Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1171

Menu Monday: My Dinner at VIVO

By Claire Nat

When I made it over to Universal Orlando Resort for the first time a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised at the close proximity of the parks and the CityWalk area. I knew that I should sample some food from the CityWalk area, and through some research I thought I should go to VIVO.

VIVO Italian Kitchen just opened up in June as part of CityWalk’s new renovations and additions. (Other restaurants recently added are Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Hot Dog Hall of Fame, and The Cowfish.) VIVO promotes itself as “modern Italian cuisine,” and the decor of the restaurant really promotes that. It feels very contemporary inside, with an open layout and lots of light.

I really enjoyed the modern decorations here, and it was a great setting with which to relax after a long day of touring around Universal. It was classy, but I didn’t feel under-dressed, either.

I was seated near the bar, and the two bartenders working waited on me. I have worked in the food industry before, and know that sometimes servers would prefer to wait on tables of two or more guests instead of a solo diner, but the bartenders were very nice and didn’t try to get me out the door as soon as possible. One of them had a nice conversation with me about Halloween Horror Nights, which he had just attended the night before.

VIVO has a full bar with an extensive wine selection from all over the world.

The restaurant was not full, but it was also a night where the parks closed early and there wasn’t any evening activities going on. All of my food came very quickly – much faster than I was expecting.

After I ordered, the bread service was delivered, and this was something I could have eaten by itself! The bread was warm, with a crunchy crust and a soft center. It was served with olive oil, but there was butter available if you wanted that instead. (I didn’t – the olive oil was perfection!)

The pasta entrees were reasonably priced, between $11 and $20. I ordered the Bucatini with Meatballs, which were “house made,” according to the menu. (You could also have ordered the meatballs a la carte as an appetizer.) I am a big fan of sauces, and the marinara sauce here was fantastic. The thick bucatini pasta worked very well with the flavors in the meatballs. The highlight here was the real mozzarella balls that were around the entree. I only wish there had been more of that!

If you are looking for more of an escape from the craziness of theme parks, a lunch or dinner at VIVO is a nice option. I am looking forward to trying more of their food in the future.

 

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Menu Monday: My Dinner at Vivo

By Claire Nat

When I made it over to Universal Studios Florida for the first time a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised at the close proximity of the parks and the CityWalk area. I knew that I should sample some food from the CityWalk area, and through some research I thought I should go to Vivo.

Vivo Italian Kitchen just opened up in June as part of CityWalk’s new renovations and additions. (Other restaurants recently added – or soon to be added – are Menchie’s, Hot Dog Hall of Fame, and The Cowfish.) Vivo promotes itself as “modern Italian cuisine,” and the decor of the restaurant really promotes that. It feels very contemporary inside, with an open layout and lots of light.

I really enjoyed the modern decorations here, and it was a great setting with which to relax after a long day of touring around Universal. It was classy, but I didn’t feel under-dressed, either.

I was seated near the bar, and the two bartenders working waited on me. I have worked in the food industry before, and know that sometimes servers would prefer to wait on tables of two or more guests instead of a solo diner, but the bartenders were very nice and didn’t try to get me out the door as soon as possible. One of them had a nice conversation with me about Halloween Horror Nights, which he had just attended the night before.

Vivo has a full bar with an extensive wine selection from all over the world.

The restaurant was not full, but it was also a night where the parks closed early and there wasn’t any evening activities going on. All of my food came very quickly – much faster than I was expecting.

After I ordered, the bread service was delivered, and this was something I could have eaten by itself! The bread was warm, with a crunchy crust and a soft center. It was served with olive oil, but there was butter available if you wanted that instead. (I didn’t – the olive oil was perfection!)

The pasta entrees were reasonably priced, between $11 and $20. I ordered the Bucatini with Meatballs, which were “house made,” according to the menu. (You could also have ordered the meatballs a la carte as an appetizer.) I am a big fan of sauces, and the marinara sauce here was fantastic. The thick bucatini pasta worked very well with the flavors in the meatballs. The highlight here was the real mozzarella balls that were around the entree. I only wish there had been more of that!

If you are looking for more of an escape from the craziness of theme parks, a lunch or dinner at Vivo is a nice option. I am looking forward to trying more of their food in the future.

 

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New Moroccan Band Debuts at Epcot

By Rikki Niblett

©Disney

Another act has officially debuted for Epcot’s World Showcase; a new Moroccan performance group called B’net Al Houwariyate. The group is an internationally-acclaimed ensemble of female performers, who play traditional instruments while dancing and performing songs that are based on Moroccan traditions. Musical styles include Berber chants, urban Marrakesh beats, and Andalucian rhythms.

B’net Al Houwariyate will appear on the stage located at the Morocco Pavilion on Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Shows last for approximately 20 minutes and will take place at 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 5:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:45 p.m.

The musical group replaces MO’ROCKIN who could previously be found playing in the Morocco Pavilion.

This is the third act to debut in the shake up of World Showcase performers; the first act is known as the Canadian Lumberjack Show, debuting on October 5 at the Canada Pavilion and the second was a flag throwing troupe called Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro who began performing on October 17 in the Italy Pavilion. The fourth and final act set to debut is a Celtic folk music ensemble for the United Kingdom Pavilion. There is no official debut date currently set for this performance troupe.

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Menu Monday: The Cowfish Orlando Now Open at Universal CityWalk

By Seth Kubersky

Take a first look inside Cowfish Orlando, the new sushi & burger restaurant at Universal’s CityWalk (photos by Seth Kubersky).

I’ll admit it: I was skeptical. When I first heard that The Cowfish — the North Carolina-based restaurant concept combining sushi and burgers into “burgushi” — was coming to Universal Orlando, I didn’t have much hope for the fishy fusion, even if it did involve two of my favorite foods. But now, after eating at Cowfish Orlando on its first night of “soft opening” to the public, I’m sold! Enjoy these Cowfish Orlando photos from our first look inside the sure-to-be-popular eatery, which should now be open daily at CityWalk.

Cowfish Orlando Exterior

Cowfish occupies both a portion of CityWalk’s ground level real estate between Red Oven Pizza and VIVO, and the second story site where the complex’s original Starbucks Coffee once sat. The look is clean, colorful, and a bit whimsical, with massive representations of the restaurant’s namesake animals.

 

 

On the second floor, you’ll find this casual outdoor bar and eating patio across from Red Coconut Club.

 

Cowfish Orlando Interior

The ironic ultra-modern motif continues inside the restaurant, starting with the giant-screen virtual fishtanks in the entryway, a continuing through the goofy bathroom signage. The bar and dining areas are clean and brightly lit, but still provide some cozy corners, along with striking views of the CityWalk complex below.

 

Cowfish Orlando Menus

Just as expected, the Cowfish Orlando menu is split between gourmet hamburgers and elaborate sushi, with a few options combining to two genres.

 

Cocktail choices are also extensive….

 

…as is the decadent dessert menu.

 

There’s even a kids’ menu with bento boxes, that doubles as an origami activity sheet.

Cowfish Orlando Food

For our first meal at Cowfish, we ordered two appetizers — the blackened tuna nachos, and spicy togarishi shrimp — plus a fusion bento box, which featured a cheeseburger slider and spicy tuna “Boss” makimono, along with a trio of side dishes.

 

The food was more than enough to satisfy two hungry adults, and we were already stuffed by the time dessert arrived. Despite being full, we couldn’t resist the cake-like “sushi” roll, fruit shortcake, or cookies with mint chocolate milk.

 

Cowfish Orlando Initial Impressions

I was admittedly apprehensive about Cowfish, but came away from our opening night dinner greatly impressed. A couple items could have used a touch more salt, or a little more crispness, but overall the flavor profiles were creative and well-balanced, and portion sizes were more than adequate for the price.

Much like VIVO and Antojitos before it, Cowfish makes a great first impression. We’ll be visiting again in the near future to make sure it continues to live up to its potential. But our initial impression is that it makes a great option when your group can’t agree whether to eat American or Asian, and wants the best of both worlds.

 

Full disclosure: I fully intended to pay for our food, and attempted to, but a manager recognized me and insisted on comping the meal. When I return (in disguise) on future visits I’ll be paying full price.  

 

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Menu Monday: A Pescetarian Guide to Disney World

By Maddi Higgins

Even spell-check does not know what a pescetarian is, so allow me to explain: a pescetarian diet is similar to a vegetarian diet, with the addition of fish. Reasons for eating pescetarian range from the health conscious to the animal loving. My family and I have been pescetarians for the past eight years–minus one stubbornly carnivorous brother. We have traveled throughout the Walt Disney World theme parks finding counter service restaurants that offer a variety of pescetarian, vegetarian, and vegan options. So whether you’re a pescetarian yourself or you ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends and think “them’s good eatins,” this pescetarian guide to Disney World is for you.

Columbia Harbor House has an extensive seafood menu. Photo by Maddi Higgins.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom’s counter service dining has vastly improved in recent years, and that improvement has included adding many pescetarian and vegetarian options.

Pescetarian Pick: When I mentioned to my fellow Cast Members that I was working on this article, Columbia Harbor House was the first restaurant mentioned by every single person. Options range from the classic fried fish and French fries to grilled salmon with couscous and broccoli. The fried selections are essentially the same as you’ll find anywhere else on property, but the Anchors Aweigh and Lighthouse sandwiches are unique selections It’s also home to my favorite kid’s meal: tuna salad sandwich on goldfish-shaped bread for only $5.99. While seafood and veggie-lovers have a great variety to choose from, pickings are relatively slim for classic carnivores. I’m also happy to see that TouringPlans.com users agree with unfailing support of the restaurant, with 93% of users giving Columbia Harbor House a positive review.

Honorable Mentions: If you can manage to get in the restaurant, Be Our Guest’s tuna Nicoise salad is yummy and you can’t beat the atmosphere. I never thought I would ever say this in my life about a restaurant in Fantasyland, but Pinocchio Village Haus actually has pretty good flatbread pizza. However, there is no reason not to walk to Columbia Harbor House no matter where you are in Magic Kingdom, considering how superior the selection is to anywhere else.

Epcot

The two main themes of Epcot are both conducive to a pescetarian diet: more environmentally-friendly fish is often used as a substitute for other meats and many cultures around the world have seafood-heavy diets. You’re never far from a delicious pescetarian meal in Epcot.

Pescetarian Pick: My mother plans her entire Disney World vacations around the number of times she can eat at Sunshine Seasons. She likes to get the oak-grilled sustainable-choice fish with green beans and potatoes, while my sister and I are partial to the togarashi seared tuna noodle salad. Each of the four stations offers a pescetarian or vegetarian option. TouringPlans readers rate it as one of the best counter service restaurants in Epcot, with a 92% approval rating and a quality rating of excellent.

Honorable Mentions: It can seem counterintuitive to eat in Future World when food from around the world is available right across Epcot. The United Kingdom pavilion serves authentic fish and chips at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop. The falafel platter at Tangerine Café in Morocco is a great value for a vegetarian option. While the sushi available at the kiosk at the Japan pavilion is not especially authentic, it’s fairly filling.

Hollywood Studios

Like Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studio has also seen improvement in counter service dining recently. On past visits, my pescetarian family completely refused to eat there, packing PB&Js to hold us over until lunch at the hotel. These days, many more options have been added to the parks.

Pescetarian Pick: The ABC Commissary is not particularly life-changing as far is theming goes. However, recent additions to the menu make it a great pescetarian option. The fish and shrimp platter are the same as offered elsewhere in the theme parks. Unique to the Commissary are the couscous, quinoa and arugula salad and the Asian salad, which are available with salmon or chicken. The salads are tossed to order, so special orders subtracting any ingredients can be accommodated.

Honorable Mentions: The Backlot Express has a grilled vegetable sandwich that was once the only vegetarian option to be found in all of Hollywood Studios. Sushi is available at the Starring Rolls Café.

Animal Kingdom

For a theme park based on animals, the Animal Kingdom seems to be very supportive of eating animals. Literally no counter service restaurants in all of Animal Kingdom sell seafood-based meals.

Tamu Tamu Refreshments is home to one of the few vegetarian options in Animal Kingdom. Photo by Maddi Higgins.

 

Pescetarian Pick: Tamu Tamu Refreshments used to offer a tuna sandwich, but the menu has since been changed. It remains my pescetarian pick because of the quinoa salad offered. I wish it had the option to add salmon, like at ABC Commissary, but the salad is still filling.

Honorable Mention: The only other counter service vegetarian options are pizza at Pizzafari and the roasted vegetable couscous wrap at Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes. I’ve never tried the couscous wrap, so please add your review in the comments. The Bradley Falls kiosk has samosas and a falafel sandwich.

Please share in the comments: What are your favorite seafood counter service meals in Disney World? Are you a pescetarian in Disney World and what has your experience been?

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Menu Monday: When It’s Hot, Save Some Dosh at Magic Kingdom

By Alex Duncan

A perfect example of a “Full Package.” Photo by Kristi Fredericks.

Free Water at Disney World?

Hello, again! I have been thinking for a while about a good subject for my next blog and also what wonders of the English Language we Brits use to spring on you; then this suddenly sprang to mind: I know lots of people like knowing they have got the most out of their trip. Well, here is one way to definitely save some money (our Brit slang is “Dosh”). Florida, as everyone knows, is hot. Sometimes I would say it is a little too hot for Brits who are used to 60 degrees not 95. The $2.50 price for a bottle of water does seem a lot of dosh (money) each time you need a hydration burst, so I decided to share this tip with you. Some of you probably already know that you can walk up to any counter service restaurant, and they will hand over a cup of ice water (pronounced “war-ter”, not “wah-dar”) upon request, but I have used this tip excessive amounts of times, and I have come to learn the best places for you to go and ask for the water. You might be thinking, “What difference does it make?” I can tell you now that un-filtered water is not exactly what you want for a hydration boost. So I have carefully tried and tasted most ice waters from each counter service at Disney and have concluded that some are better than others. With some orders of ice waters you receive the full package with lids and straws, whereas on some they just give you ice. I know, refreshing, but disappointing. The best part of this is that you do not always have to do it. Yes, exhausted parents, I am talking to you. You can sit quietly while your children fetch you water from the counter service opposite in a perfectly safe environment.

I thought that I should start in my favourite park, Magic Kingdom, which certainly cannot be enjoyed fully without being completely hydrated. Do not just drink water when you feel thirsty – you should always be drinking at regular intervals (I would recommend maybe after each attraction, during the parade, and after you shovel down all those Dole Whips and Mickey Pretzels).

So anyway, let’s get back on track… Because all the parks are so vast, it is not as simple as choosing one counter service from each area. I will also be warning you which ones not to choose. For example, water fountains (which are located near enough everywhere, even where you think they would not be necessary) are really good for refilling already purchased plastic water bottles. However, you must beware of warm water fountains. Even though it sounds really silly that I’m warning you not to drink hot water (logic, huh?), you can often get caught out when refilling a bottle from a water fountain that has been sitting in the sun for literally its whole life. You might be thinking, “Well, warm water is better than no water, surely?” I am sorry, but the answer is no. Hot water is seriously vile, unless it is Twinning’s English Breakfast tea, of course! Basically, my advice to you is to avoid water fountains mostly, unless you can 100% tell that it is practically ice cold. To add to that, water fountains are mostly unfiltered, which is an absolute no no.

Well, that is one item crossed of my rant list. The next one is filtered and un-filtered water. Don’t you just hate un-filtered water?

Howdy! Photo by Erin Foster.

In Magic Kingdom your safest bet is the Golden Oak Outpost, situated near Splash Mountain and outside the back exit to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe. I often get four ice waters from here just so we can make the most of the seating area (and have a quick rest in the process). You might think this is a bit pointless since there Pecos Bill is close by, but no – this one is child friendly. Parents can sit in the seating area while their young ones (remember, not too young!) queue up and order the required number of waters, one per person. Please remember to ask your child to say, “Can I have four cups of ICE water, please?” because otherwise it will completely confuse them when the cashier asks for $10. I would to tell you what size cups the ice waters come in, but they vary every time depending on who is serving you. Every time, though, it is the full package. That is why I placed Golden Oak Outpost at the top of the list.

It is an excellent idea to have a cup or bottle of water each while watching the parade. This ensures that you do not get too hot sitting in the scorching heat of the Florida sun waiting for you favourite characters during the new Festival of Fantasy parade with, as usual, a catchy theme tune that you will be singing for two weeks! This is a tricky one because it all depends on where you are planning on viewing the Parade from.

Inside awaits the crowd of hungry guests! Photo by Len Testa

If in Frontierland, then Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe is the most convenient because you do not actually have to queue through the ordering-and-then-collecting-from-counter process. You can just walk straight up to the counter and politely ask a nearby Cast member for four cups of ice water. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. The only problem you might encounter is that the restaurant may be really busy, but that is not really a big deal, and it shouldn’t stop you just wriggling through the mass of hungry guests to reach the counter. Of course, I would not recommend sending a child to do this errand.

Just a quick snack.

If you are stationed in Main Street, U.S.A., then Casey’s Corner is the place you want to get your ice waters from. Oh, and maybe a cheeky side of corn dog nuggets in case you get hungry. What? You should always be prepared! Casey’s can also get rather packed, too. It might be a good idea to split up your group so that some family members stay behind guarding those precious front row parade seats.

In Liberty Square, Sleepy Hollow, located by the footpath down the side of Cinderella Castle and outside the little shop with the lady selling hand decorated umbrellas, is good for a little tasty treat, as well as ice waters. The service here is especially quick.

No lid :(

Aloha Isle is okay, too, if you are purchasing Dole Whips, but last time I did not receive a lid on my drink, so by the time we had carried it back, I was quite wet. Tomorrowland has quite a few options, just try to avoid The Lunching Pad because it is unfiltered from what I remember, plus and it has really slow service and is busy. Auntie Gravity’s or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café are good options, but Cosmic Ray’s is noisy, so avoid that one if you have a headache! Last time I visited, it was a really hot day, and there was a food cart called Cool Ship in Tomorrowland that had already prepared trays of ice water (large cups, lids, and straws) that Cast Members just handed over to thirsty guests.

The already prepared water station. Photo by Erin Foster.

This was unusual because food carts do not usually do the free ice water, so I wonder if this was just because it was a hot day, or if this is now a “thing.” Any thoughts? Please let me know in the comments.

A family of four, drinking let’s say 5 bottles of water each a day, at $2.50 a time, is $50. Wow. By using this tip you could save nearly half the price of your admission to the parks. Surely that is worth it! Or, if you are looking for even better value, you could pay for everyone in your family to have a TouringPlans subscription. Your choice. I know which one I would want. *hint hint* *wink wink* *nudge nudge* Say no more.

If you enjoyed this (which I hope you did!) Here is another saving money blog from Kristi.

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Menu Monday: When It’s Hot, Save Some Dosh at Magic Kingdom is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Menu Monday: Cinderella’s Royal Table vs. Be Our Guest Restaurant

By Savannah Sanders

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is home to two of the most magical dining locations you can imagine: Cinderella’s Royal Table and the Be Our Guest Restaurant. Both are very popular with guests, including myself, because who wouldn’t want the chance to dine in a castle like Disney royalty, right? But which one should you choose on your vacation and which of the two offers the most pixie dust for your buck? That’s exactly what I intend to find out in this Magic Kingdom Dinner Showdown: Cinderella’s Royal Table vs. Be Our Guest Restaurant.

Copyright – Disney

First of all, Cinderella’s Royal Table, located inside Cinderella Castle, is a character meal featuring Disney Princesses at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is standard, American fare, while lunch and dinner offer more sophisticated dishes. Touring Plans currently rates this dining destination three stars.

Be Our Guest, however, is only open for lunch and dinner; but the two different mealtimes offer different experiences. At lunch, Be Our Guest is a quick service restaurant where you order your food ahead of time with a Cast Member or at a kiosk and then choose your own table. The menu is centered around soups and sandwiches. At dinner, the dessert menu remains the same, but Be Our Guest becomes a table service restaurant offering a traditional, sit-down restaurant experience. Touring Plans currently rates this dining destination four stars.

Challenge #1: Price

Cinderella’s Royal Table is unique in that the menu is prix fixe. This means there is a set price for your meal, but you choose which selection of dishes you prefer. An average price for an adult meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table is currently around $70 per person and $45 per child.

Dinner at Be Our Guest offer a more typical dining set-up with individual prices for each menu item. To offer a price comparison to Cinderella’s Royal Table, if I were to order a soft drink, an appetizer of Potato Leek Soup, the Grilled Strip Steak, and then the Grey Stuff for dessert, my bill would average to about $50.00 per person. A kid’s dinner consisting of a drink, a garden salad for an appetizer, the Beast’s Casserole (macaroni and cheese), and the Grey Stuff for dessert would cost around $10 to $12.

Be Our Guest

It’s important to note that if you are using the Disney Dining Plan, Cinderella’s Royal Table requires two table service credits (which includes the gratuity and – until January 4, 2015 – a photo package), whereas Be Our Guest requires only one credit but does not include the gratuity.

Winner: Be Our Guest. This New Fantasyland location is much cheaper than Cinderella’s Royal Table and shouldn’t put as much as dent in your budget if you’re paying out of pocket.

Category #2: Location

Cinderella’s Royal Table is literally located inside the iconic Cinderella Castle with windows overlooking Fantasyland. In fact, if you can manage a dining reservation during Wishes, you can enjoy a whole new view of the park’s famous fireworks display! Meanwhile, Be Our Guest can be found in New Fantasyland, across a drawbridge and inside a rocky hill topped with the Beast’s Castle.

Winner: Cinderella’s Royal Table. A dining room inside one of the most iconic castles of all time is pretty hard to top!

Challenge#3: Menu

Potato Leek Soup

The Cinderella’s Royal Table dinner menu may be a little fancier than some guests may be accustomed to, but it has definitely improved over the years. A few dishes that are found on the menu are Pan-seared Chicken, Rice with Roasted Vegetables, and Roasted Pork Tenderloin. A common complaint about the menu is that the serving sizes are noticeably small, but that just leaves more room for the Clock Strikes Twelve, a artistic chocolate creation made to look like a clock!

Be Our Guest’s dinner menu offers French-influenced dishes that appeal more to American tastes, with items such as Herb-crusted Lamb Rack, Grilled Strip Streak, and Ratatouille. I crave Be Our Guest’s Potato Leek Soup on a regular basis. It’s so good, and I order it every time! Be Our Guest offers a cupcake dessert menu, but the Grey Stuff is its most famous dessert. This light and fluffy cookies and cream-flavored concoction is very good and a clever nod to the Beauty and the Beast film.

Winner: Be Our Guest. There are very few complaints about Be Our Guest’s menu, and several dishes are already incredibly popular with guests.

Gus and Jacque at Cinderella’s Royal Table

Challenge#4: Souvenirs

When it’s time for your reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table, you won’t be ushered straight to the dining room. Instead, you are taken into a hall where you will enter a line to meet Cinderella for photos and autographs! Later on, during your meal, several prints of your photos will be brought to your table, one of which is placed in a souvenir, castle frame. The best part? It’s included in the meal price! Also, if you have any little princes and princesses in tow, they will receive a free wand or sword to take home with them.

Be Our Guest offers a light-up, souvenir goblet that is sure to delight and impress your little ones and maybe even your own inner child! It’s a great souvenir; however, it costs around $19. Didn’t purchase it during your meal? Several shops throughout the Magic Kingdom sell the goblets, as well.

Winner: Cinderella’s Royal Table. Two different souvenirs, and both are included! Cinderella’s Royal Table wins hands down.

Challenge#5: Characters

Cinderella’s Royal Table

One of the biggest differences between these two Magic Kingdom restaurants is that Cinderella’s Royal Table is characterized as a Character Meal while Be Our Guest is not. Character Meals have Disney characters stop and visit with guests as they dine. Naturally Character Meals are very popular and a must-do for many families at Disney World; at Cinderella’s Royal Table, Disney Princesses make the rounds throughout the dining room for photos and autographs! The lineup of Disney Princesses varies, but you can expect anyone from Belle to Jasmine to Snow White to Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella does not meet with guests at their tables. Instead, you meet with her and get a souvenir photo when first entering the restaurant.

Be Our Guest is not a Character Meal, but you currently have the chance to meet the Beast when visiting for dinner. The Beast does not go from table to table, but rather makes an appearance in the different dining rooms and invites diners to meet with him in a separate room for a photo before they leave.

Winner: Cinderella’s Royal Table. While the Beast is cool, you really can’t beat a lineup of popular Disney princesses, plus Cinderella herself!

Challenge#6: Setting

The hall just inside the entrance of Cinderella’s Royal Table, where you meet Cinderella, features an ornate, medieval theme; but there are plenty of details from the film, too, including a small Gus and Jacque watching from above! A winding staircase or an royal elevator takes you to the dining room where the medieval theme only grows stronger with Gothic arches, banners, and leaded windows. It’s like walking into a history book, just with pixie dust. The only downside to the dining room is that there are few tables overlooking Fantasyland. You can request one of these tables, but there are no guarantees.

Be Our Guest

As you approach Be Our Guest, you may forget that you’re even in Central Florida as you take in the pine trees, boulders, and waterfalls. Then, once you enter the doors of the restaurant, you will see a mosaic representing the stained glass windows from the film, “enchanted” suits of armor that whisper and snore, fierce gargoyles, and so much more. Some guests, including myself, have even had Cast Members offer candelabras to a member of their family to lead the way to their table! Be Our Guest offers three separate dining rooms: the Rose Gallery, the West Wing, and the Ballroom. The Rose Gallery is nice, but the West Wing and the Ballroom are the most popular! The West Wing is dim and spooky with torn tapestries and changing portraits and the iconic wilting rose, and the Ballroom looks exactly as it does in the film. Massive chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and fake snow falls gently outside the huge windows at the end of the room. As of right now, you can’t request the room of your choice, but diners are free to roam about the restaurant to take photos.

Winner: Be Our Guest. This was a hard one, and I’m sure not everyone will agree, but hear me out! While Cinderella’s Royal Table dining room offers a fairy tale setting, the Gothic, medieval setting doesn’t remind me of Cinderella. Be Our Guest, however, truly makes me feel like I’m in the Beast’s Castle. Also, there’s only one dining room at Cinderella’s Royal Table, while Be Our Guest offers three. Who doesn’t like variety, right?

Challenge#7: Popularity

Cinderella’s Royal Table can be difficult to get reservations for, and for many years it was considered the holy grail of reservations. Today, making a reservation there is a little easier. In contrast, Be Our Guest is still very new to the Magic Kingdom, and getting an advance reservation is an absolute feat these days! Part of the cause for the mania is because Be Our Guest is not open for breakfast and is a quick service restaurant at lunch. The dinner experience is only available in the evenings, meaning there is a limited time window to enjoy this experience. Guests are also excited to see and explore the Beast’s Castle for themselves.

Winner: Be Our Guest. Guests are booking reservations for this restaurant months in advance, and there’s rarely ever an open time window!

While comparing restaurants is always a matter of opinion, Be Our Guest is the winner of our Magic Kingdom Dinner Showdown! For me, the delicious menu, realistic setting, and price put it over the edge, but what do you think? Do you agree?

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Magic Kingdom AtMousePhere: The Music of Fantasyland

By Claire Nat

So much has changed in Fantasyland over the past three years that it was impossible for me to write an article talking about the music, since I didn’t know the new music! Luckily, I timed this post to follow my trip to Walt Disney World so that I could wander around Fantasyland and get the lay of the…land.

Obviously, the music of Fantasyland derives greatly from the various fantasy movies that Disney has put out. That’s not to say that the instrumentation is directly from the movies themselves. Sometimes the music is taken from the setting of a movie. Other times themes are explored in a different way. And in a few areas of New Fantasyland, there isn’t any music at all! Let’s take a walk through a much-improved area of Magic Kindgom park:

Assistance for this article came from ParkTunes.com. 

The Bavarian Village Area

Once you go around Cinderella’s castle and make it to the rear, Princess Fairytale Hall is on your right and Mickey’s PhilharMagic is on your left. This is the area that has been around (in different iterations) since the park opened. The music found here has a very Bavarian feel. Although the original story of Pinnochio was written in an Italian setting, the setting Walt Disney used in his movie was Bavarian. Because of this, the left side of Fantasyland has lots of timber-framed cottages that would be common in a German village.

The tale of Snow White is a German tale, so it’s easy to see why the Imagineers chose to put Bavarian folk-style music in this area that has Pinnochio’s Village Haus and used to have Snow White’s Scary Adventures. This music continues through the Peter Pan’s Flight and it’s a small world corridor.

The Carrousel Area

Nearer to Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel, the music takes on the feel of a classic carousel. Disney music has been arranged for a carousel organ. Songs like “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “Heigh-Ho,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Chim-Chim-Cher-ee” can be found here.

This music also carries over to the right, past The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and stops at the Cheshire Cat Cafe.

The Mad Tea Party Area

Since Mad Tea Party is an outdoor attraction (much like the Carrousel) so the attraction music flows out into the roads surrounding it. Unlike the Carrousel, though, the music around here is limited to the music from Alice in Wonderland.

Songs from Alice include “The Caucus Race,” “March of the Cards,” “Off With Her Head,” and “I’m Late.” Much of these can be found on the Alice in Wonderland sountrack.

The Storybook Circus Area

Obviously, the music here is carnival music or has a jazzy style. The “Circus Theme Song” can be heard here, as well as a few other songs like “When I See An Elephant Fly” from Dumbo. 

Closer to the train station, the music gets very cutesy (in a good way!), reflecting the railroad instead of the circus.

The Tangled Bathrooms Area

Music from here was taken directly from the score of Tangled, including “Kingdom Dance.” There is more of a Medieval-style here, with acoustic guitars and light woodwinds.

The Back of New Fantasyland – Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Area

To my surprise, the back of the park has very little music to it. Over by Gaston’s Tavern there is a French-style of music that includes songs from Beauty and the Beast. But walking behind the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train revealed very little music. This is supposed to be outside the castle wall, so I feel like they were trying to bring in the sounds of nature instead of clogging up the area with even more music. Occasionally you can hear the Seven Dwarfs hard at work, ting-tinging with their picks and shovels in the mine.

I appreciated that this area had a more muted feeling, since the beauty of the architecture didn’t demand an extra large soundtrack to accompany it.

 

As you can see, Fantasyland does not embrace one style of music in its land. Now that it’s much bigger, several styles can share the space! Whether it’s Medieval to Bavarian folk to a Wurlitzer carousel organ, Fantasyland uses everything to give a fresh take to the familiar favorite songs in its repertoire!

Which section of Fantasyland has your favorite music? Were you ever as confused as I was over the amount of Bavarian folk-style music in the front of Fantasyland? Do you have any areas where you would change the musical style? Comment below!

 

 

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SATURDAY SIX: Six Reasons To Go On a Disney Cruise

By Derek Burgan

This week’s SATURDAY SIX takes a look at Six Reasons To Go On a Disney Cruise. Earlier this month I was fortunate to be able to take my first ever Disney Cruise aboard the Disney Wonder as part of TouringPlans #Everywhere promotion. The experience was pretty amazing overall, and while before the trip I had a hard time understanding why people would pay so much for a Disney Cruise when their are some great alternatives (such as Royal Caribbean) for a fraction of the price, I now see exactly what draws people back again and again to DCL. In fact, I think for many Disney fans a sailing on the DCL is a Must Do as it provides an overall immersion in the Disney Brand that even many on-site WDW vacations can’t compete with. Today we are going to look at six of the reasons you should consider popping a Dramamine and sailing the high seas with Mickey and the gang. Remember that clicking on any picture will bring it up in full size, so grab that life jacket and let’s start counting down…

# 6 – The Characters

Donald Duck on the DCL Wonder.

 

We knew that there was going to be characters on board the Disney ships that you could meet, but we were not prepared for how many. There were the Fab 5 of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. The ubiquitous Chip and Dale. Daisy Duck. Frozen‘s Anna and Elsa. Disney Jr. characters such as Sofia the First and Jake. Disney princesses including Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella. Lastly, there were miscellaneous characters such as Peter Pan, Capt. Hook, and Stitch. These were just the ones that I personally saw throughout the cruise, as we never looked to see where the characters would be, or at what time, which leads me to believe that there are even more that I didn’t see.

Not only did we see a ton of characters, many of them also wore different outfits throughout the cruise, allowing for several different photo opportunities. The main characters, such as Donald, had their DCL outfits, formal attire, Castaway Cay beach wear, and because we were on a cruise that celebrated Halloween, they also had their costumes. We even saw Sorcerer Mickey roaming the hallways.

Minnie Mouse being a diva on Castaway Cay.

Chip and Dale meeting guests on the DCL Wonder in their halloween outfits.

 

One of the biggest surprises of the entire vacation was seeing something that took me back to my childhood visiting Walt Disney World. At several points of the cruise we would be out on the decks and would experience a character walking around and interacting with guests. The Sunday of our cruise was the day that we were having the #Everywhere shuffleboard meet on Deck 4. While we were playing, unprompted, Donald Duck waddled by and joined in the fun. It was a hilarious experience, as after a bad shot Donald threw down the shuffleboard stick while jumping up and down in anger. Later I watched Donald walk further down the deck, meet a young boy, and the two pulled up chase lounge chairs to look out at the ocean together. This was a moment that not only will the child and his parents remember forever, but it is something that will stick with me, and anyone else who saw it, for a long time. This was true Disney magic, and I don’t use that term lightly.

Donald Duck playing shuffleboard during the TouringPlans #Everywhere meet.

 

# 5 – Disney Merchandise

While I knew there would be characters on the ship, what I wasn’t expecting was the amount of incredible Disney Cruise Line merchandise (I even wrote an article covering it, which you can read by clicking here.) As a person who is obsessed with theme park merchandise at the stores and resorts, I can say with all honesty that the gift shops on the Disney Wonder had the highest percentage of  high quality, unique items, than any Disney related store I have ever been in. I love the World of Disney at Downtown Disney, and it has a lot of shirts, but most of them aren’t all that good. The Wonder’s gift shops had at least 25 shirts I considered buying. There was a great Disney Wonder chocolate bar that made me wonder why there isn’t something equivalent at Art of Animation or Port Orleans – French Quarter (the latter of which did not have a single piece of resort specific merchandise when I visited last month. Not one.)  Castaway Cay also had a whole bunch of fantastic items you could only buy on the island. If you are a Disney collector or even just a Disney fan who enjoys good Disney merchandise that you can proudly wear or display, you need to check out a Disney Cruise.

Steamboat Willie-inspired DCL coffee mug.

DCL bath toys.

Replicas of the four Disney Cruise Line ship’s lobby statues.

 

# 4 – Fireworks at Sea

There’s a lot to be said  - both good and bad -about pirate night, a staple on all the Disney Ships, but one of the biggest features of the entire night is the deck party followed by fireworks. During this deck party I was thinking at the time that it would definitely be going down as the biggest disappointment of the cruise. We had a late dinner seating (8:15PM), so we rushed through our meal in order to get to the deck around 9:15PM and be ahead of the crowds. I had heard a lot of positive feedback about pirate night so I didn’t want to miss anything. The on-deck show was just plain bad, even by Disney castle-stage-show standards. Nothing original. Nothing funny. Just some people dancing on a stage and making occasional pirate puns. Business doesn’t even pick up when Capt. Hook and Mr. Smee get involved, as they just join in on the dancing.

This pirate show was going to go down as one of the all time awful Disney shows when all of a sudden at the end the lights went down and a spotlight appeared on one of the large “smokestacks,” revealing Mickey Mouse. Announcing he was here to save the party, Mickey then zip lined across the ship as Bonnie Tyler’s I Need a Hero began playing. This led immediately into the fireworks as the music continued throughout.

This.

Was.

AWESOME.

I can’t even put into words how amazing it was. The fireworks themselves aren’t going to make you forget Happy HalloWishes, but you are on a boat watching them, and in way it makes them even more spectacular. The degree of difficulty adds major style points and, for those of certain age, it was like seeing Spud Webb dunk. The music worked perfectly, and the crowd went bananas for Mickey. In five minutes this pirate show went from one of the worst things I have seen at Disney to one of the best. The moment was that good.

Mickey Mouse preparing to zip line across the Disney Wonder.

My photos were all horrible, so enjoy this one from the Disney Magic by the grand pooh bah of all Disney photographers, Tom Bricker

 

# 3 – The Restaurants

One of the best parts of any cruise is the food. It’s pretty much unlimited and, thanks to room service, runs 24 hours with almost all of it at absolutely no cost. My girlfriend is a vegan, and while Disney is usually incredible when it comes to dietary restrictions I would say her overall dining experience was “good,” whereas mine bordered on “very good” to “great.” One of the highlights for both of us was a dinner at Palo, the Wonder’s upscale restaurant. At several points during the cruise we had interactions with dining staff who somehow had no idea what a vegan was, whereas Palo made it seem like they had researched for weeks ahead of time to make sure they had dishes for her.

Vegan meal at Palo.

 

A highlight for me was finally being able to dine at Animator’s Palate, even though I didn’t actually get to experience the “show” of the restaurant turning from black and white to color over the course of meal, despite having three scheduled meals there. Long story. I was actually pretty upset at finding that fact out on the last night of my trip, but it still doesn’t take away from how wonderful the decor of the restaurant is, with all the various Disney animated characters throughout. Here’s a shocker, I could make the case that Pinocchio’s Pizza on Deck 9 has the third best pizza on Disney property outside of Via Napoli and Splitsville (to be fair, I have yet to eat at the Wolfgang Puck restaurants at Downtown Disney.)  Another surprise? Pluto’s Dog House, another quick service option on Deck 9 featuring items such as chicken fingers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. They always delivered a good meal and had a great fixins bar nearby to boot!

The breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet was exceptional, with a ton of great buffet items including Mickey waffles. The restaurant is located at the aft of the ship and has a lot of seating outside, so we would find ourselves enjoying breakfast while being able to look out into the ocean. We would also bring meals back to our room and eat on the verandah. The only downside is that Beach Blanket Buffet becomes a table service restaurant  for dinner service, and offers a menu of one of the three main dining rooms (Triton’s, Parrot Cay, and Animator’s Palate.) On one particular evening of the cruise we were scheduled to eat at Triton’s ,and I wasn’t a fan of that night’s menu. So, we went up to Beach Blanket Buffet only to find out they were also serving Triton’s menu. We ended up going back to Triton’s as the dining staff was regularly making my girlfriend customized vegan meals, while I just had room service later. Don’t cry for me Argentina, as the room service meal was terrific (including the only steak fries you can get on the ship and a Mickey bar!) I do have to give a pat on the back to our rotational dining team of server Keniesha and assistant server Andres. These two were beyond exceptional, and gave a level of service that was above and beyond.

Breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet brought back to enjoy in room.

PInocchio’s Pizza on the Disney wonder > Boardwalk Pizza Window, Pizza Planet, Disney Quick Service pizza, etc.

 

# 2 – The Shows

There were live shows every single night in the Walt Disney Theater, but three of them are worth noting as they were produced by Disney. In order of what I found to be good, very good, and great: The Golden Mickeys, Toy Story: The Musical, and Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic.  I don’t want to give too much of these shows away because one of the things I enjoyed about them was that I knew almost nothing going in and got to watch them play out. The Golden Mickeys is almost a surreal experience. It started off with live “red carpet” bit, similar to the Oscars, as they were actually interviewing kids coming into the theater. Each child was asked who they were looking forward to seeing in the show and every single one said Mickey Mouse. That I wasn’t expecting. The show itself was an “awards show” with categories that were almost non-sensical, but you do get to see classic Disney characters and a lot of great music. In a nice touch, they even sell Golden Mickey statues in the ship’s gift shop.

Toy Story: The Musical started off slow, but I really enjoyed the second half. If I remember my stories right, this stage show was going to start on the Cruise Line and then make its way to the parks, but it never did and I can see why. Kids would be falling asleep in the first act. Say what you will about their quality, but Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage at DHS and Finding Nemo – The Musical at AK, get guests involved in the action much faster. Toy Story: The Musical just recreates everything from the original Toy Story movie, and once Woody and Buzz get out of Andy’s room it becomes a very entertaining show.

The highlight by far was Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic. This was pretty spectacular with some very creative stage work mixed in with classic Disney characters and songs. It follows Peter Pan, as he tries to convince a young girl to believe in “magic” so that her dreams can come true. Just like when I saw it in the theater many moons ago, the Little Mermaid sequence of Disney Dreams where they sing Under the Sea was another show stopping moment. Great stuff. The Lion King also has a very memorable sequence. TouringPlans rates this show as not to be missed and I agree 100%. An E-Ticket of Disney stage shows.

Toy Story: The Musical. If you can’t make it to the theater, all the Walt Disney Theater shows play on the stateroom TVs.

 

# 1 – Castaway Cay

Everything about Castaway Cay is great and it exceeded all expectations. We signed up for the runDisney Castaway Cay 5K event and got an early morning look at the island and it is simply beautiful. There are several family beach areas, along with an adults-only beach (Serenity Bay) and I expected them all the be packed with people, but instead we were able to spend time at all three and had no problem finding space. Serenity Bay was a nice surprise as the other beaches all have calm water (which was great for snorkeling,) but Serenity Bay had a lot of waves to throw ourselves against.

The gift shops had a ton of unique Castaway Cay merchandise you could only get on the island, and Cookies BBQ had a terrific lunch. The ship even sent over a vegan meal for my girlfriend. There were so many things you could do on the island including biking, snorkeling, jet skis, sailing, and even fishing trips. Everything was immaculate, there were characters available for meet ‘n’ greets, there were a bunch of subtle nods to Disney (such as sign for Capt. Bob Iger’s Shrimp Distributors) whole nothing seemed obnoxious. We have gone to many islands over the years including several private ones (such as Royal Caribbean’s Labadee in Haiti) and Castaway Cay is our new favorite. I can not wait to go back!

Castaway Cay.

Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay.

Honorable Mention – THE TV!

Yes, the TV. The stateroom TVs had a shockingly high amount of stations available, including one that gave you the current view from the bow of the Disney Wonder. Besides regular TV and sports channels like ESPN, there were various channels dedicated to everything Disney you can think of.  There was a Mickey Mouse cartoons channel. A Pixar channel. A Disney animated movies channel and a Disney live action movie channel. All playing shows continuously with no commercials, and more importantly, no advertisements on the screen whatsoever. It actually took me a whole day to realize what was different about the shows on these TVs and it suddenly hit me. There were no logos in the corners. No scrawls across the bottom. No ads bumping in saying “here’s what’s coming next.” Every channel just played the movie or television show as if you were watching it on DVD and it was so refreshing.

My favorite channel was one that just played non-stop Disney documentaries and I would find myself at 2AM watching movies like Waking Sleeping Beauty or a Disney nature documentary. It seems more and more people are “cutting the cord” and giving up their cable subscriptions but if Comcast offered this package to my house they could name their price. How am I supposed to choose between the Fox & the Hound, Meet the Robinsons, the Incredibles, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, and Walt & El Grupo, all playing at the same time?!

I NEED THIS TV IN MY HOUSE!!

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman during production of Beauty of the Beast (from the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty.)

Castaway Cay details.

So there you have it: Six Reasons To Go On a Disney Cruise. No offense intended towards any survivors of the Titanic, but this is literally the tip of the iceberg for why you need to go on a Disney Cruise. If you can say to yourself that you love Disney, you owe it to yourself to experience it at least once. Trust me, it will be worth it. Oh you really love Disney? You should already be on the phone with your travel agent as there were character models for The Happiest Millionaire on the walls near my stateroom. THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE! See you next weekend for the latest edition of the SATURDAY SIX, where we are going to head over to Universal Studio Florida for a special First Timer’s Survival Guide to Halloween Horror Nights. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles, or, for your listening pleasure, check out the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast.

Special thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover and Tom Bricker for their invaluable assistance with this article.

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The Sorcerer’s Hat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be Removed

By Rikki Niblett

©Disney

All day, I’ve been seeing the rumors, but it now appears to be official! The iconic Sorcerer’s Hat at the end of Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Chinese Theatre at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is being removed.

The Sorcerer’s Hat was introduced into the park in 2001 as a part of the “100 Years of Magic” celebration, which honored Walt Disney’s 100th birthday and was initially supposed to be temporary. According to Disney, the hat was built as a representation of the magic of show business and the entertainment wizardry of Disney that is captured throughout shows and attractions at the park.

Not a lot of news has been released about the removal, but it certainly appears that big changes are on tap for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with multiple attractions closing over the past few months. Just today, it was announced that The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is also closing.

Disney has not announced a date for the removal of the Sorcerer’s Hat; however, rumors are indicating that work will begin sometime in early 2015 (likely January).

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