Disney Dining~Resort Dinners

Best ribs anywhere!

There are great places to eat at DW.  We really like to immerse ourselves in the magic. We try not to leave the property unless we have to like for an ocassional night trip to the Premiere Outlet Mall.  Two years before we left VA, we drove to DW eight times.  That’s every school holiday and twice in the summer.  We took turns driving and left Virginia Beach at 7p arriving at 7am the next morning. The kids were asleep by 9p and slept all the way there. Hallelujah!

We haven’t eaten everywhere, but close. The best overall dining experience has to be at O’Hana’s. It’s about $30 per adult for all-you-care-to-eat. The setting upstairs at the Polynesian Resort is cozy and you can see the wood-burning center stage grill for the marinated turkey, pork loin, sirloin, and giant shrimp. Oh, I can see it now. Next best for us is Boma. It’s downstairs at the Animal KIngdom Lodge. You should be adventurous to eat the buffet dinner here.  There’s plenty of identifiable food, but some surprises too.  Many people like the Cape May buffet. This Beach Club location used to be higher on our list, but has fallen short recently. The others are worth the money. I’m not so sure Cape May isn’t overpriced now. Speaking of dollars, the Yachtsman Steakhouse is pricey but delicious. There’s no better steak anywhere.  Both Whispering Canyon Cafe skillets and Artist’s Point are top notch at the Wilderness Lodge. Artist’s Point is yummy, but again you should be a bit adventuresome. The adventure part is absolute at the California Grill. My meal, although very good, looked like an appetizer not a dinner. You might want to eat desert here to see the fireworks as it is on the top floor of the Contemporary. I wouldn’t spend my money there for dinner however. The Mayan Grill is a winner at Coronado Springs as is 1800 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. We haven’t tried Boatwright’s at Port Orleans Riverside, but it is nice looking and the menu is appealing. We also haven’t tried the Flying Fish at the Boardwalk. It’s pricey but a nice variety of seafood.

I also haven’t mentioned any Swan or Dolphin restuarants because they are not Disney. The ESPN Club at the Boardwalk is a treat for the guys in your family as long as they are paying. Next time we’ll talk breakfast and then hit the food courts.

Disney World Resort Overview

Yacht Club beauty

It’s amazing to us how many Florida residents don’t know very much about Disney World[DW], let alone the rest of the country. We moved to Palm Beach County Florida from VA 10 years ago so we would be close to DW and be able to go there at least one weekend every month.  The kids still think we are nuts.  We think it’s a great investment in our marriage and the best relaxation anywhere, except maybe the Disney Cruise Line.  Resort hopping is what we do best.

Disney has Value resorts, Moderates, Deluxe, and Vacation Villas. Each group has their own distinctives. When our children were young, they loved the All-Stars:  Sports, Music, and Movies. They were drawn to the larger-than-life icons, the colors, the pools, the food courts, and just the running around room with lots of other children. Pop Century is the newest value resort. It is family friendly as well and probably has the best valuefood court. The chicken alfredo, stir-fry, and taco salads are highly recommended.  Value resorts run $80-145 per night depending on the time of year and give you the Disney magic without breaking the budget.

The moderates: Coronado Springs, Port Orleans~Riverside and French Quarter, and Caribbean Beach have bigger rooms, ceiling fans, coffee pots, small refrigerators and feel very comfortable. These all have food courts, but some also have sit down restaurants, Riverside and Coronado. The grounds of these resorts are incredibly well landscaped. Riverside is downright lush. The pools have slides and are superb destinations themselves. Both Port Orleans resorts have boat rides to Downtown Disney. All the moderates have regular bike and surrey-bike rentals. The moderates run $125-205 again depending on the time of year.

The deluxe resorts are hotels with themed lobby areas, more dining options, and a pampered, real luxury feel:  Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian. They are expensive running from $210-600 and even more for suites or concierge level. These resorts are destinations. You could spend your entire vacation at the resort and not be unhappy.

Fort Wilderness cabins and the Vacation Club resorts are in the vacation villa category. They have the home-away-from-home feel, more like a neighborhood than a resort. Prices run from $265-900 because there are studio rooms, one bedroom, two bedroom, and grand villas that sleep up to 12. We joined the Disney Vacation Club in 2000 right after our move to FL just to stay in these wonderful accommodations. Will be writing more on these later.

It’s free to travel around DW and visit the resorts. You really should if you’re not totally rushed for time. Pick at least one new resort to visit every time you are at DW. We promise you won’t be sorry!

DW~Halloween Party

For the past two years, we have gone to the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We’ll be there this year too. It is by far the most fun a grownup can have. It’s a given the kids will love it. We haven’t dressed up so far, but we’ve seen tons of Incredibles families, Harry Potters, princesses etc. We are taking our granddaughter this year. She will be Aurora, wig and all. We actually started buying the pieces of her ensemble in April to pace ourselves financially.

Check out the Halloween Party info on the DW website:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/specialEvents?id=MickeysNotSoScaryHalloweenPartySpecialEventPage

So what’s the big deal you say? Well there is ‘magic’ in the air at this party and the Christmas Party. The Boo-to-You Parade is probably even better than the Christmas Party, which is really good. Honestly, it is one of the biggest and best highlights of the whole year. Next is running around the Magic Kingdom collecting treats. We are kids again…’Trick or Treat.’  Not kidding, we really say it. They give you treat bags and a map. The goal is to hit every single treat station, some even twice. Some cast members really pile it on too. They are not stingy that’s for sure. What a fun-filled night! Special fireworks, photo opps and a ton of fun that’s what it’s all about. Am thinking we’ll watch the parade twice this year. It’s that good. Have questions? Look at the website then give us an email.

What’s your favorite Disney Resort?

Pacific Northwest

For us, the Wilderness Lodge[WL] is the best DW resort. It has a combination of factors that we never get tired of seeing and experiencing. It is a huge log hotel with a 7+ story lobby area and several hideaway nooks for reading, relaxing, or even sleeping when Whispering Canyon Cafe isn’t hooping and hollering. The rooms aren’t huge but tastefully decorated with western accents and flat screen TV’s. Rooms facing the courtyard and lake are premium with rooms opening onto the lobby a close second. Prices have gone up dramatically as the WL has drown in popularity. It’s always amazing to us that people who live in Florida have no idea of the grownup paradise waiting for them here. It’s easy to be immersed and social or be quiet and intimate here. We take one weekend a month just to hang at the resorts and spend time alone together. We don’t even go into the theme parks, although we love to do that too. We are totally hyper every time we pull up to the WL and are sorrowful every time we need to leave. Pontoon boats are available to cruise Bay Lake. The geyser shoots up on the hour. There is a waterfall to see and paths to explore. The Disney Vacation Club[DVC] has a building next door with a covered walkway to the WL. DVC rooms are called villas because of the extra creature comforts like a small frig, microwave, coffee pot and more space. One and two bedroom villas have a washer & dryer, kitchen, and whirlpool tub. You can get really used to living like that on vacation. Holidays make a great resort even better. We are staying in a one bedroom villa for most of Thanksgiving week this year. Counting the days to Christmas decorations, music, and a whole lot of magic in the air.

Everything Disney

When are we cruising again?

Yes, moved to Fl ten years ago to be closer to Disney World[DW] and we are loving it. Travel to DW at least once a month, every weekend during the Thanksgiving to Christmas period. We find we know more about DW, Disney Vacation Club[DVC] and the Disney Cruise Line[DCL] than most Disney employees. We are prone to giving directions, tips, and travel advice. Ask us and if we don’t know, we’ll find out.

There are so many things going on at DW right now. The Bay Lake Tower–we liked the Kingdom Tower name–is looking good. The Treehouse Villas will be assembled soon.  Kidani Village is awesome and so much more.

Will try to post at least every other day. Have a magical day!