food IS a theme park
So guess what I had to try — and add to our “You Won’t Believe This!” Snack Series — when I went to Disney World in April?
Zebra Cupcake
Guys, this Zebra cupcake is massive. Its construction is akin to one of our favorites [Read more…]
This blog has allowed me to meet so many talented and dynamic individuals, one of whom was kind enough to put together this guest blog about one of my favorite spots, California Grill! Kristen Heptinstall, of Southern Web Girl, visited the Contemporary Resort’s top floor with her husband a while back. Take it away, Kristen!
Hi! I’m Kristen. My husband Brian and I live in Birmingham, Ala., where I work as a Web editor and he works as a chef.
Brian and I returned to Disney World the last week of April 2010 to celebrate our 1st anniversary. On our anniversary, April 25th, we celebrated by going to the Magic Kingdom for the day — a bonus was that MK was on Extra Magic Hours that day and open until 2 a.m.!
We decided to have our anniversary dinner at our favorite signature restaurant from our honeymoon in 2009, California Grill at the Contemporary Resort.
(Note: We have been to 2-credit signatures Jiko, Narcoossee’s, Citrico’s, California Grill, and Hollywood Brown Derby, but have yet to go to Artist Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Flying Fish or Victoria & Albert’s. So we’re about halfway there. Whoaaaa livin’ on a prayer!).
We left MK in the evening, changed at our resort, then returned to the Contemporary. Storms were threatening, and it had been overcast all day, so I was checking my iPhone constantly for radar [Read more…]
Wolfgang Puck Express
You heard about our Five Best “One-Credit” Table-Service Values last week, so I wanted to share what I believe to be the five best quick-service values today! These are my picks based on what you get for one quick-service credit on the Disney Dining Plan; they may not stand up as the best when we consider paying out of pocket.
Hopefully this will be useful to those of you heading down to the World for free dining this fall!
With the famous (and delicious) rotisserie chicken ringing up at over $14 plus tax, it costs more than some table service meals. Some of the salads and sandwiches alone will cost [Read more…]
Beach Club Marketplace Refillable Mug Station
StitchKingdom is reporting that Disney has applied for a patent that could mean the end of the beloved refillable mugs in Disney Parks and Resorts…or at least the end of the free refills…
The new “Self-Service Beverage and Snack Dispensing Using Identity-Based Access Control” system would mean that your Key to the World card — or even potentially your fingerprint — could do more than just get you into the parks; it could determine your fate as to how many refills of that Orange Fanta you can get next time you’re at Pop Century’s Food Court!
That’s right, Disney’s proposing using RFID technology to put an end to endless refills — unless you’re [Read more…]
OK, you’ve booked this Fall’s free dining package, and now you’re not so sure which table-service spots deserve the credit (pun intended!)? Below are my top picks for best value in the “one table-service credit” realm of Walt Disney World restaurants. And for more tips on where to apply those credits, check out the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2017 Second Edition!
For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, Disney World offers a vacation package add-on called the Disney Dining Plan. This works a lot like your meal plan when you were back in school — you pay a set price in exchange for a certain number of credits.
Each table-service restaurant meal in Disney World is worth a certain number of credits, the vast majority of them being worth one credit. In this post, I’m describing my picks for one-credit table-service restaurants that offer the most bang for the Dining Plan buck.
Yep, one of the most popular character meals on property is also a great value with the Dining Plan.
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s, which offers your kiddos the opportunity to meet the entire fab five — Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie (and sometimes Daisy!) — ranks at the top of the heap when it comes to character meal buffet pricing. Not to mention, the location is ideal: you’re just a monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom.
By the way, both breakfast and dinner are overpriced here, so feel free to use your dining credit for either!
This is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular restaurants — hands down — and its family style, Hawaiian-themed meals are only part of the reason. ‘Ohana also offers an incredible view of the Magic Kingdom Fireworks from its perch atop the Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian Village Resort.
‘Ohana Bread Pudding
Breakfast at ‘Ohana features Mickey, Lilo, Stitch, and their friends in an all-you-care-to-enjoy Hawaiian masterpiece of a meal (including mini Mickey Waffles!). Dinner has no characters but does hold the hope for many guests for the chance to see those fireworks while digging into some incredible ‘Ohana Bread Pudding.
Price-wise, ‘Ohana is a bit more expensive than even Chef Mickey’s; coming in around $30 per adult, this is a great trade-in for a table-service credit.
(Tip: When you’re done with dinner, head down to Pineapple Lanai to trade in a snack credit for a Dole Whip!)
Another incredible buffet makes its way into our top five values list! Boma is located on the bottom floor of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House, and serves up African-themed cuisine straight from an African “marketplace”-inspired restaurant.
Boma’s Zebra Domes
While this place is pretty pricey for a buffet, it also offers the valuable asset of being located in one of Disney World’s most unique resort hotels — and you and your kids can benefit from that! By arriving a bit early for your meal, while there’s still daylight left, you’ll be able to head outside and gaze — up close — at the majestic animals of the savannas. Giraffe, zebra, Ankole cattle, flamingos, and more will be right there in front of you! And if you have questions, the Lodge has provided knowledgeable “interpreters,” who can help you to better understand not only the animals, but also the countries they’re from.
After dinner, head out to the African fire pit around 7:30pm for some authentic African storytelling as the sun goes down. Then, if you still haven’t had your fill, take part in the resort’s “night-vision goggle” experience, where you can watch the savanna animals up close to find out what they do once night falls!
Sounds like a pretty full evening to me — and all for the cost of one table-service credit.
Surprised by this one? Me, too. But the bottom line is that Coral Reef Restaurant 1.) is expensive, and 2.) has a giant aquarium for a wall. Let’s face it, kids love watching the fish (and sometimes dolphins!) swim around in that floor-to-ceiling aquarium.
Coral Reef, a Table Service Restaurant
And while this restaurant might not be worth the money to pay out of pocket, it is worth your one dining plan credit — if only to watch them freak out about how cool it is to eat at a restaurant inside an aquarium.
The food at Coral Reef hasn’t always knocked our socks off, but the menu has improved over the years so that it’s an enjoyable meal. The “chocolate wave” dessert remains a specialty.
Price-wise, dinner entrees run between $20-$30, and desserts all cost $8 apiece, so you’re likely going to save some money by using the dining plan here.
With more than 650 pages, the 2017 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining, Second Edition is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 20+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!
With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to get your copy of the 2017 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining, Second Edition E-book — and use code SAVE2017 for a 20% discount for a limited time!
Would love to hear your thoughts on the best value for a one-credit table-service meal. Have you stumbled across any deals lately? Let us know in the comments section below!
For more of our favorites, check out our Best Disney World Restaurants series!
One of Disney World’s most beloved counter service restaurants isn’t actually a Disney restaurant at all — it’s part of a chain of sandwich shops called Earl of Sandwich! We still love it, though, and couldn’t wait to highlight it here on the blog.
Atmosphere
Located in Downtown Disney’s Marketplace, Earl of Sandwich is a restaurant wrapped up in a history lesson. As the story goes, John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich in England, invented the sandwich as an easy, eat-on-the-run (or while playing cards) meal. Today, the 11th Earl of Sandwich and his family have taken the name to new heights by developing Earl of Sandwich stores and selling high-quality, delicious sandwich varieties along with fresh [Read more…]
The time is nigh!!!
Disney has announced that Visa cardholders booking a full-price vacation package can get free dining for check-in dates between 8/15 and 10/2, 2010. Here are the details:
Learn more about the Disney World Dining Plans on our Disney World Dining Plans reference page.
I put out the call on Twitter and Facebook for everyone’s best Disney Dining advice (because you guys are the experts!!). A lot of the responses could be combined, conveniently, into what I think is one awesome Top Ten list:
TOP TEN: DINING TIPS FROM THE DISNEY EXPERTS
1. Make Reservations
This piece of advice was mentioned dozens of times: Make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) no matter what…and make them early! We suggest you plan ahead and make dining reservations for your high priority meals 180 days ahead of your visit to Disney World and 60 days ahead of your visit to Disneyland. (To us, they’re all high priority, so we just make all of our reservations as soon as we can.)
For those wondering if going to the parks during a traditionally slow season negates the need for ADRs, it doesn’t. The popular restaurants are always popular, and Disney’s “slow seasons” are getting shorter and shorter. Making reservations usually costs nothing, and can save you lots of time during your trip. Here’s a primer on how to make reservations for Disney Restaurants.
Of course, if you’re dead set against making advanced reservations, here are a few of our suggested restaurants you can still get into without an ADR.
Fluffy Omelet Brunch at Be Our Guest
2. Do Your Research
Lots of folks suggested that an important part of planning your Disney dining is doing research about the restaurants and dining options available. I couldn’t agree more. Check out restaurant reviews, learn from other Disney fans how they handled Dining planning for their vacations, read trip reports, and sift through the posts here on the Disney Food Blog. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to create a seamless Dining strategy that will be enjoyable for your whole family.
One great tip: take stock of the types of eaters you’re bringing with you; make sure you know if you need to plan for fussy eaters, specific eating schedules, food allergies or intolerance, or just plan likes and dislikes, then translate that into your research.
We have plenty of dining reviews right here on the Disney Food Blog, of course, but we also have some great reference information on choosing restaurants when you have special diets to consider. Check out our Disney Dining Reference Page or the “food allergies” section below for more.
3. Coordinate Dining with Park Hours, Early Theme Park Entry, and Extended Theme Park Hours
This is another research tip, and a great way to make your time at the Disney theme parks go much more smoothly. Disney World posts their park hours on their website six months in advance, and Disneyland posts park hours in advance as well. [Read more…]
Thanks to Chip and Co. for this guest review of Cindy’s! As it turned out, his family didn’t love the place; but there are some great insights here as a result. Thanks again, Chip!
On paper, this sounded like a great idea. I mean who wouldn’t want to have dinner inside the castle at Walt Disney World?
“Let’s have dinner in Cinderella’s Castle.”
“That sounds great. It will be so magical!”
“It will cost us 2 dining credits each.”
“Well I am sure it will be really good, then.”
I can still hear the conversation with my wife ringing in my head. [Read more…]
Before I launch into the round-up, here are a few quick reminders about some big food news reported this week:
Now, off we go to the round-up! Plenty of good Disney food writing this week, including some great news items:
StitchKingdom reports that the Cantina de San Angel refurbishment is underway.
WDWMagic has a photo gallery of the Cantina refurb walls, and also has photos of pizzeria construction in Italy.
WDWNewsToday shares photos of the Crystal Palace refurb and a dry Splash Mountain at Disney World!
Imaginerding has the second of two posts in its Restaurantosaurus Book Update.
Vintage Disneyland Tickets shares photos and info about a 1967 LP titled New Year’s Eve at Disneyland, presented by Pepsi-Cola.
MagicCityMayhem posted a twitpic of the new Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. souvenir popcorn buckets at Disney World. You can find Magic City Mayhem here.
The Disney Blog has new about the eggs at House of Blues Restaurants, including Downtown Disney Orlando.
Everything WDW considers the merits of the Disney Dining Plan.
Main St. Gazette visits WDW’s Cinderella’s Royal Table.
A Walt Disney World Career celebrates dining at 50% of WDW’s table service restaurants. I shall have to go add up my own experiences and see if I’m even close!
Orlando Sentinel’s Daily Disney shares the recipe for Tony’s Town Square’s Tomato Dip with Goat Cheese.
Finally, here’s one I missed a while back (sorry!). Magical Kingdoms Disney Blog shares a review of Free Dining in Disneyland Resort Paris.
Thanks for sharing all of your news, thoughts, and insights about Disney food! Have a great week!
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