Tag Archives: Food

Lunch at Space 220

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Another Wonderful Choice

If there is one advantage that EPCOT has over all other parks at Walt Disney World, it is that the food options are incredible. There are so many restaurants to choose from and they are also unique and distinct. There are also the food stands around World Showcase. Especially during festivals, guests can find plenty to eat without even going to a restaurant. On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, we were able to finally visit Space 220.

A new experience

Space 220 was originally going to open during Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. The anniversary plans were seriously derailed by the Covid 19 pandemic. So instead of what may have been, Space 220 opened with little fanfare or excitement. But reservations were still hard to secure. I tried to book a table unsuccessfully on several trips. I learned there is a way to get seat at the bar by waiting at the entrance to the restaurant. But it can be long and there is no real way for Disney World to provide an accurate wait time.

Space 220 also includes the restaurant and the lounge, which are basically considered two different establishments. The lounge is located by the bar and allows smaller tables and a smaller menu of basically appetizers. The Space 220 Restaurant features an expensive pre-fixe menu. My reservation was for lunch, mainly because it was easier to get. I wasn’t thrilled with such a big meal for lunch. We did really want to try this place so we did what we could. I figured part of the cost was the experience. And we were not disappointed.

Out of This World

My spoiler free review of the seating experience is that it is awesome. The travel to the space station is wonderful. The dining hall is amazing. It is sleek and modern. It looks, feels and even sounds like you are in space.

The service and the food are wonderfully Disney. The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable and great. The food was obviously amazing. The drinks were fun. The kids loved it. We all loved it.

I would definitely recommend the Space 220 Lounge over the restaurant for most people. The lounge gets you the same experience, but it would be a quicker to get back to the park and wouldn’t require a large meal. But for anyone looking for a top notch dining experience, the Space 220 Restaurant will surely be delightful.

Excitement for Disney Springs

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Walt Disney World is a massive resort destination for family fun. There are four distinct parks, including Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. Each park has its own unique theme and feel. EPCOT is actually an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The theme here is clear throughout EPCOT, with a focus on science, planet Earth and Space. Hollywood Studios, especially with the new additions of Star Wars: Galaxy Edge and Toy Story Land, is where the movies come alive. Animal Kingdom is a combination of a zoo and a theme park. Magic Kingdom is the “happiest place on Earth”. By itself, it is home to six different lands that bring wonder and joy to children and adults. There is even more fun to be had at the two waterparks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. But what about Disney Springs?\

I have been going to Walt Disney World with my children for over 10 years. I have not gone to Disney Springs since 2013. There is just too much to do with little kids and there is not enough time. Now that they are older I think it is finally time to make our return to Disney Springs. We are now 10 days away from our vacation and I am surprised by how excited I am to visit Disney Springs. We are trying something a little different this trip. We usually fly to Orlando early and make it to our first park around midday. This time we are flying out early afternoon and will be going to Disney Springs that first night. I got a reservation at T-Rex Dinner which I have been hoping to visit for some time now.

Credit: Disney

We are excited to walk around Disney Springs and take in all the sights. We have purposely not looked much into what we will do there and we are excited for an unplanned night of leisure. There are so many shops and places to stop for a snack and a drink. There seems to be live music everywhere and everything Disney. I think it is going to be a great start to set the stage for an awesome week.

Disney Dining Plan Returns and a look towards 2024

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The Disney Dining Plan is finally back!!! Missing since the start of the Covid pandemic,  the Dining Plan returns in January 2024. Check out why I missed it so much here.

Magic Kingdom

The Disney Dining Plan allows guests to budget their dining expenses.  Every time I used it, I pretty much didn’t pay for any food while I was in the parks. You know how many meals and how many snacks you have each day, and if you stick to the plan, you won’t end up going overboard on food. I found when I did have the Dining Plan, it was easy to refrain from excessive purchases.

Hollywood Studios

Big News Under the Radar

The return of the Disney Dining plan wasn’t the only jaw dropping information included in Disney’s recent 2024 announcements. Without admittedly providing any details, Walt Disney World acknowledged that Disney Genie Plus needs some changes. Disney reportedly will make Disney Genie simpler, and allow for more planning and purchases before the day of the visit. That is amazing news. I do enjoy Disney Genie Plus, but as Disney (responsibly) admits, using it takes away from the experiences enjoying a day in the theme park. It takes a lot of time and attention to plan the next reservation. When this is done every few hours, it can seem like you are on your phone a little too much.

Restaurant Profile: Sci-Fi Dine In

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Dining at Walt Disney World is a big part of a Disney Vacation. There are so many unique and wonderful options to choose from. Of course, it also requires a lot of planning. There is likely no other scenario where people make daily dining reservations 60 days in advance. And there are so many diverse dining options that it can be an overwhelming experience. Some of the most popular restaurants are so hard to book that you might not get them over multiple vacations. There are other factors to consider like making sure you book the right restaurant to match your park reservation. This inevitably can lead to a stressful planning process. Disney planners want everything to line up perfectly. Again, I must say that no matter what dining reservations you secure, or what plans you make, everything will work out and your Walt Disney World Vacation will be amazing.

Even still, Disney planners want to learn as much as they can about their dining options. While EPCOT has an insane amount of choices, Hollywood Studios has seemingly too few. One of our favorite places at Hollywood Studios is Sci- Fi Dine In.

Sci-Fi Dine In is wonderful. It is so much fun. The atmosphere is amazing. Some of the tables are designed to look like you are sitting in a car. The old time movies and shows playing on the big screen are authentic Walt Disney World. They are enjoyable and nostalgic. They make everyone feel great.

Sci-Fi Dine In knows what it is. It is secure in its identity. It is a nostalgic diner. They have a small diner menu of mostly burgers and a few salads (and milkshakes). But the food is delicious. It is smart (it is Disney after all) that they specialize in the menu and do it so well.

All Things Beauty and the Beast

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Walt Disney World is home to the most beloved characters in the world. Heroes, villains, animals, princesses, toys, the list goes on and on. Walt Disney World certainly maximizes the appeal of these characters in rides, shows, performances and greetings. One movie that certainly has left its mark on Walt Disney World is Beauty and the Beast. There are attractions in 3 of the 4 parks, with the exception being Animal Kingdom.

Hollywood Studios

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is a professional production of the beloved movie. It runs about 20 to 25 minutes and contains all the classic songs and scenes. It is really wonderful. The show is played in a covered theatre on Sunset Boulevard. Showtimes are usually every hour, so there are plenty of chances to catch it. I highly recommend this show as it really is dazzling.

Magic Kingdom

Located in Fantasy Land, Be Our Guest is an amazing dining experience. It is a signature (think expensive) restaurant with a prefix menu. Patrons are able to dine inside Beast’s Castle and meet Beast. Walt Disney World unsurprisingly built the castle exquisitely to the finest detail. There are performance aspects to the dinner, and you can even take a look at the rose in the glass. The menu is expensive and the food is definitely high end, so this might not be for everyone. I’m not much of an eater myself, but for the experience alone we needed to try.

EPCOT

Located in (where else) France, there is an underappreciated attraction called Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along. We really only stumbled upon it one day to get out of the rain. Again, it shouldn’t surprise me that even a small show tucked away in EPCOT contains Disney magic to delight fans. I won’t give anything away, but you should definitely seek out a time to see this show.

We miss the Disney Dining Plan

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The Covid19 pandemic caused so many rippling effects throught Walt Disney World. While much is back to normal, Disney also used the pandemic pause as a reset in several ways. One thing that has yet to return is the Disney Dining plan.

Hollywood Studios

What is the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining plan is pre-purchased meal plan. There are a few different options, and the names of them are a little confusing. The plans give each guest an allotment of meal options each day. Guests also get a reusable resort drink bottle.

I recommend the Disney Dining Plan, which as it’s name implies I guess is the standard plan. This gives each guest one table service meal, one quick service meal and two snacks per day. This is my ideal Disney Dining strategy. I like the one sit down meal each day to relax, regroup and revitalize. I like the quick service meal to complement that as a fast grab and go, because I don’t want to spend too much time in one day on eating.

The complete options offered are:

  • Quick Service Dining Plan
    • 2 quick service meals and 2 snacks per night
  • Disney Dining Plan
    • 1 table service, 1 quick service and 2 snacks per night
  • Disney Dining Plus
    • 2 combined meals, both can be table service or quick, 2 snacks per night
  • Disney Deluxe Dining Plan
    • 3 combined meals, 2 snacks per night

So what does that all mean. Table service restaurants are basically sit down meals with a waiter. Quick service meals are cafeteria type places where you grab your food and go. Snacks can be non alcoholic drinks, or most other food items. Each meal allotted includes a dessert and a drink. Table service meals include one alcoholic beverage too.

Other points to consider

Thie dining plan provides each allotment per night of your vacation. They are all given upon arrival. So you can use an extra snack or meal on a day when you need it. A quick service meal can be converted to 2 snacks if the need arises. The meal plan is for everyone over 3. Kids under 3 can order their own food, or have a few bites off other plates. Some more expensive restaurants, like Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, take table service meals. The system works amazingly (no surprise) and it is easy to keep track of.

So why do I love the Disney Dining Plan?

The Disney Dining Plan lets vacationers pay ahead of time for almost all of their food. I truly miss that. It is wonderful to arrive at Disney World knowing you have already paid for almost all of your vacation. It also limits the amount you spend, because you know ahead of time what you have available to you that is already paid for. Now, since you are paying for all your food, I find I spend more frivolous.

Disney has repeatedly said the Dining Plan was returning. However, there is still no timeline available.

Can you really do Disney on a budget?

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There are so many stories I see that refer to “Disney on a Budget”. Sometimes I’ll skim through them and still I don’t understand the phrase. Everyone wants to save money as much as they can. But a Walt Disney World Vacation is going to be very expensive.  It is something guests have to accept.  So much of enjoying a trip to Disney World is in the attitude of the travellers. There will be crowds. It will be hot. It probably will rain.  And it will be expensive. I’m not going to spend thousands of dollars to go to Disney World and then obsess over every dollar I spend in the parks.

A vacation to Walt Disney World is an entire experience unlike any other vacation. There are so many expenses like snacks, souvenirs and ride experiences. Especially now with Disney Genie and Lightning Lane, the cost can really add up. But like I said, you have to expect and accept that cost. Would you rather wait 90 minutes for Avatar:  Flight of Passage,  or buy a Lightning Lane reservation that might cost $100? For me, time is always greater than money.

There are a few things that really can save some money, without taking away from your vacation fun. Reusable water bottles can actually save a lot when you consider Disney sells water for about 4 or 5 dollars a bottle. We also pack snacks in our bag. We will still enjoy Disney snacks as a treat, but our own snacks to eat when we are really hungry is an easy win. We also pack food for in the hotel room before and after going to the parks. We will bring breakfast items, and then chips or some similar munchies for a late night snack .

A One Day Visit

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I recently did something I had never done before when visiting Walt Disney World. I went for just one day and didn’t stay on property. It was a very unusual experience to say the least. So how did it go?

I was in Orlando and decided to plan for a one day visit to Walt Disney World. Needless to say, it was difficult to pick which park to go to. So the first decision we made was to plan on park hopping. We definitely wanted to try and ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Also, the Food and Wine festival was going so we knew we wanted to end the day at EPCOT. For the morning we wanted to pick a park that had a few great rides that we would be able to do in a short time. We would begin the day at Animal Kingdom.

It was very unusual to go to Walt Disney World for just one day without planning for a long stay. We didn’t make any dining reservations and didn’t plan on using Disney Genie+. We did hope to get a Lightning Lane reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy and we were able to purchase those around 6:50 am.

We used a rideshare app to get to Animal Kingdom and it was smooth. We made it there by 8:30 am for a 9 am park opening. It wasn’t too busy yet and we got dropped off close to the entrance and didn’t have to wait in traffic.

Animal Kingdom

We started at Expedition Everest and barely waited. We rode that twice and hopped on Dinosaur, again with nearly no wait time. We then headed over to Avatar: Flight of Passage with a wait of 60 minutes. After that we made it just in time to catch Festival of the Lion King. We almost didn’t make it in, but did so after the initial seating and ended up with front row seats. We had a quick lunch at Pizzafari, watched It’s tough to be a Bug and made our way to the exit.

We got to the EPCOT bus stop just after 1:30, which was a little later than we wanted to be. As we approached, the bus was leaving. We then had to wait about 15 minutes for another bus. That seemed kind of long, as it was the beginning of the park hopping window and there were many people trying to move.

We entered EPCOT without much of a line at all. I expected there to be more of a rush at the 2pm opening of park hopping. There was a bit of a hitch, as none of our fingerprints worked on the first try.

We had our Lightning Lane reservation for 4pm to 5pm, so we didn’t want to do too much before that. We enjoyed some snacks and drinks at World Showcase. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is unbelievably awesome.

We then enjoyed some more dining and exploring of the Food and Wine Festival. We only made it on Soarin’ and Test Track to end the night. There was just too much to doin EPCOT for a half day. We got off Test Track just in time to watch Harmonius.

Leaving EPCOT using a rideshare was, unfortunately, not easy. Walt Disney World has seemingly not prepared enough for the rise in this technology. There were too few signs directing us where to go. We got lost at least once when we followed a sign to an area and then got there to find another sign pointing us back. There were temporary rideshare signs placed around as guides, but they were difficult to find. When we finally stumbled upon the right spot, there was no organization to the area. People were just standing around hoping to find their rides. It really was a mess. Disney World is going to have to devise a system for this emerging transportation method.

The most essential Disney World Accessory

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There are some simple ways to save money on a Walt Disney World vacation. The easiest way is to bring a reusable water bottle. There are so many other great benefits as well.

Walt Disney World charges a lot for single use water bottles. They can cost up to $4 each. On a family vacation this certainly adds up. It could be hundreds of dollars on this expense alone. Because of this, people end up drinking less water. This leads to hunger, and more snacks at even greater expense. In the Florida heat, especially for travellers from cooler climates, water intake should be increased. Combined with lots of walking, this can create an unhealthy scenario. Dehydration can have many unfortunate side effects that include things like increased motion sickness and exhaustion. These are obviously especially troublesome on a Walt Disney World Vacation.

I have found that bringing reusable water bottles has certainly helped us increase our water intake. It is so much easier to quench your thirst without having to stop and buy water. Walt Disney World is adding filtered water bubblers. But in the meantime, we refill at water fountains or in bathroom sinks. We usually start the day by filling the bottles with ice in the morning before heading to the parks. This gives us cold water most of the day.

2020 Souvenir

And one final point, Walt Disney World sells reusable water bottles. They make for great souvenirs after returning home. And we still use them for things like sports and car rides.

A Quick Hit on Character Dining

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There are many planning considerations for a Walt Disney World vacation. With four unique theme parks, exciting rides and beautiful shows, the planning is certainly continuous. Still nothing might require more thought than planning meals. Under no other circumstances do people plan meal times and restaurants 60 days in advance.

Well one easy way to narrow it down, is to plan on some character dining. If you have your heart set on world class meals, look elsewhere. But for this Disney Dad, we are on vacation in Walt Disney World for reasons just like this. Kids absolutely love having the characters come by their dinner. And the pictures are wonderful. And their faces are so cute and they are so excited. Those memories are what Disney Dads strive to capture.

Garden Grill, EPCOT

You might read reviews for these character experiences that they are expensive or that the food isn’t great. Well yes they are pricey and the food is probably about average. But the experience can’t be beat.

Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood Studios
  • Magic Kingdom
    • Crystal Palace
    • Be Our Guest
  • EPCOT
    • Garden Grill
    • Akershus
  • Hollywood Studios
    • Hollywood & Vine
  • Animal Kingdom
    • Tusker House