It is in the Details...

One major reason I love to come back to WDW each year is that Disney pays attention to the details. Have you ever passed a theme park in the car and seen the huge rollercoaster from the road? You don't see that from a Walt Disney World park. It is not that they don't have them it is because the attraction (ie Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, etc...) is themed into the landscape. You can see the attraction from a distance but it isn't just tracks or the guts of the attraction it is an old hotel, a mountain, and/or a large golf ball, tree, or golf ball (Spaceship Earth).

The detail is not in just the rides it is in the park benches and the stone work. It is in the costuming and seasonal decorations. It is not limited to the parks, resorts and restaurants are also themed.

To finish out this post I will share with you some photos of the detail. Have a MAGICAL DAY!

Gift Shop at DHS (guess what it sells?)

Citizen of Hollywood (DHS)

Christmas at the Magic Kingdom

parades (Magic Kingdom) 

window display at MK

Lighthouse at Beach and Yacht Club

This golfball is actually a ride

Japan

Norway

Gift Shops are themed... (Animal Kingdom)

Go That Way...

This mountain is a ride...

Look at the detail...

prayer flags near Expedition Everest

Stone Work at Animal Kingdom

Quick Service...

Again, as I said before "you've got to eat..." I am adding to the previous post about the Dining Dilemma and exploring favorite Quick Service restaurants. A brief explanation or description about quick service versus table service. Quick Service is a lot like fast food, you order at a counter and wait for your food at the counter. Table Service is (as stated in previous post) a sit down and/or buffet type restaurant. Quick Service meals are less expensive although the quality in many of them is top notch. A Quick Service meal is usually sub $15 (which for WDW is less expensive).

As in the last post I asked for help in gathering the information. Here are my favorite Quick Service areas in WDW. Casey's Corner (Magic Kingdom): at the end of Main Street USA overlooking the castle is this old-time baseball themed place that specializes in hot-dogs. Be Our Guest (Magic Kingdom): in Fantasyland there is a restaurant that for breakfast and lunch is a quick service while for dinner it is one of the hardest to get table service reservations in all of WDW. I must admit for dinner I feel it is overrated but the breakfast is really good and efficient and with an early breakfast reservation it allows you unencumbered time in the park before other guests (without reservations) entrance into the Magic Kingdom. Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom): near Dinoland this restaurant serves up delicious BBQ whether you like pulled pork, chicken, or beef plus it has good salads (although the attraction is the BBQ). Electric Umbrella (EPCOT): soon after you pass Spaceship Earth and head to the left across from Mouse Works is this gem which has one of the best salads, it rivals Chick Fil-a's Market Salad IN MY OPINION. Earl of Sandwich (Disney Springs): a stones throw from World of Disney is this sandwich shop which makes sub type sandwiches. I must also state that one of my other favorites (which I cannot eat at anymore due to my low carb diet) is the Yorkshire County Fish Market (EPCOT): in the United Kingdom near the bridge taking you into France is a place to grab the best fish and chips I have ever had.

My wife likes Be Our Guest, Electric Umbrella and Yorkshire also she is not a fan of Casey's as much as I am. She likes the Yak and Yeti Quick Service (Animal Kingdom). My daughter likes Electric Umbrella actually she reminded me of the name when I was going through the research process. Other additions include Pecos Bill (Magic Kingdom) and Columbia Harbor House (Magic Kingdom). To be honest with you I feel that the Quick Service options in MK outweigh the table service options. Cosmic Rays, Gaston's Tavern, and Pinocchio Village Haus are others mentioned by some of my Facebook friends in just the Magic Kingdom alone.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit WDW in the fall don't overlook the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival because there are plenty of quick service opportunities to taste cultural treats. Also, I must say that there are numerous snack options throughout the parks and resorts which deserve some attention also. I might have to plan a snack post in the future?

To end this post I will include a link to the Disney World dining site. WALT DISNEY WORLD DINING  ... One thing is always certain, once you go to WDW you will want to go back if not for the attractions it just might be for the food. As I am in the planning stage of my next adventure at WDW I just might have to update the last two posts. Here is a wish for you to be able to experience a "magical" day or more at Walt Disney World sooner rather than later and remember "You've gotta eat!"

I might add a SNACK post...

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival 2016

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival 2016

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival 2016

Love the Breakfast

The Dining Dilemma

You have to eat. The last statement was meant to introduce the next few posts. When you think of theme park food it usually has a couple of qualities associated with it. First of all is cost is usually high, second is quality which is usually low (especially considering the cost). However, when it comes to Walt Disney World one of those things is not necessarily true. Walt Disney World (WDW) has some wonderful dining experiences. Over the next few posts I will examine SOME of the favorite restaurants on WDW that people from my Facebook page that I have asked for their opinion plus from my family and myself. 

 I realized I could not examine the WDW dining experiences in one post so I am going to break it down by style. WDW has two styles of restaurants Table Service and Quick Service. Table Service restaurants are sit-down places it includes buffets. Each restaurant is themed and some include character experiences. There are also Quick Service restaurants. They are counter service types and the cost is less expensive than the table service restaurants. My first post will examine the table service dining experiences. I will examine them based on the following criteria: 

1. I have actually ate there...
2. Food Quality
3. Theme 

With that said here are some of my favorites. Ohana (Polynesian Resort): I have only ate there for dinner and the food was fantastic. I am told by others that the breakfast is wonderful which is a character experience. Kona Cafe (Polynesian Resort): The breakfast here was great (Tonga Toast) and the wait staff was very attentive. BOMA (Animal Kingdom Lodge): Buffet, have ate there for both breakfast and dinner and it was great both times, I also like the ability to go and explore the resort and see the animals (giraffes, zebras, and others). Biergarten (EPCOT Germany Pavilion) another buffet with good German food, there is also good entertainment. Sci-Fi Dine In Theater (Disney Hollywood Studios): I will say that this one is for the theme... imagine yourself sitting in a 50s style car eating while watching clips from old black and white science fiction movies. 

The best food I ever ate at WDW was at Fulton's Crabhouse which was on a riverboat at Downtown Disney but as Downtown Disney has now become Disney Springs Fulton's has now become the Paddlefish and I have not had the opportunity to try the food yet. One other dining experience I must mention is the Hoop-De-Doo Review (Fort Wilderness area) which is actually a dinner show which should be experienced at least once in my opinion. The food was fried chicken, ribs, beans, and cornbread served family style with a delicious strawberry shortcake for dessert but the real attraction here is the show. 

I said I enlisted help for these posts so I must include some of the restaurants mentioned by others. My wife agreed with me about Biergarten, Kona Cafe, and Fulton's Crabhouse. However, she included Raglan Road (Disney Springs) and Yak and Yeti (Animal Kingdom) along with Tusker House (Animal Kingdom). My daughter said she liked the Coral Reef (EPCOT) while my son liked Chef Mickey's (Contemporary) as well as Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge). Other contributions include Captain's Grille (Yachtsman Resort), Cape May (Beach Club Resort), Rose and Crown (EPCOT), as well as 50s Prime Time Cafe (DHS), and Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom). 

I started by saying that theme park food is usually pricier than at other places and I will not deny that the restaurants listed here are pricey but as I said before "you have to eat..." In my next post I will examine the Quick Service restaurants.

Have a Magical Day!