I was completely happy with the hearty and delicious braised pork (with mashed potatoes and green beans).  Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and the details in Be Our Guest take you right into the movie in a way only Disney magic can create.  This restaurant offers quick service for lunch and table service for dinner.  After trying both, I highly recommend lunch over dinner.IMG_3779

Runner Up: Gaston’s Tavern (Magic Kingdom) – The roasted pork shank is incredibly delicious.  The décor is pure Gaston!

Table Service

Disney's Flying Fish Cafe InteriorOverall Experience:  Flying Fish Café – the food and service stand out above all the other places we enjoyed this year.  And that’s saying a lot!  We certainly enjoyed our dinners at Sanaa, Citricos, and California Grill, but there was something special about the Flying Fish.  We loved the location (on the Boardwalk), the atmosphere in the dining room, and the top shelf service.  The food was delicious.  From the artisanal cheese appetizer to the decadent chocolate dessert (with bacon on top!), everything was perfect.

Raglan Road RisottoRunner Up:  Raglan Road – a perennial favorite for the food, atmosphere, and entertainment.  This year’s visit was especially outstanding.  Not a place for a quiet meal, it’s a little rowdy and a lot of fun.

Snacks – I consumed a LOT of snacks!  Strictly for research purposes.  It had to be done and I was up to the challenge.  Here are the winners!IMG_3812RM-Epcot-Italy-Gelato-Affogato

Sweet Snack (It’s a TIE!):  Croissant Donut (a.k.a. Cronut) from Epcot’s Refreshment Port and Espresso Gelato “Affogato” from the Italy Pavilion.  I couldn’t choose a favorite between these two.  I loved them both the same.  One’s a warm, flaky, cinnamon-sugar-covered morsel from heaven.  The other’s cold and refreshing with a punch of espresso and cookies on top!  I’ll have to try them both again on my next visit to Epcot and see if that’ll break the tie.

IMG_3355Savory Snack – Jalapeno Cheese Pretzel:  We enjoyed this surprisingly delicious treat in Animal Kingdom.  The blend of flavors was just right to make it a perfect salty snack.

Food & Wine Booths – We tried as much as we could and loved nearly everything we ate.  There were many more winners than losers in our taste-testing and not a single dish went unfinished.  Picking ONE best dish is very difficult, but if I have to…

RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Crispy-Pork-BellyBrazil’s Crispy Pork Belly – If you read about our experiences at the Food & Wine Festival, you’ll remember how much we loved this treat.  A nice bit of “bacon” served on a bed of black beans.  Simple yet scrumptious.

RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Pepper-Bacon-HashRunner Up:  Pepper Bacon Hash – are you sensing a theme here?  Maybe I’m pork-deprived in my everyday life.  This dish from the Farm Fresh Booth tasted like something you could make at home.  It combined hearty potato and bacon hash with a rich and creamy hollandaise sauce, then topped it all with a few jalapeno slices.  It was rich, a little spicy, and a lot delicious!

Have you tried any of my favorites?  What foods did you like best in 2014?