A Blog About Disney Stuff

If you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, you’ll certainly not get one at Walt Disney World. But, today cold weather has moved into Central Florida, making it a rare treat to enjoy some cozy food to warm yourself up. With it being the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays its a great time to enjoy some hearty, satisfying festive food perfect for winter weather. Here’s our top picks for best festival food for cold weather.

• Duck Confit and Dumplings – Festival Favorites Holiday Kitchen
• Blackened Bass – Festival Favorites Holiday Kitchen
• Slow-roasted Turkey – American Table Holiday Kitchen
• New Year Celebration Soba- Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen
• Sacchetti alla Boscaiola – Tuscany Holiday Kitchen
• Curry Chicken Rice Bowl – Shanghai Holiday Kitchen
• Red-stewed Beef Rice Bowl – Shanghai Holiday Kitchen
• Pork Schnitzel – Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
• Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl – Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
• Dulce De Leche Churros – Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen

If you need a break from the chilly weather, head inside World Showplace – we’ve fallen in love with this special pavilion this year thanks to its décor and entertainment. There you can enjoy the Duck Confit and Dumplings and the Blackened Bass from the Festival Favorites Holiday Kitchen. The Duck Confit is perfect for this kind of weather with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Fig Reduction. At $8.00 it is a little pricey, but if you love duck this is a must-do. The Blackened Bass is a great choice because of the spice on the fish that is then cut by the creamy, cheesy grits. The okra and tomato stew add a richness, and Southern flare. At $7.00 it is a good value.

For many folks the holidays aren’t the holidays without some turkey. The Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Cranberry Sauce is the perfect representation of a classic American holiday meal. At $5.75 it is a good value, too.

Most everyone seems ready for a new year so the New Year Celebration Soba is a good way to bring on some good will for the new year. Buckwheat Soba Noodles in Hot Dashi Soup with Shrimp Tempura, Fish Cake, and Chopped Green Onion; there is a lot of wonderful, but light flavor in this bowl. At $7.50 it is still a decent value thanks to the serving size.

Over at the Shanghai Kitchen, both the Curry Chicken Rice Bowl and the Red-stewed Beef Rice Bowl are two savory and rich dishes that will warm you right up on a chilly day. The Red-stewed Beef Rice Bowl disappointed us a little as the flavor was not rich or all that different than regular beef stew, and not worth the $9.50, The Curry Chicken Rice Bowl is our preference with its warm, sweet spice and $8.00 price tag.

The Bavaria Holiday Kitchen is a popular stop as the rich flavors offered here are very familiar for many guests. The Pork Schnitzel is hearty and flavorful with Mushroom Sauce, Spätzle, and Braised Red Cabbage. The pork on our serving was cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy inside. At $6.25 it is a good value and a good portion.

It’s hard to resist gooey cheese and carbs. The Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl is comfort food at its best. The fondue itself was served nice and warm with crisp veggies, but the bread bowl and accompanying bread won out as our favorite thing to pair with the cheese fondue. At $8.25 it is pricey, but the portion size is pretty generous.

Time and time again the booth from the Italy Pavilion disappoints us. It seems no matter the festival, no matter the year, we just struggle with the quality and the price here. The Sacchetti alla Boscaiola is comforting, good, but not impressive. The cheese inside the pasta is gooey and has a nice flavor, and the pancetta on top added some saltiness. We didn’t get much of the sweet sausage and caramelized onion in our serving. This could be a good option for kids. You could easily trick them into thinking this is mac and cheese. At $9.50 it is overpriced.

A warm, sweet treat at Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen, the Dulce De Leche Churros are more than just your average churro. Filled with sweet, buttery Dulce De Leche, these churros are a nice holiday treat and they’re only $0.25 more than a plain churro at a regular snack cart.

There are over 35 different festival foods to try so we’ll have more coverage of other must-eats, and some to potentially avoid. So stay tuned! If you’re visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season, make sure you have holiday magic at your fingertips. Become a TouringPlans Subscriber and gain access to our Lines app. Our Lines app users save 2-3 hours on average per day in the parks, so you’ll have more time to savor the magic of this festive season.

Have you attended the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays before? Which of these foods sound best to you?

The post Best Food for Cold Weather at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Drinking, Epcot, Festivals, Trip Planning, best epcot food, epcot christmas, epcot food, Epcot International Festival of Holidays

With the busy holiday season upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to share with you the best places to grab a quick bite to eat inside Animal Kingdom. When you’re venturing through the wildest Disney park, you may not want to slow down too much, even for food. Our readers have submitted over 500,000 surveys over the past two years and we have ratings for every Walt Disney World restaurant on our site and Lines app. Let’s look at the best places for quick food at Animal Kingdom.

In order of thumbs up rating:

1. Creature Comforts 96.7% -Exceptional
2. Satu’li Canteen 95.6% – Exceptional
3. Tamu Tamu Refreshments 94.9% Exceptional
4. Flame Tree Barbecue 92.7% – Much Above Average
5. Harambe Market 93.0% -Much Above Average
6. Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes 89.9% – Above Average

Creature Comforts is actually the park’s Starbucks location, so there is not much to make a meal here, but certainly the best spot to perk up your day. Satu’li Canteen is the pride of Pandora with its fresh, custom-made bowls and tasty Cheeseburger Pods.

In Harambe, the park’s African-themed land, you’ll find Tamu Tamu Refreshments, a quick spot for something sweet including Dole Whips. Harmabe Market just reopened with limited hours. With outdoor only seating, it is sure to be a popular spot right now, though its menu is now missing a Roasted Veggie Bowl that was enjoyed by many, as well as the Pork Sausage that was once considered a signature dish.

In the center of the park is Flame Tree Barbecue with tasty Pulled Pork Sandwiches, ribs, and other bbq favorites. The seating here is also outdoor only and it is one of the most beautiful outdoor dining areas in any Disney theme park. This is a great spot to watch the character cavalcades go by if you’re able to secure one of the limited number of tables on the water’s edge.

Finally, the Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes located in Asia is a third-party-operated location. Asian-inspired dishes that are served here are usually satisfying and good quality. Seating here is also outdoor only.

During the busy holiday season it is very important that you dine outside of peak hours. We would recommend using Disney’s Mobile Ordering and to do so as early as possible. When you go to view available pick up times in the app, you can select “More Times” to find all available pick up times. The earlier in the day you do this the more availability there will be. The restaurants above that offer mobile ordering are Satu’li Canteen, Flame Tree Barbecue, and Harambe Market.

You can view listings for all Walt Disney World restaurants on the go in our Lines app. We’re in the parks every day to ensure our information and resources are as up to date and as accurate as possible.

Where is your favorite place to grab something quick to eat at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

The post The Best Places for Quick Food at Disney’s Animal Kingdom appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Dos and Don’ts, Snacks, Trip Planning, animal kingdom dining, animal kingdom restaurants, disney best restaurants

For Clemson University running back Darien Rencher, yesterday’s football practice started out like any other. That is until Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney pulled Darien aside for a special surprise. 

During an emotional moment between player and coach, Swinney revealed to Darien that he has been chosen to receive this year’s Disney Spirit Award. The recognition is presented annually to the most inspirational figure in college football.

Darien demonstrated leadership amid college football’s push to overcome social injustice and the coronavirus pandemic. Working alongside some of the sport’s biggest stars, Darien was one of the early voices that sparked a national movement to promote safe play during the 2020 season. He has also long been a vocal advocate for improving the lives of those in the African-American community, and was a key organizer of a peaceful campus march by the football program in support of social justice.

Watch the video to see Darien’s memorable reaction to the news. 

Disney Sports Vice President Faron Kelley will present Darien with the Disney Spirit Award live on ESPN during a virtual broadcast of The Home Depot College Football Awards show on Jan. 7, 2021 at 7 pm ET. Make sure to tune in on your local ESPN station or the ESPN app to learn more about Darien Rencher’s amazing story. 

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Community Outreach

If you have someone in your life that has everything, or the ultimate chocolate lover in your life, head to The Ganachery at Disney Springs. Here you will find a special treat that will make quite an impression. The Christmas Cottage is made of milk chocolate and contains gourmet peppermint bark inside. It is similar to the chocolate piñatas offered throughout the year, but taken to another level.

The detail on the outside of the chocolate cottage is lovely and adorable. Alpine influences and storybook details in soft colors include Mickey and Minnie kissing around the back. These delectable chocolate walls give way with the crack of a provided Ganachery mallet to reveal large chunks of decadent and creamy peppermint bark.

The Christmas Cottage is $45.00, which is definitely on the higher end as chocolate treats go. If it were appropriate to have holiday parties this year, this would’ve made a great hostess gift – oh well. But, the detail, presentation, and quality of the ingredients make this an impressive gift for those people in your life you’re just not sure what to get, but you want it to be special.

Have you ever visited The Ganachery at Disney Springs? What’s the best treat you’ve ever gotten there?

The post NEW – Christmas Cottage at The Ganachery is the Sweetest Holiday Gift appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Disney Springs, Holidays, Snacks, disney chocolate, disney christmas, disney desserts, disney gifts

Crowds were not as high at Walt Disney World today as compared to earlier in the week, with no park registering posted wait times in the top 5 days of the past month. It seems folks have started to hit the roadways and airways to head back home. We counted 482 of 500 people (96%) in Hollywood Studios wearing masks according to Disney’s guidelines today, and 486 of 500 (97%) at Disney Springs today, too.

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

No attraction at the Magic Kingdom had a posted wait time average that was near the top of its average over the past week.  Splash Mountain was the closest, with an average wait time today of 70 minutes. Its 7-day average is 71 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Only Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had its highest average posted wait times of the week today. Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 55 minutes. Its 7-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #10 for the past month.

Rise of the Resistance has run smoothly throughout the day today, and was at boarding group #115 as I started writing this.  Rise of the Resistance had one minor delay calling boarding groups, around 30 minutes just before 3 p.m.  This happens regularly, so it’s likely this is some sort of scheduled maintenance or cleaning time.  Great day of operations at Rise so far.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Like the Magic Kingdom, no major attraction at Animal Kingdom had posted wait times today that would’ve placed it in the top two over the past week.  The closest any attraction came was Kali River Rapids, which had an average wait time today of 39 minutes. Its 7-day average is 38 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 23 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month.

EPCOT Wait Times

While today wasn’t busy at most EPCOT attractions as compared with the past week, one attraction set a weekly high for its average posted wait time: Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 91 minutes. Its 7-day average is 88 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 72 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.

The post The Crowds Are Headed Home – Disney World Wait Times for Saturday, November 28, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), disney christmas, disney crowds, disney wait times