Archive for WDW Dining

Top Five Places You’ll Wait too Long for Mediocre Food but be OK with it because it’s Disney

Top 5 Tuesdays are back, with this somewhat snarky list from DISDad David Juart:

Happy Tuesday! As Disney Enthusiasts, we know that once we’re on property, we change. We deal with things differently. I mean, it’s vacation at one of the happiest places on Earth after all. It’s a “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” kind of Dad-itude (see what I did there?) where we let the little things roll off our backs like water off a duck (skipped the obvious pun). Things like strict bed times, seconds for dessert, unknowingly loud people next to you, and in the case of this list, exorbitant wait times for tables to eat some not-so-thrilling food. The kind of waits that if it were some chain restaurant at home, you’d skip it and opt for pizza. But it’s Disney, so you don’t mind. Well, it’s not that you don’t mind, you just ignore your internal annoyed-ometer.

5) Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
So I’ve heard the menu changed for the better in Nov ‘11, but as of my most recent visit last July, the food was mediocre at best. Even with a reservation we waited nearly 20 minutes for our car/table. It was worth it, though. Just this week my daughter asked me if I remembered sitting in the “race car and eating dinner while watching movies”. Yes, G, I do. This is by far one of my favorite experiences at WDW, and is a must-do every trip.

4) Rose and Crown Dining Room
C’mon, this one’s about the beer. No one waits that long for fish and chips when the exact same meal is available around the corner for a fraction of the cost. I’m not knocking the joint, really. It’s a lot of fun, especially later in the evening. It’s why it draws a crowd, and that’s why we have to wait, Bass Ale in hand.

3) Liberty Tree Tavern
Question: why does Magic Kingdom only have 1.5 good table service options? (Cinderella’s Royal Table counts as a half because you really can’t walk up to it, but another day, another topic). Every time I’ve eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern, and I’ve done so a lot, we’ve always had to wait, reservation or not. I don’t really have any qualms with the food, per se. There are just better options to partake of while on property, it’s just that none of them happen to be in the Magic Kingdom. ‘Ohana is only a Monorail ride away, though.

2) Chef Mickey’s Breakfast
Yes, it’s the only breakfast with the Fab Five, and in their chef’s coats no less. Yes it has a fantastic setting in the Grand Concourse of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. And, yes, even while having to book 180 days in advance and STILL having to wait for a table once you arrive, you’ll end up suffering through the pedestrian buffet food time and time again. You know, for the kids.

1) Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House
This was insufferable. It’s a double wait. You first wait for your name to be called, but it’s only a ploy. There is no table for you around that corner. There’s just another 20 minutes of waiting in line to take a picture with Donald that they will shamelessly attempt to sell to you for $30. Pro Tip: We watched a family ask to skip the picture, at the time thinking they were Debbie Downer wet blankets. Turns out they were the smartest people in the park that day. The only redeeming quality of this experience is the opportunity to dine on some African/Indian/Asian inspired dishes, which were quite tasty.

(Dis)Honorable Mentions

Cinderella’s Royal Table
Another double wait type deal. Though the food gets knocked, I actually enjoyed my meal at lunch this past trip, and at least the picture is included in the price of admission.

Aloha Isle
Just kidding! I’d wait all trip for a Dole Whip. :-)

Tony’s Town Square
I said mediocre food, not bad food. Otherwise this would be numero uno.

The Garden Grill
I don’t know whether it was the unnecessary wait, the slow rotation of the restaurant, it being our 6th Character Dining experience of the trip, or (doubtfully) the food. But I walked off this centrifugal gastronomic torture device and was happy to set my feet on solid ground inside The Land.

So, that’s my list. Don’t forget to tell us what you think! Leave a comment, hit us up on Twitter @DisDadsPodcast, or tweet me directly to tell me how wrong I am @dpjuart

Wordless Wednesday: Big River Brewing Company Sampler

Photo Credit: Bob Chavez

Blue Sky Epcot: Episode 29

Host – Aaron Rittmaster
Panel – Dave Compton; Jason Knox; Nathan Trent

In Episode 29, the DISDads panel continued our wishful thinking look at the future of the Walt Disney World theme parks. The panel suggested Epcot attractions that had run their course and are ripe for removal. Next, we addressed attractions in need of major overhauls. Finally, we discuss new attractions that would help bring Epcot forward into the future.

Special thanks to our Producer/Engineer Josh Haas, who also created and recorded our intro music. The DIS Dads Podcast is edited and produced by Josh Haas/Wizard of Haas Production.

We’d love to hear your comments about the podcast – Email us at podcast@DisDads.com; tweet us at DisDadsPodcast on Twitter or leave us a review on iTunes. And now, you can join in online discussion of the podcasts on our new DISDads Discussion Boards.

Friday Five: Random References & Reflections

1. I highly recommend you check out my favorite new podcast – AJ Wolfe of the Disney Food Blog and Brad Johnson of WDW for Grown-ups co-host the DFB Podcast (iTunes link). This bite-sized podcast (each episode clock in at under 30 minutes) focuses exclusively on food and dining in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. (Warning: listening to this podcast in the car on the way home from work may be hazardous to your waistline).

2. Speaking of other podcasts, a big thank you to Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd and Cheryl Perlmutter of the Disney Film Project Podcast for inviting me to be a guest on their podcast. I don’t think I’m supposed to tell what movie we discussed just yet. I’ll give you another heads up when the episode is released. If know I’ve mentioned this one before, but if you’re not already listening, you really should.

3. Thanks to contributing DISDads: Dave Compton, David Juart, Jason Knox, Matthew Wrenn, and Nathan Trent.

4. Have you check out the new DISDads Discussion Boards yet? Come on over and check us out. The general forum and the podcast forum are open to anyone who registers. Yes, the more specific content forums are behind a paywall. But you can join for as little as $1/year (and if that’s a problem for you, drop me an Email and we’ll see what we can do). The paywall just helps keep the spammers and trolls out, and makes for a more pleasant message board experience (while helping just a bit to cover the costs of maintaining these sites).

5. Are you coming to the DISDads Convention, January 10-14, 2013 at Walt Disney World? So far, we have 15 families or individuals making plans for our first (annual?) convention. If you want to join in on the fun, come over to the boards, where we’re discussing plans for the event. More early information on booking your trip can be found here. Hope to see you there!

Blue Sky Magic Kingdom: Episode 27

Host – Aaron Rittmaster (AJRitz)
Panel – Dave Compton (Groovertoo); John Thomas (BigTex71)

Episode 27 begins a new series, with the DISDads panel taking a long, wishful thinking, look at the future of the theme parks of Walt Disney World. We begin the episode sharing thoughts about Magic Kingdom attractions that have run their course and probably need to go at some point down the road. Next, we addressed attractions that are in need of major overhauls. Finally, we look to the future with ideas for new attractions for the future of the Magic Kingdom. In the midst of all of that wishful thinking, we take a break for Ten Questions with new panelist Dave Compton.

Special thanks to our Producer/Engineer Josh Haas, who also created and recorded our intro music. The DIS Dads Podcast is edited and produced by Josh Haas/Wizard of Haas Production.

We’d love to hear your comments about the podcast – Email us at podcast@DisDads.com; tweet us at DisDadsPodcast on Twitter or leave us a review on iTunes. And now, you can join in online discussion of the podcasts on our new DISDads Discussion Boards.

Friday Five: Random References & Reflections

1. March Madness is my favorite sports time of the year (especially in years like this one, when my Jayhawks are in the Final Four – Rock Chalk)! This year, a couple of my favorite Disney sites are getting into the March Madness spirit. Over at WDW Solo Meets, Turkey Leg Jeff has been conducting a Twitter-poll-based Disney Dining Madness tournament. California Grill knocked off ‘Ohana in the first semifinal match. Currently, Le Cellier is facing Sanaa in the second semifinal. Meanwhile, over at WDWToday, Matt, Mike, Len and Mike have been arranging Walt Disney World attractions into a bracket. As of yesterday’s episode, they’d worked down to their final four. Now is the time to catch up on those episodes – I expect that they’ll be announcing the winner on Monday’s podcast.

2. Another blog that I haven’t mentioned enough here is Tom Bricker’s Disney Tourist Blog. Not only does Tom take and share excellent photography from Disney theme parks, he also offers well-written reviews and shares many of his tips and tricks for taking great photos.

3. Thanks to all of our participating DISDads, especially recent podcast first-timers David Juart, Dave Compton; and Mark Pratt for his help keeping the new message boards moderated.

4. Speaking of the new message boards, come on over and join in the discussion! Our goal is to generate a different atmosphere than is present on the larger, more open boards. If the DIS is conversation that would be appropriate on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, the DISDads boards are a conversation among the guys hanging out at a sports bar. We have put most of the content boards behind a subscription pay wall, but we’ve left the barrier to entry low. You can purchase an annual subscription for just $1. The reason for doing this is that the pay wall has proven to be the only effective tool for keeping out spammers and trolls. You can purchase other subscription levels, and recieve premiums like a DISDads T-shirt or coffe mug, with the higher cost going to help over the operating costs of the site. If you haven’t registered for the new boards yet, come on over, we’d love to see you there!

5. I just returned this week from a Preview Cruise on the new Disney Fantasy. She’s a truly amazing ship! But if I had to choose the single most impressive thing about the ship itself (as opposed to the CMs, who were incredible the whole time) it would have to be the new show that’s part of the dining experience at The Animator’s Palate. The ability to take artwork created by hundreds of guests and turn it into animated characters who dance and march along with classic Disney characters in a show in just over an hour is incredible. And seeing the reactions on the faces of children as they recognize their drawing dancing along up on the screen is absolutely priceless.

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