Walt Disney World News

Walt Disney World® Resort Beyond the Bun

by Magic Maker® Tara Radulski

“MOM!  I’m hungry!”

As the mother to two young boys, both of which are in the 95th percentile or higher for their height, we hear this often at home…and even more when we are on vacation.  Just the other weekend we went to Fort Worth, Texas for the day to enjoy the Children’s Museum.  To our delight, the Fort Worth Stock Yard show was also going on, and we had the opportunity to enjoy it as well.  The only downfall to our day was having lunch at the stockyard show.  Just the thought of eating at fairs or amusement parks is enough to send me running for my antacid! The burgers, fries, corndogs, chicken strips, fried pickles and such make up just about the entire menu selection.  I know it’s bad when my kids start asking for a piece of fruit instead of more junk.

At Walt Disney World® Resort, some refer to it as Quick Service, others refer to it as Counter Service, some may even call it “fast food”.  It is all those things, but it is also much more than what you would expect from “amusement park” food.  Clients who are on one of the Disney Dining Plans, especially those on the Quick Service Dining Plan, always ask me what the best places to eat a quick meal are.  Now, I will admit that the expected burgers and fries, pizza and chicken strips are available.  But much better options abound!

In our two-part series, we’ll look at the four Walt Disney World® Resort parks and explore what Walt Disney World® Resort has to offer ‘beyond the bun’.

MAGIC KINGDOM® Park

While in the Magic Kingdom® Park you can eat like a princess on a pauper’s budget (well, not really, but almost!)  The Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square Area has Quick Service options such as their Lighthouse Sandwich which is hummus with tomato & broccoli slaw on toasted multigrain bread; or the Anchors Aweigh Sandwich with white tuna with lettuce and tomato on toasted multigrain bun; or even grilled salmon served with couscous and steamed fresh broccoli..  Also in the Magic Kingdom® Park, Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland® Area boasts half a rotisserie chicken or BBQ Ribs, both served with mashed potatoes and a seasonal vegetable.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is “natazu” and the Quick Service options are much more than typical fast food!  At the Yak & Yeti™ Local Foods Cafe, guests can dine on items such as honey chicken, sweet and sour chicken, orange beef, an Asian chicken sandwich, or Mandarin chicken salad.  Over at the Flame Tree Barbecue there are options such as half a slab of St. Louis Ribs served with baked beans and corn muffin; half a rotisserie chicken served with baked beans and corn muffin; a beef or pork sandwich served with baked beans; a smoked turkey breast sandwich served on a multi-grain bun with cole slaw; or a barbecue chicken salad served with crisp greens and tomato with balsamic vinaigrette dressing in a toasted garlic shell.

You may just have to think again before you use the words “fast food” to describe the quick service / counter service food options at the Walt Disney World® Resort! Be sure to read next week as we finish exploring quick service dining around the parks at Epcot® and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™!

2012 Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

A SALUTE TO THE EAGLES: During the Sounds Like Summer concert seriesAs the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival comes to a close, it is time to start “heating up” the park with the Sounds Like Summer concert series.

Your entire family will be grooving to the timeless tunes played by tribute bands of The Eagles, Bee Gees, U2, and more! Sounds Like Summer concerts are under the skies of the open-air America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase at Epcot®. Show times are 5:45, 7:00 and 8:15 p.m. (On July 4, showtimes are scheduled for 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.)

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series 2012 Performances

  • June 10 – June 17: Hotel California — A Salute to the Eagles
  • June 18 – June 23: Mike DelGuidice & Big Shot – The Ultimate Billy Joel Show
  • June 24 – June 30: Stayin’ Alive — A Tribute to the Bee Gees
  • July 1 – July 7: Slippery When Wet — The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
  • July 8 – July 14: The Police Experience – A Tribute to the Police
  • July 15 – July 21: SouthBound and Company — A Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • July 22 – July 28: 2U — A Tribute to U2

Please note: Entertainment is subject to change without notice.

The Sounds Like Summer concerts are included with admission to Epcot®. Contact your Magic Maker® for additional information.

More Details Surface on Be Our Guest Restaurant

Be Our Guest RestaurantAs the opening of the highly anticipated Be Our Guest Restaurant slowly draws closer, more and more details on this new dining location emerge. Back in March, we shared a video with you of the amazing mural that will serve as a backdrop making restaurant guests feel like they are part of the “Beauty and the Beast” movie.

Now, we are happy to bring you a video that details more of the inspiration behind the design and decor of the Be Our Guest Restaurant.

The Be Our Guest Restaurant is part of the New Fantasyland expansion that is currently taking place inside the Magic Kingdom® Park. The restaurant will serve as an additional counter-service location during lunch, but will offer table-service for dinner and is scheduled to open to the public prior to the holidays in 2012.

“The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow” to Open this Fall at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Capt Jack SparrowArrr, this news will be pleasin’ to the ears of Pirates fans!

Walt Disney World® Resort has announced the addition of The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™. Scheduled to open to guests sometime this fall, very few details on the attraction have been released. It is said that the attraction will immerse guests in the world of the four Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, Jason Roberts, said

“This is going to be an immersive experience. We’ll really delve into the story of Captain Jack Sparrow and put our guests in the middle of it all in new and exciting ways. Story is always the most important thing for us at Walt Disney Imagineering, but we’re always looking at new ways to tell the story that our guests have never seen before. In this attraction, we’ll let you walk in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow. It’s not ‘the making of,’ not ‘behind the scenes’ … it is really a first-person experience. We worked with the archives as well as the filmmakers while they were shooting the last movie. And as a fan, I just loved sitting through those films again and again, going through all the details and leveraging them for this new experience. It’s really been a blast.”

We will bring you more details about The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction as they become available. The attraction will replace the former Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian exhibit in Soundstage 4 that closed previously.

Spice Up Your Cinco de Mayo in Disney Parks

Mexico Pavilion Street PerformersTomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! If you will be spending the weekend inside a Disney Park, here are some ideas to spice up your weekend:

  • In the Downtown Disney® District of Disneyland® Resort, Tortilla Jo’s will be offering a special three-course menu and some specialty margaritas. The entire family can join in the fun at one of Tortilla Jo’s pinata sessions at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm followed by traditional sounds of Mexico with the Grammy award-winning Mariachi Divas from 6pm – 9:30pm.
  • Stop by the Paradiso 37 Restaurant in the Downtown Disney® Area in Florida and experience one of their platters from “Down Mexico Way.” Fill up on some burritos, enchiladas, or their Mexican dipping trio!
  • Visit the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot’s® World Showcase where Mexican heritage is celebrated every day.
    • Take the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
    • Enjoy authentic Mexican food at La Hacienda De San Angel, La Cantina De San Angel, or the San Angel Inn
    • Pay a visit to the resident tequila ambassador at La Cava del Tequila
    • Catch a performance of Mariachi Cobre – a traditional 12-piece Mexican Mariachi band
  • Head over to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and enjoy some Mexican cuisine from Maya Grill or the Pepper Market
  • Visit the Quick Service location Tortuga Tavern in Magic Kingdom® Park for a taco salad or burrito

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Paradeby Magic Maker® Leslie Aldridge

It’s time to look beyond the warmer weather and cool down with visions of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in your head.

This annual holiday party is the perfect way to delight all your senses. Your ears will be filled with the festive sounds of Christmas carols as you explore Magic Kingdom® Park. Your taste buds will dance with endless delicious cookies and hot chocolate that are compliments of Mickey Mouse. Be sure to take in the tasty aroma of gingerbread and gum balls as the Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade passes by. Your eyes will be full of wonder as the night sky shines with Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season, an exclusive fireworks spectacle just for party guests. Finally, the magic of Magic Kingdom® Park brings ‘snow’ to Main Street, U.S.A.® Area that you can feel all around as you finish up a truly Merry evening.

Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the SeasonWith only a set number of tickets available for this special event, this is a limited, exclusive opportunity for you to share Magic Kingdom® Park with your favorite characters along with special Christmas activities! While characters are subject to change, in the past there have been opportunities to meet all seven dwarfs and other unique characters, plus all night dance parties with characters like Toy Story’s Woody, Jessie and Bullseye in the Diamond Horseshoe and Chip, Dale, and Stitch in Tomorrowland® Area. Don’t forget you’ll have access to all the rides and attractions the Magic Kingdom® Park is famous for.

While Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held in November and December, the tickets you need to be one of Mickey’s special guests are on sale now! You can view the full schedule here! Contact Off to Neverland Travel® today to book your trip to Walt Disney World® Resort and your Magic Maker® can add Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to complete your experience. Because no one does Christmas like Walt Disney World® Resort.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2012

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime ParadeOnly Mickey Mouse can throw this kind of a holiday party! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a magical night inside the Magic Kingdom® that will give your family access to many exclusive holiday activities. And you won’t believe your eyes when Cinderella Castle is transformed into a glorious, wintry confection at the Magic Kingdom® Park during Castle Dream Lights!

Special Holiday Entertainment Highlights: (subject to change without notice)

  • Castle Dreamlights!
  • Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade featuring Santa Claus
  • Holiday Wishes – Celebrate the Spirit of the Season Fireworks
  • Live Disney Character stage shows
  • Character greetings throughout the Park
  • “Snow” on Main Street, U.S.A.
  • Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
  • Use of some of the most popular Magic Kingdom® attractions

 

2012 Event Dates

November 9, 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, and 30
December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 21

Times
7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Prices

Ticket prices start at $53.95 for kids 3-9 and at $58.95 for ages 10 and up.  Tickets prices vary by party date and the date of purchase (tickets cost more if you purchase them the same day as the party).  Contact your Magic Maker® for more information and to request a quote.

*This is a special event which requires a separately priced event Theme Park ticket.  Ticket prices are subject to change at any time without notice and are subject to availability.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2012

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween PartyYes, It is only May 1st, but it is time to plan ahead for your upcoming Disney Vacation! Guests staying at the Walt Disney World® Resort this fall will be hearing screams of delight – not fright – as Disney fantasy and Halloween fun come together at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This is no trick – it’s a real treat! On select nights in September and October,  this one-of-a-kind celebration gives guests the rare opportunity to visit the Magic Kingdom® in costume*, ride some of the most popular attractions and enjoy some really sweet trick-or-treating with your favorite Disney characters in their finest Halloween outfits. The party includes special music, a parade, and the spectacular Happy HalloWishes fireworks show!

2012 Event Dates:

September 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 & 30
October 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30 and 31
November 2

Event Times:

7:00 pm – 12:00 am

Entertainment Highlights: (subject to change without notice)

  • Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade!
  • Trick-or-treating throughout Magic Kingdom® Park at numerous locations
  • Happy HalloWishes fireworks spectacular – where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky!
  • Characters decked out in their favorite costumes – so wear yours, too.
  • Some of the most popular Magic Kingdom® attractions.

Pricing

Ticket prices start at $50.95 for kids 3-9 and at $55.95 for ages 10 and up.  Tickets prices vary by party date and the date of purchase (tickets cost more if you purchase them the same day as the party).  Contact your Magic Maker® for more information and to request a quote.

*For safety, costumes must not be obstructive or offensive.  This is a special event which requires a separately priced event Theme Park ticket.  Pricing subject to change without notice and availability.

New Fantasyland® Updated Dates

New Fantasyland ModelWalt Disney World® Resort has pinpointed further opening information for upcoming phases of the New Fantasyland®.

One carousel of Dumbo the Flying Elephant®, a re-themed Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini, and the Fantasyland Station of the Walt Disney World® Railroad opened as phase one back in March. The next phase, opening in July 2012, will include the second carousel of Dumbo the Flying Elephant® and a Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak play area.

Further plans include the openings of Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern, and Enchanted Tales with Belle opening before the holiday season at end of 2012. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is expected to debut in 2014.

For more information on the New Fantasyland® area of the Magic Kingdom® Park, please click here to read our previous articles.

Note: Images are Walt Disney Imagineer Models. Actual construction may vary.

Fantastic Fantasmic! Meal Experiences

Fantasmic Dinner Package

By Magic Maker® Heather Straight

Lights. Music. Pyrotechnics. Dancing. Lasers. Giant animatronic dragons. Video projected on massive screens of water. Good triumphing over evil.  The Fantasmic!  Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ in Florida and Disneyland® Park in California are nighttime extravaganzas that are the very best of Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort entertainment and showmanship, and a highlight of every vacation for my family.  No matter how many times I see the show, I never fail to get goose bumps and tear up at the crucial moment when Sorcerer Mickey…well, I won’t give away the ending, but it’s a spectacle you don’t want to miss.

The shows are so popular that it can be tough to get a seat for the action.  People begin lining up to grab a spot 60-90 minutes before show time (even longer during peak travel seasons). You can avoid the line and have a tasty meal by taking advantage of a Fantasmic! Meal Experience.

Walt Disney World Resort® Dining Options

At Walt Disney World® Resort, Fantasmic! Show plays at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ to packed crowds.  There are bleachers for sitting and some standing room at the back when the seats have all been filled (which they do for nearly every show!).  There are no bad seats here, but if you want to guarantee yourself a seat without a very long wait in line before the show, then a Fantasmic! Meal Experience is the way to go.  You’ll enjoy lunch or dinner and then get a voucher to enter the Reserved Section of the amphitheater. The restaurant choices are:

  • Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano – available for lunch or dinner, and only 1 Table Service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.
  • Hollywood & Vine – this buffet meal is available only for dinner, and is also just 1 Table Service credit on the dining plan
  • The Hollywood Brown Derby – this signature dining experience is available for lunch or dinner Fantasmic! packages, and is 2 Table Service credits on the Disney Dining Plan (or 1 credit on the Deluxe Dining Plan)

We’ve tried a Fantasmic! Meal Experience at all three restaurants; my kids’ favorite was the Hollywood & Vine buffet, but my husband and I really loved the ambiance and amazing food at The Hollywood Brown Derby (it makes for an excellent romantic diner option). These packages are very popular, especially during peak seasons; your Magic Maker can help you reserve one 180 days prior to the start of your Walt Disney World® Resort vacation. A credit card hold is required.

Disneyland® Resort Dining Options

The original home of Fantasmic! Show, the show is performed right in the middle of the action at the Disneyland® Park on the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.  There is no seating available here, just first-come, first-served standing room only (although if you arrive early enough to stake out a spot right in front, you can sit on the ground and still see the show).  If you want a chair, then the Premium Seating Dessert Package is for you.  At $60 per person, this is one of the most decadent things you can do to enhance your Disneyland® Park experience!

After you check-in with a Cast Member at a podium just across from Haunted Mansion® Attraction (we were directed to “look for the churro cart!”), you’ll be led to reserved, elevated seats front and center, with unobstructed views of the Rivers of America.  After you make yourself comfortable, another Cast Member will bring each of you a huge box filled with desserts.  Ours included mini key lime pie, cheesecake, fruit tart, and brownies, cookies, chocolate truffles, a selection of cheeses and crackers, and fruit.  It was so much food that even after I stuffed myself to bursting, I still had over half leftover to take back to the hotel (which I may have eaten for breakfast, but I’ll never tell!).  The Cast Member will also offer you all you can drink hot chocolate, coffee, hot tea, bottled water, or Coke products, and he or she will continue to serve you throughout the show.   Our view of the show was spectacular, and we felt extremely pampered.

Disneyland® Resort also offers dining packages for the wildly popular World of Color show that takes place in front of Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure® Park.  We opted for the picnic, which you can pick up for lunch or dinner.  You have a choice of several different meals that are conveniently packed into boxes and a souvenir reusable bag, and they have a great picnic area with tables and chairs.  They also offer two table service options for the World of Color package:

  • Ariel’s Grotto: 3-course dinner (great seafood choices, although the character don’t appear during dinner)
  • Wine Country Trattoria: lunch or dinner

All of these options include a ticket for the World of Color Viewing Area, and the prices range from $15.99 to $39.99.  Your Magic Maker can reserve one of these packages for you 30 days prior to your Disneyland® Resort vacation.  Full payment is required at the time of booking for both the Fantasmic! Show and World of Color packages.

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