Author: touringplans.com

Sometimes you just need a break when you’re spending the day in the parks. At Magic Kingdom more quick food options are being added little by little. Even though more options are becoming available, sometimes it is nice to take an extra long break and get out of the hustle and bustle of the park. Earlier this week, Ivonne on our team hopped aboard the resort ferry from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Contemporary for lunch. Instead of heading to Contempo Cafe or The Wave, she did something different: she headed to the pool bar known as The Sand Bar.

The weather is finally nice enough for comfortable outdoor dining in Orlando, a rare treat that quickly comes and goes. The Sand Bar is not remarkable and normally would not be a destination unto itself. However, with quick dining options being limited at Magic Kingdom, and feeling more crowded than usual due to procedural changes, you may be looking for creative options – we sure are!

We have ratings for all the restaurants and dining options at Walt Disney World, thanks to over 500,000 completed surveys from our readers. The Sand Bar is not highly rated, with a 84% thumbs up rating. It is ranked 76 out of 108 comparable options in Walt Disney World. It’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend The Sand Bar considering there are more interesting options on the monorail loop, like Caption Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian. However, with the Contemporary being right next door to Magic Kingdom, it is a convenient place to have a nice break.

Another plus of this location is its lakeside vistas. You can dine outside by the pool or near beautiful Bay Lake. Since it is poolside and near the lake it is best to take the ferry boat from Magic Kingdom rather than the monorail, which would result in having to backtrack a little.

The menu at The Sand Bar is limited. There’s nothing overly creative, so if you prefer simple fare this is a good choice for you. You have a choice of a salad, a sandwich, and a burger. The kids’ menu is simply a choice between a hot dog or a hamburger. Mobile ordering is not available here due to the nature and size of this venue. Ivonne ordered the Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, which is served with a generous amount of french fries. This burger is better quality than the standard cheeseburgers served inside Magic Kingdom. Priced at $12.99, which is pretty standard for a Disney quick service cheeseburger, this Angus Bacon Cheeseburger is a decent value.

We like to help you make the most of your trip to Walt Disney World, from saving time to saving money, and learning little helpful nuggets too. You can view ratings and rankings of all Walt Disney World restaurants on our site. We’d love for you to become a TouringPlans Subscriber so you can have access to all our tools and tips.

Have you ever headed to one of the monorail resorts for lunch?

The post REVIEW: The Sand Bar at Disney’s Contemporary Makes for a Nice Midday Break appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Dining, Dos and Don’ts, Magic Kingdom, Resorts, disney dining, disney on site hotels, disney resort hotels, disney’s contemporary, magic kingdom dining

Well, I can’t say it’s much of a surprise. The Disney Wish, which is slated to be the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship will now not have her maiden voyage until the summer of 2022. Disney shared that this is due to pandemic-related delays at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany. The ship was originally supposed to set sail on its inaugural sailing in January 2022.

It was announced that the Disney Wish will be powered by liquefied natural gas or LNG, which is one of the cleanest-burning fuels available. The ship will be approximately 144,000 gross tons and include 1,250 guest staterooms and will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Disney had also shared that Rapunzel will be featured on the back of the ship, with paintbrush in hand, using her long hair to suspend herself. She will be helped with her painting by her lovable sidekick, Pascal. In addition, it has been shared that the Disney Wish’s atrium will be inspired by the beauty of an enchanted fairytale and will be a bright, airy and an elegant space.

We’ll make sure to share more details about the Disney Wish, as well as when it’s maiden voyage will be here on the blog when we learn more information.

The post The Disney Wish Sees Delayed Maiden Voyage appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Cruise Line, News, disney cruise line, Disney Wish

Over the past week we’ve been highlighting our Walt Disney World touring plans that reflect changes due to social distancing protocols and COVID-19 closures. Today we’ll focus on the Animal Kingdom One-Day Touring Plan for Parents with Small Children. This plan is designed for parents of children ages 3 to 8 who wish to see the very best age-appropriate attractions in the Animal Kingdom. Every attraction has a rating of at least 3.5 stars (out of five) from preschool and grade-school children surveyed by our site and book, The Unofficial Guide. The plan keeps walking and backtracking to a minimum. We start the plan off with Avatar Flight of Passage. It is important that you arrive at the front entrance of Animal Kingdom as early as possible (45 to 60 minutes in case they open early), and are one of the first groups of people to get in line for Flight of Passage so you can avoid a long wait in line.

STEPS
1) Avatar Flight of Passage Take flight on Avatar Flight of Passage as soon as the park opens. Avatar Flight of Passage is one of the most technologically advanced rides Disney has ever produced: a flight simulator in which you hop on the back of a winged, dragonlike Pandora banshee for a spin to take in the planet’s scenery. The flying effects are very well done. You can turn your head almost 90° either way, and about 45° up and down, to survey the Pandora landscape. Flight of Passage ranks high with all age groups.
2) Na’vi River Journey Take a cruise on Na’vi River Journey The Na’vi River Journey is a 4½-minute boat ride through the Pandora jungle. You begin by boarding one of two small, hewn rafts joined together. Each raft has two rows of seats, and each row can fit three adults. The big star is displayed in the ride’s culminating scene: the Shaman of Songs, easily one of the most lifelike animatronic figures Disney has ever created.
3) Kali River Rapids Ride Kali River Rapids. Kali River Rapids is an unguided trip in a circular rubber raft down an artificial river; each raft has a topmounted platform that seats 12 people. The raft essentially floats free in the current and is washed downstream through rapids and waves. Because the “river” is fairly wide, with various currents, eddies, and obstacles, each trip is different and exciting. Oh, and you WILL get wet.
4) Maharajah Jungle Trek Walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek   This walk is similar to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail but with an Asian setting and Asian animals. You start with Komodo dragons and work up to Malayan flying foxes. Next is a cave with fruit bats. Ruins of the maharajah’s palace provide the setting for Bengal tigers. From the top of a parapet in the palace you can view a herd of blackbuck antelope and Asian deer. The trek concludes with an aviary. Labyrinthine, overgrown, and elaborately detailed, the temple ruin would be a compelling attraction even without the animals.
5) Feathered Friends In Flight! Watch Feathered Friends In Flight. This is a bird show in Asia’s Anandapur Theater, formerly home to UP! A Great Bird Adventure. Expect some audience participation.
6) Kilimanjaro Safaris Take a trip on Kilimanjaro Safaris.   Animal Kingdom’s premier zoological attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris offers an exceptionally realistic, albeit brief, imitation of an actual African photo safari. Guests board tall, open vehicles and are dispatched into a simulated African veldt habitat. Animals such as zebras, wildebeests, impalas, Thomson’s gazelles, giraffes, and even rhinos roam apparently free, while predators such as lions, as well as potentially dangerous large animals like hippos, are separated from both prey and guests by all-but-invisible, natural-appearing barriers. Another high ranking attraction for all ages.
7) Eat Lunch Eat lunch if you’re hungry. Try out Flame Tree Barbecue for a variety of meats. Another option is Restaurantosaurus in DinoLand.
8) Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail Explore Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.   As the trail winds between the domain of two troops of lowland gorillas, it’s hard to see what, if anything, separates you from the primates. Also on the trail is a hippo pool with an underwater viewing area, plus a naked-mole-rat exhibit. A highlight is an exotic-bird aviary so craftily designed that you can barely tell you’re in an enclosure.
9) Discovery Island Trails Walk through Discovery Island Trails.   Winding behind The Tree of Life is a series of walking trails that include around a dozen animal-viewing opportunities, from otters and kangaroos to lemurs, storks, and porcupines. Besides the animals, you’ll find verdant landscaping, waterfalls, and quiet spots to sit and reflect on your relationship with nature.
10) TriceraTop Spin Take a spin in a triceratops on TriceraTop Spin. Another Dumbo-like ride. Here you spin around a central hub until a dinosaur pops out of the top of the hub. Ranks high with pre- and grade-school kids.

There’s no FastPass+ being offered at this time so you’ll have to do only stand-by lines. Don’t forget, you can customize and optimize this or any of our other touring plans using our personalized touring plans creator on the site or in our mobile app, Lines. Be sure to check out our other touring plans that will help you save time and money in Walt Disney World.

The post Animal Kingdom One-Day Touring Plan for Parents with Small Children Updated For COVID-19 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), touring plan

Halloween may be the more commonly known holiday here in the United States, but Día de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico. If you are not familiar with the celebration you can gain some familiarity at the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT. There you can view a tradition that is very important to the celebration. La Cava del Tequila honors Día de los Muertos with an ofrenda guests can view.

An ofrenda translates to “offering” in Spanish. This special tradition consists of setting up an altar with offerings, mementos, and photos of loved ones, family members, or prominent people who have died. Staples of the celebration are often placed at the ofrenda, such a pan de muerto, a traditional sugary pastry adorned with bone and skull shapes, and marigold petals.

The ofrenda on display at La Cava del Tequila is set up at a booth since there is no seating allowed at the venue as a COVID-19 precaution. Guests coming in to order a drink to go from La Cava del Tequila can view this beautiful and detailed ofrenda, and learn more about this tradition.

Do you like to view the education and cultural exhibits at World Showcase? What’s the coolest thing you’ve learned at EPCOT?

The post La Cava del Tequila Honors Día de los Muertos with an Ofrenda appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Drinking, Epcot, Halloween, In the Parks, dia de los Muerto, dia de los Muerto at epcot, epcot bars, epcot drinks, epcot halloween, La Cava del Tequila

Halloween sure feels different this year. If you’re staying at Walt Disney World for Halloween or are in the local area, Disney has a way to add some pixie dust to this spooky time of year. At Disney’s Contemporary we spotted some Disney Halloween baskets.

During big holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day you can usually pick up special gift baskets at the merchandise shop of most Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels. During Valentine’s Day we spotted gift baskets for purchase at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. Now, for Halloween we’ve found gift baskets at Fantasia Gifts, located on the concourse level of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You can also build your own basket!

These gift baskets usually have a collection of items found in the merchandise shop itself, like candy and small plush dolls. These items are put together with care and creativity to become a holiday gift basket. If you want something more personalized, you make your own customized basket! This is a great way to make a thoughtful gift.

Pricing varies, usually in the $45 – $75 range depending on contents. If you’re interested in a Disney gift basket for Halloween or any other major holiday, please speak with a Merchandise Cast Member at Fantasia Gifts at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Usually the other merchandise shops at the other Deluxe Disney Resorts offer gift baskets too.

Have you ever purchased a Disney gift basket for Halloween, or another holiday? Was it worth the money?

The post Make Halloween Magical with Disney Resort Gift Baskets appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Celebrations, Halloween, Observations, Resorts, Shopping, disney gift baskets, disney gifts, disney halloween, disney resort hotels