An Epiphany in the Magic Kingdom.

We just returned from our wonderful trip to Walt Disney World.  As always we had an absolute magical time and in future posts I will tell more about the experiences that we had while we were down there.  In this post however, I would like to talk a bit about something I discovered about myself while I was there.  I think I found the reason why I love going back to Walt Disney World so much.  In the end,  the reason was pretty simple.  The attractions are wonderful, the events are spectacular and the food is out of this world.  But at the end of the day, the emotions that all these wonderful events produce that make all the difference.   I think that a day didn't go by that I wasn't emotionally moved to shed a tear or put my hand to my mouth in amazement.

Standing in front of the castle  watching the fireworks and the amazing projection show I felt like I was 10 years old again. I felt like a boy.  That is no mean feat for a 53 year old man, Especially when the feet of the 53 year old man were being particularly mean.  It actually wasn't the first time I had  felt that way during our  trip either.  I felt the same while watching the Osborne's Specticale of Dancing lights. And maybe even more so when we watched IllumiNations, Reflections of earth. at Epcot.  I just understood the feeling for what it was while I stood in front of Cinderella's castle and watched as Tinkerbell flew again across the sky on the magic of her LED wings.  The woman that plays Tinkerbell for this stunt has to be among the bravest women around.

One of the park attendants had talked with us early and had informed us of a spot to watch the fireworks.  He said it would be less crowded.  He told us that we would be able to see 80% of the projection show on the castle and 90% of the fireworks and we wouldn't be packed together with so many people.  You know, I'm sure he was giving us good information, but a fireworks show is a shared experience   I don't mind a crowd around me when watching the shells go off or seeing something magical appear before my eyes.  There is a shared consciousnesses about a group experience and the bigger the group, in some cases, the more powerful the experience.  So we choose to stand right in front of the castle, right there on main street with several thousand other enthused Disney fans.  We were all ready to watch the special fireworks show that Walt Disney World does during the "Very Merry Christmas Party".  These fireworks are longer and have  significantly more shells  and fireworks.  Also, Instead of all the fireworks appearing from behind Cinderella's Castle,  the fireworks are launched from all around the parameter of the park.  So, for parts of the show, where ever you were in the park, you could fireworks were bursting all around you.  I felt fantastic.  I felt young.  I had some of the people I love the most with me.  It was at that moment I knew personally what the magic of Disney was.  I knew, that for me,  Disney's fireworks and shows could make me travel back in time when I was more filled with wonder at the universe.  I was  transported  back to a time when amazing things were still amazing and my jaw would drop from the things I was witnessing.

I was happy to share these feelings of wonder with all the people around me.  When you are experiencing something profound its always better to be in a crowd of people.  Before the fireworks and the projection show on Cinderella's castle, I started singing the carols they played over the speakers... is wasn't long before a few more people were singing right a long.  I thought this was a lot of fun.  I'm not sure this would have happened in a smaller group.

It was wonderful to capture a moment that makes you feel young.  The feeling has lasted for a while now.  My age is only a number.  How i feel about the world around me and wonder and joy I find in it defines how old I am.  I've been content for the 53 years I've been on this earth for the most part. my wife and kids have helped me stay young in my mind.  Disney World reminds me to feel young and fresh and reminds me that the world if full of wonderful things.  I think you should live your life in wonder and awe of beautiful things.

My first Disney Experience.

Disney world is only one month away exactly as I begin this post  I thought i might take advantage of this time to put down some thoughts about the attractions and the events that surround my frist trip to Disneyland. Maybe, its time to reflect on Disney trips in the past and anticipate the upcoming adventure in November. I've spent a lot of time commenting on restaurants and events.  I have even spent some time on the attractions in each of the parks.  For me, the enjoyment of this blog is reliving these experiences as I write about them and perhaps give my readers an insight on what to expect when they get the chance to visit.  Maybe along the way I get the chance to provide a tip or too that would make my readers trip to Disney as magical as I have found them to be.  I have no doubt that a single visitor can have a wonderful time at Disney world and I by no means wish to discourage someone that wants to go on their own,  But I have found the Magic of Disney to be most intense, most emotional and most enjoyable when I have had at least some portion of family around me to share the moments.  Up to now, of course my favorite trip has been the 2010 trip I took with Bonnie at the beginning of the Christmas holidays but that was not my first Disney experience.

That is not to say that the others have not been spectacular and special.  I remember the first time we wet to explore Disneyland.   My uncle Bud had gone to school at the University of Illinois to be come a  Veterinarian.  The Air force had helped pay for his school.  So when he graduated he was stationed in Sacramento California to care for the Dogs and other animals that the Air force had there.  My father had been working for the rail road and had just changed jobs to work where he would spend most of his working career for Marathon oil Company at the refinery in nearby Robinson Illinois. Between the Rail road and the Refinery My father had some time off before he started working at marathon. We packed everything up and went on a two week car trip to Sacramento.  (If you bear with me We will get to the part where We go to Disneyland.) We had a great time on the road. My first big impression as a 8 year old boy was how big the state of Kansas was. It seem to my young eyes that one part of Kansas was similar to all the other parts of Kansas.  I remember seeing the Mountains for the first time as we traveled I 70 through to Denver.  I think the interstate travels all the way through the Rockies now but at that point I don't think they had completed construction of the road, So we turned north.  We visited Pikes Peak, driving all the way up the switch back road that goes to the top. Parts of that road have curves that if you miss them you will just fall into oblivion. It was the middle of summer and it was cold at the top of the mountain.  Then we continued our trip northward to Cheyenne Wyoming where we picked up I 80 and we started our trip westward again.  We stopped at the  great Salt Lake It was an amazing almost unearthly place to this boy from Illinois.  I use to have a big salt crystal from the great Salt lake. Then we visited the Biggest Little City in the world, Reno Nevada. I can still remember seeing the sign. The road took we took into California went through the Sierra  Nevada's at Donner's pass,  it was cold again.  For crying out loud, this was California its suppose to be warm.  Eventually We arrived at Sacramento.  We had a wonderful visit with my Uncle and his family. We visited the California wine country before it had become such a producer of fine wines and enjoyed the sights around Sacramento. After a week with my Uncle we returned home. From our home in Palestine Illinois it took a good 3 days to travel out there and back.

TWA 707 Jet.  It was one of the biggest in the sky.

Frontier 727.  These Hung around forever.

The next year came around and my father and mother, who had had such a wonderful time in California last time, decided that the family vacation this year would be Sacramento again. This time In order to cut back on travel time and to add some additional adventure to the trip Mom and Dad had decided to fly to California. This was a really big deal for me when I was 9. I still had ambitions of being an astronaut. These were the early years of Apollo and many boys my age were inspired to go to the stars just like Buzz, Neil and Gus and the rest of those heroic men that risked and gave their life to expand our horizons beyond our earth. Of course, Neil and Buzz and Mike hadn't been to the moon yet, but it was only a matter of time before they would go. So it was with no little excitement we drove over to Saint Louis to Catch our flight on Frontier Airlines to Denver, The first hop on our trip to California. I can even to this day remember the kind of airplane we flew. It was a Boeing 727, the three engine aircraft that served the airlines all the way through the last half of the 20th Century. In Denver, We boarded at TWA 707 for the flight to Sacramento. It impressed me as a big plane. Four big Jet engines and was one of the biggest things in the sky at the time. I was excited to fly. Everything about it was cool.. from the razor disposal slot to the little bars of soap to the little bottles of alcohol that came with my parents drinks. Food and Drinks were included in the airfare. Much different than now. Anyway, We arrived in Sacramento that afternoon. In the eyes of a nine year old boy this was just short of magic to turn a three day drive to an single day of flight. This was before all the security check points and searches and crammed planes. It was a different age of flying and it was just plane fun.

Who could mistake this for anything but LAX.

Our trip had begun well and little unbeknownst to me and my 7 year old sister, My Mom, Dad, Uncle and Aunt had planned a trip to Disneyland.  We had bought tickets on a regional airline that served California and the West cost at the time.  The name of the airline escapes me, because that was more than 40 years ago.  Anyway,  the day came for our trip to Disneyland.  Anaheim was just a short flight from Sacramento and of course we had over slept that morning so we had to make a mad dash to the airport.  Along the way, my Uncles car had a flat tire. It seemed everything was conspiring to keep us from going.  This was the age before Cell phones so there was no way to call the Airline to let them know we were late.  But, in Indianapolis Motor Speed Way pit crew time, the tire was changed and we were again on our way to the airport.  Fortunately for us, the airline had held the flight long enough for us to arrive. We boarded the Aircraft and away we went to LAX. LAX seemed so modern to me then.  the Terminal building with its arches looked like a flying saucer to me still, to this day is an icon of Southern California and the icon of Los Angeles International Airport.   At the Airport we caught a bus to Anaheim, where Disneyland awaited.  The only thing I remember about the bus ride is how long it took to go from the airport to Disneyland.

Runaway mine train. Replaced by Big Thunder Mountian.

 I was really excited about going to Disneyland and wanted to get there right away. At that time I didn't know what rides where there. I thought of the attractions at Disneyland as rides. As i grew older I realized that there is so much more to Disney than just rides but I was nine. Rides were everything.  After what seemed forever to me, we finally arrived at Walt Disney's dream.  Walt had planned Disneyland to be a place where families could have fun together in a clean, safe environment. I have read that Walt Disney would take his kids to local amusement parks in California.  Walt knew that he could do better an set out to create the happiest place on earth.  In 1955 he opened Disneyland. A bit more than a decade, all I knew was they had the Runaway Mine Train and the Mad Tea Party ride.  Disneyland  had steam trains and the Matterhorn ride. I wanted to do it all.  Unfortunately, at that time, all the rides were available via a coupon system.  Visitors bought Coupons books that had tickets that ranged from A to E  with the most exciting rides requiring an E ticket. We each had a coupon book that didn't have enough E tickets to ride all the E ticket rides. Even though I missed out on the Matterhorn I had a great time at Disney.  For the first time I had ridden Its a Small World. We got to ride the monorail, which was an E ticket ride as well. I knew the Mad Tea Party ride was at Disneyland.  I was crazy for anything Alice in Wonderland at the time.  I still love all the Lewis Carroll books today and I was much more tolerant of the round and round that makes my stomach do flips today.  I rode it with my parents, never once thinking that perhaps they might have the same aversion  to round and round like i had discovered when i grew older. Of course,  when I was in my thirties which was their age at that time, I could still tolerate round and round fairly well.  Today, not so much.

Mad Tea Party.  I didn't loose my lunch. Now I would.

Many of the rides are still fresh in my mind.  I remember the Enchanted Tiki Room.  The singing birds seemed like technological marvels a the time. Even today, they are still pretty cool.  As simple as Its a Small World was, this ride amazing thing in my young eyes and the insidious song that has crept into my sub-conscience that will probably never be exorcised.  I got my first taste of flying over the chimneys of London on the Peter Pan ride and my first taste of the monorail. Some of the older rides have gone now.   the Carousel of Progress is now in Disney World.  Gone are the days of A, B, C or D ticket rides, but E-tickets have entered the English Lextionary.  People still refer to amazing or exciting events as E-ticket attractions.  Even shuttle astronauts have referred to liftoff as an E-Ticket ride. Now that all is said and done, I'm happy that this bit of Disney nostalgia lives on but as for me, I'm glad that we only have to pay a single price to gain admittance to the parks. That is truly Magic My Way.  Disneyland was all amazing and an enchanting place for a 9 year old. I still find Disney magical 44 years later.  I can't wait for the chance to go again.  30 more days.. just 30 more days.

Singing "Its a small world after all... Its a small world after all"

Disney: The New Stuff We Have Planned

Christmas at Hollywood Studios.

The Reservations have been made. The invoices have been paid and most of the plans have been made.  As I begin this post our count down sits at 54 days before we get on the plane and fly down to one of the happiest places on earth.  Of course many of the restaurants and events are tried and true favorites that have visited several times.  Ohana's restaurant is just a lot of fun and seeing Illuminations and Fantasmic are both events that are difficult to miss. Some things we have only done once or twiceThe Candlelight Processional and La Nouba both fall into this category and I can't wait to see them again.  Still others are new places and restaurants that we have yet to visit or events that we haven't done it the past.  This post will be about the stuff we haven't done before.  I hope to write a few lines about the new restaurants we have reserved and the new event that we have on tap. Of course, since we have never been to these places or attended these events I can only write about what I've read or what my expectations are.  It's always good to try new things, and at Disney, the adventurous in spirit are nearly always rewarded with a exciting, informative and/or entertaining event.

The easiest events to comment on may be the number of new restaurants to which we have reservations.  Of course, we are going back to some of our favorites.  We really enjoyed Ohana's and the Flying Fish.  We try to make a stop by Le Cellier each visit as well.  As much as we like Jiko the Cooking Place and the California grill, some sacrifices had to be made to make room for some of the restaurants to which as of yet we haven't gone.  This time, our plans do not include Via Napoli, home of some of the best pizza I have ever had, or Raglan Road  where, i think, some of the best bar entertainment can be found at Disney World.  This year we are going to several new eateries, including Cinderella's royal table and Mamma Melrose's Italian restaurant. We also have reservations for Tutto Italia. While we know its Italian I'm not quite sure what to expect from both these eateries. Mid week we have reservations for Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  On our last night we have reservations at Todd English's Bluezoo at the Swan and Dolphin near where we are staying.  It seems that we are heavily leaning toward Seafood and Italian food this time around, but we do have a nice balance of steak and seafood planned for the week as well, not to mention the Carnivore festival we have planned at Ohana's on Monday night.

Mama Melrose's

Tutto Italia

Looking at Mamma Melrose's menu and at Tutto Italia I get the impression that Mama Melrose's restaurant is not intended to be fancy.  The restaurant looks like an Italian bistro like what you might find in an Italian neighborhood in New York or any city that has an Italian population for that matter. Mama Melrose's looks like a place where you might get somebody's moms recipes.   Tutto Italia on the other hand looks more like a High class Hotel restaurant. Nicer printing on the menu and maybe more complex dishes.  Of course, It looks to me like some of the dishes are the same.  Both restaurants have fried Calimari and both have an array of pasta dishes. Mama Melrose offers Flat breads (pizza) while Tutto Italia offers food that might be a bit more sophisticated.  Let me take a moment to state that because a restaurant might not be as sophisticated as another that it makes the less sophisticated restaurant any worse.  Sometimes you are in the mood for Filet of Beef  on other days a good cheese burger is what you crave.  Some of the best food I've had comes from a bar or a hamburger stand.   On the other hand, most of my more memorable meals were at higher class establishments   Both have their place in this world.  I don't know what I will have when i get these restaurants but at this moment,  the Risotto dish with seafood sounds good at Tutto Italia and the Pork Osso Bucco at Mama Melrose's sounds wonderful.

Our last time at the Flying Fish Cafe, We ate at this table.

Todd English's Bluezoo. (Pretty Swank if you ask me)

Unbeknownst to us there was a great debate around Disney World.  Two restaurants have been competing over time as to who has the best seafood In the Crescent lake area of Disney World.  Many diners suggest that the best seafood comes from the Flying Fish Cafe on the board walk, While others say that Todd English's Bluezoo serves the freshest best tasting seafood around.  I am lucky enough to get a chance to find out who is right.  We might be a little presumptuous to think we can determine who has the best seafood in a single visit, but our little group has reservations at both restaurants and we should at least get a good idea bout the quality of the service and the food.  At the Flying fish, we have already discovered their food to be wonderful and their service to be amazing.  I've said it many times but it bares repeating that all the Cast members that I have had any interaction with at Disney, be it on the phone making reservations or just somebody that is cleaning stuff in the theme parks,  always provide friendly personable service.  So, the great service we received at the Flying Fish Cafe was not totally unexpected. Bluezoo will no doubt have the same wonderful Disney touch even though the restaurant is not owned or operated by Disney, since the Disney name is on the hotel where the restaurant resides, I imagine that it will have the same wonderful service found all over Walt Disney world.  Reviewers have given the restaurant rave reviews calling it among the best on Disney property and "The" place for seafood.  I look forward the maybe sampling the raw bar or eating some of the wonderful fish that Bluezoo offers. I am excited about the chance to compare these two wonderful restaurants.

Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We have plans to visit two more new restaurants at Disney World.  Boma - A taste of Africa is a buffet in Jambo House in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Cinderella's Royal Table is in Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Boma's offers ether America Food with African flairs or African food with and American flair. Maybe it will serve  even a pleasant mixture of both. The menu changes at Boma depending on whats fresh.  Boma serves Prime Rib and roast chicken.  I suspect they will incorporate African flavors into these very american dishes.  Also, I am excited to read that they are serving an assortment of African breads with soups and stews that are inspired by African cuisine.  I've always read good reviews for this restaurant and now I have a chance to eat there.   Cinderella's Royal Table has to be considered more than just a meal.  The meal looks like a wonderful experience in of itself, but what should make this meal special will be the chance to go into Cinderella's castle.  Even as a boy, I had wondered what was in the castles.  When I saw Sleeping Beauties castle at Disneyland I don't think visitors could go inside. I thought it was cool to see a "real" castle. Today,  in Walt Disney World,  visitors can actually go inside and enjoy a meal.  It wasn't so long ago that some lucky people were allowed to spend the night in the apartment in the castle. Spending the night in the Magic Kingdom let a lone staying in the Cinderella's castle must have been an amazing experience.  The restaurant strives to provide royal treatment to the guest that dine there and it is my hope that my wife will get the princess treatment and that she will be made to feel like royalty.  She deserves that.

I don't know what to expect, but Cinderella's Royal Table should be fun.

We have a wonderful new adventure planned. Something that we have never experienced before. For the first time since we have been going to Walt Disney World, We have scheduled one of Disney's behind the scenes tours.  Because we were going to be down in Disney right at the beginning of the Christmas season, we chose the Yuletide Fantasy tour.  This four hour tour will visit all the parks and discuss some of the history behind the decorations.  I'm pretty sure its not a nuts an bolts, "how we hung the decorations" tour but a discussion of the meaning behind the decorations.  I hope that to be the case anyway.  It would be fascinating to see how the lights on the castle are controlled, but i think there is more mileage in the reasoning why the designers at Disney chose a particular decoration for a particular location.  It seems obvious why all the purple and gold at French Quarter.  Purple and gold are symbolic of the New Orleans experience and if you look at the Christmas trees at Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom, you can see the theme of the parks reflected in the tree decorations.  I recall seeing reels of film on the Hollywood Studios tree and representations of animals in the Animal Kingdom tree.  But I have no idea why there were so many red bows on the trees at Epcot or why they chose that particular design for the garland on Main Street USA.  All I'm really sure of is the beauty of all the decorations at Disney World.  Christmas trees great visitors at the entrance of every park.  Walkways are festooned with amazing garlands and beautiful decorations.  I'm certain, like all the other attractions, buildings, shows and parades, A story and theme exists  behind the choices of each of the Decorations through out the park.  I am really looking forward to this tour.

Just a few of the Decorations to be found near Germany In Epcot. 

Reservations for Walt Disney World.

The Boardwalk at Twilight (Internet picture)

Our next trip to Walt Disney world is booked.  We have booked our favorite time of year and at the place where we have wanted to stay for some time now. Its hard for me to believe that I'm actually going to get to stay at the Boardwalk Villas.  We have reserved a studio there.  This includes a Queen sized bed and a double sleeper sofa with a standard view. I don't think we will see the pool or the boardwalk from our room but that is fine with me.  The advantages of staying at the Boardwalk villa's out weigh any lack of view.  The way my wife and I look at it, about all we are going to be doing in the room is sleeping.  The advantage of the Boardwalk Villa's is the location.   We will be just a short walk to EPCOT and the walk to Disney's Hollywood studios is only about 20 minutes boat service is offered to both parks from the Boardwalk. I suspect that we will take the boat to and from Hollywood studios. Our location is such that if we wanted too, we could take a combination of boats and monorails and never touch a bus to get to the Magic Kingdom. While Buses are available  from the Boardwalk  to all the locations except EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood studios, to get to the Magic Kingdom, we could take the boat to EPCOT World Showcase,  another boat to EPCOT future world, then the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.   We will probably do this when we aren't in any hurry to get to a particular location and we want the fun of using the monorail and riding the monorail is a big part of the fun of going to Walt Disney World.  A bus also runs from the Boardwalk Villas to the Magic Kingdom for the times when we are on a tighter schedule. Of course,  because of there is no connectivity to the Animal Kingdom on the monorail system and, its a bit further away than the other parks the only way to reach the Animal Kingdom from the Boardwalk Villas is by bus.

2010 Spreadsheet Reservation Numbers Removed to protect the innocent.

Planning a Disney Vacation, especially in the vast expanses of Walt Disney World can be pretty complex.   Visitors must weigh where they plan to eat against what events they plan to attend and what park they want to visit.  For example,  It doesn't bode well for the visitor that is staying at the French Quarter and going to the Magic Kingdom to eat at Mama Melrose's  watch Illuminations and then eat at Jiko's.  It could be done but most of your day would be spent on the bus.  Usually, We try to figure out what we want to see and do, then find out when its available.  Then we plan our park visits and meals accordingly. To illustrate the complexities of planning a Disney World vacation, On our upcoming visit we have planned this late November early December  we absolutely don't want to miss the Candlelight processional. Well,The Candlelight Processional is being held 3 times a day each day on the days we are In Disney World. We wanted one of the many Candlelight Processional Dinner packages because we get preferred seating to the Processional and access to the VIP section for viewing Illuminations.  So we started our search for restaurants that had packages available.  Our first choice was Le Cellier, a wonderful Steak House in EPCOT World Showcase. We found that Le Cellier had no reservations times available  for the Candlelight Processional Dinner packages for when we wanted to see the show on any day of our planned stay.  Later, we discovered that Le Cellier was only offering the Dinner Packages for the early show and only with lunch.  After perusing what Le Cellier was serving for their Candlelight processional lunch  package we were glad we decided to eat at Le Cellier on another evening. We found that that Tutto Itialia had packages for about the right time for us to attend the 6:30 showing of the Processional on the Thursday after we arrive.  Having never eaten at Tutto Itialia we decided that it would be fun to give that restaurant a try.  We made our reservations and confirmed our dinner package.  Because our dining and our special events were in EPCOT, we made EPCOT the park we plan to visit on Thursday.  There, wasn't that simple?  Fortunately, we put our plan into a spread sheet that lists where we are eating, what special events we want to do and what park we are visiting for each day of our trip.  As complex as some of these plans get, its good to have something in hand to keep it all straight.

Holiday Decorations At Epcot (Internet Picture)

One thing we have going for us is the fact that we are in Disney World for 7 nights.  The last time we stayed for a full week, We had plenty of time for almost everything we wanted to do.  Doing everything we want to do is very different than doing all the things there are to do at Walt Disney World.  On our last Christmas trip we did many things that we are not planning to do this time around.  In 2010 we did the Hoop Dee Doo review, an amazingly corny show, and the Pirates and Pal's Fireworks cruise.  We have done the Hoop Dee Doo twice and the Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise was fun but I was disappointed in the deserts.  I had anticipated much more sophisticated deserts and snacks that pretzels  peanuts and Little Debbie cakes in plastic wrappers. Getting out on the Lagoon and on Bay Lake was lots of fun. We got a close up view of the Electric Water Show.  The electric water show is one of the original presentations at Walt Disney world and has been around since it opened in 1971.  The show was dated and the music was compose performed on a Moog synthesizer, but even with all its age spots and wrinkles I found the Electric Water Show to be charming and somewhat nostalgic.   The people on the starboard side of the boat got a great view of the fireworks. We, of course, were on the port side but we had seen the fireworks earlier in the trip from Main street, USA in the Magic Kingdom so we were happy to let others have our place on that side of the boat.  Rather than spend the $54.00 it costs per person, we won't go on the Pirates and Pals and use the money for another special event. We haven't made the arrangements yet, but I believe that our little group will be enjoying a tour of all the parks and seeing what Disney Imagineers and Designers have done to Decorate the parks for the holidays.  Disney offers a guided tour of all the parks specifically to show off their Christmas decorations on their Yuletide Fantasy tour which is something it think we  would enjoy.  Also,  I've been on the Living with the Land attraction a number times and have been pretty fascinated by what they do there.  Maybe this time we will take the Behind the Seeds tour and get a closer look a all the research that is done in Aqua Culture and Hydroponics.

In addition to the tours we are discussing buying tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  Once again the debate has begun.  We have attended this event in the past and we had loads of fun.  It was neat to see snow in the middle of Florida and Disney provided hot chocolate and cookies through out the Magic Kingdom.  Disney limits the number of tickets to the Very Merry Christmas party so essentially people with tickets pretty much walk onto the best rides with very little wait. One of my favorite moments on our last Christmas visit to Disney occurred during the Christmas Party at the top of splash mountain.  Just before we plunged into the chilly abyss, we were treated to a view of Cinderella's castle that i can still see in my mind when I close my eyes to this day.  It was one of those perfect moments Disney visitors get to experiences from time to time and something I wrote about in an earlier post.  But, at the end of the day,  we still debate if the cost of the ticket is worth the extra benefits we get attending the Party. The cost of the ticket is nearly $63.00 per person making the cost for the three of us around $189.00.  I'm sure we will debate this for a while longer.  One of the contributing factors involved is the fact that when took a Holiday trip to Disney the last time, we had tickets for Christmas Party on the first day we arrived.  I thought that attending the party was a terrific way to get our visit to Disney world off with a bang.  This time, our plans delay our visit to the Magic Kingdom till Sunday.  We have reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table lunch at 2:20 that day.  I wonder, since we will be in the park earlier this time that we will get our fill of the Magic Kingdom before the party commences.  I suppose one way to insure that doesn't happen is for us to not go to the Magic Kingdom right at opening, perhaps riding any of the more popular attractions at the Christmas Party.

La Nouba Preforms here. (Internet Picture)

There might be more reasons to delay our arrival at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday.  My wife, kids and I went one summer on a single day trip to Downtown Disney when we were visiting my wife's aunt who lived in Clearwater at the time. During that visit we were lucky enough to score tickets the La Nouba, the Cirque de Soleil show that runs all the time in Downtown Disney.  It was one of the most amazing things I had ever had the good fortune to witness.  For those who haven't seen a Cirque de Soleil show before a little explanation might be in order.  Cirque de Soleil (Circus of the Sun)  uses no animals.  I was amazed at the athleticism of the performers at La Nouba.  Performers hang from curtains and fly over the audience   People use giant wheels to perform incredible stunts.   Trampolines and Bicycles are used in unimaginable ways.  There is even a section with a flying trapeze. Cirque de Soleil is the most athletic and physically taxing performance you are likely to witness eclipsing almost any sporting event I've seen.  We will probably buy Tickets to La Nouba for the Saturday night before we would be going to the Magic Kingdom.  Our commitment to diner at Le Cellier on Saturday prevents us from going to La Nouba at the 6:00 showing.  but Tickets to the 9:00 showing were still available at the time of my writing this post.  That would make for a late evening on Saturday making an early arrival at the Magic Kingdom the next day unlikely.  Of course sometime during the evening we will find a bite to eat at one of the restaurants at downtown Disney.  We will probably visit some of the shops in that area as well.

Well that's probably enough for this post. I'm sure that i will write more over the next 60 days or so before we go.  Also,  once we get to Disney world, I'll try to post some Pictures and comments while we are there. While the days exploring the parks and enjoying the food are loads of wonderful fun.  I take a lot of enjoyment helping my wife pull the plans together and writing a bit about what I know or guess about the upcoming trip.  I have said this before about my wife, but  without her, none of this would be possible.  She finds things that I would never guess.  She seeks out bargains that will save us a ton of money.  My attempts at finding bargains at Disney are almost laughable compared to what my wife finds.  I look forward to sharing another wonderful week in Walt Disney World with her.

Issac, Rockets and Just a Little Beach.

Sure Doesn't look like that there is a storm coming.

On Friday, August 24th, I had arranged a trip with my wife and mother-in-law to the sugar white sands of Perdido Key Florida.  This was in Celebration of my wife's 1/2 century on the planet and her mothers 84th birthday.  Both these events were wonderful reasons to go to the Gulf of Mexico for a few days of fun and delicious seafood.  Sadly,  Our Vacation in the Northern Gulf of Mexico was cut short by Hurricane Issac.  Of course, we know that Hurricanes happen in late August, but when we were making the plans in early August the waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf were pretty calm and the threat of a storm making land fall anywhere near one of our favorite vacation spots seemed remote. So we planned our 5 night itinerary and made the plans to go. A few days before we left, a low pressure system slid from the coast of Africa and within a few days more Tropical Storm Issac was born in the Caribbean. We watched as predictions for the storm turned it northward and making landfall near where we had made our plans. But that didn't keep our intrepid group of travelers from setting off from Terre Haute to the beach paradise of Perdido Key. With an eye to the weather, we packed our bags and turned left o US 41 and started our trip down to the beach.

The View From the Condo.

We set off at about 2:30 on Friday.  I had arranged to get off from work a couple hours early so we could make some time toward the beach.  On a normal drive, it takes about 12 to 14 hours for us to drive the around 700 miles to the beach.  We always make plenty of stops.  We eat when we get hungry and of course there are other reasons to pull off the interstate. But we had done well.  Our first day of travel put us in the town of Athens Alabama which is about 1/2 way to the beach give or take 50 miles. So our trip was off to a good start. At this time, Issac was still below Cuba and working its way north west.  We were not concerned yet because we hoped that the storm could still break up or it could change course and head to Texas.  Vacationers are always optimistic. We were even lucky enough to find a reasonably priced room at the Holiday Inn Express in Athens. I like the Holiday Inn express hotels. The bed were comfortable and the rooms are clean. The breakfast, while maybe not the most flavorful was filling and plentiful.  My wife was intrigued by the pancake machine.  Push a button, get a pancake. I found it pretty cool too. The machine produced edible pancakes if you put enough syrup and butter on them. It was very much typical motel breakfast buffet fair.

Bonnie and her Mom on the moon.  (Well I guess not)

The next morning we jumped into the car and headed south.  I had checked the location and condition of what was still a tropical storm Issac before we left. It was making land fall over Cuba.  My hope was that the rugged mountains of Cuba would put up a better fight against the storm.  Sadly,  Issac came out pretty much in tact as it tracked over Cuba.  We continued to drive south until we reached one of our favorite stopping places along the road.  Priesters Pecans in Fort Deposit Alabama has loads of free samples of candies and coated pecans we even found a delicious blueberry bread that we purchased thinking we could toast it for breakfasts in the Kitchen of the two bed room Condo.  Our only other stop of the that day was to buy gas.  We had planned to luncheon on the beach around 2:00.  So,  We arrived in Perdido Key around 2:30 that afternoon,  We checked into our condo and got the evacuation instructions. We might have been optimistic, but we weren't foolish enough to ignore the consequences of being wrong about the hurricane.  Right after checking into the condo, we obtained our $200.00 gift cards from the Perdido Key Chamber of commerce. The Chamber has used the money they received from BP after the oil spill as incentives for people to stay at Pedido Key.  They gave out American Express gift cards to people if they preregistered and show a zero balance receipt for accommodation at Perdido key.  The length of our stay qualified us for $200.00.



I always wanted to fly an F18.

Our first meal on the beach was at the shrimp basket, a familiar haunt for my family. The food was tasty,  pretty much redeeming itself from the last time we ate there.  The oysters were fresh and creamy and the shrimp were tasty with the very light bit of breading they put on them.  Even though they don't serve grouper as their fish any more.  The broadhead, a variety of catfish, was very nice flaky and good. I had a delicious Yuengling Larger to was all this wonderful food down. All in all it was a good experienced 

My daughter likes K'nex and Legos. She would love this.

We were tired but we also knew that our stay at the beach might be limited, so as soon as we found your condo, we changed into swim suits and made our way to the beach.  The weather was beautiful. the temperature was hot, but not badly so.  The humidity was not as high as I have experienced along the gulf coast. Our first mission when we arrived at the condo was to enjoy some of the terrific surf that was being kicked up by the winds out to sea.  Issac was still out to sea far enough that the waves were not so high as to prohibit our enjoyment.  Even so we could feel a strong westward rip current as the winds were blowing from the west.  Issac was still in Cuba. Unfortunately it was pretty clear at that time that Cuba wasn't going to tear the storm up enough to prevent it from effecting our vacation. We really enjoyed the waves. I could personally feel most of the tensions of my work flow from my body into the Gulf of Mexico around me.  Later that evening we walked across the highway to Lillian's pizza.  You might wonder why, with all that fantastic seafood around us we would choose a pizza for dinner.  At the end of the day we decided that we were tired and didn't want to get out after all the driving we had done over the past couple of days. That evening, before bed, Issac emerged from Cuba and unleashed his wrath against south Florida and the Florida keys.  There was lots of talk during the day that Issac would turn northward, with a bullseye on Gulf shores.  This would put our condo in the north east quadrant of the storm, which since the forward momentum of the storm is in combination with the Cyclonic winds is the worse part of the storm. However, that evening the storm was predicted to go a bit further west.  I think it was at this point that the weather service got a better grip on where the storm was going.



You know I couldn't pass this up. 

The next morning,  we were awakened by the fire alarm in the condo.  Someone had pulled the alarm and it was going off right in our bedroom.  I was just getting up to make coffee but my wife was sleeping  peacefully away.  We didn't have to abandon our Condo because the building manager was quick to come up and let us know that it was a false alarm.  I don't care how big the emergency, its very difficult to go from dead asleep to on the sidewalk in a matter of a few minutes.  Finally, after about 20 minutes of squawking and announcing that an emergency had been reported, the alarm was silenced.  In the mean time we checked the weather.  We took comfort in the fact that Issac was predicted to go west of where we were.  Issac's predicted land fall  slid even a little further west.  Our hope was that if it would push far enough west then we would get to stay.  We had talked a head of time that if any sort of evacuation was ordered, mandatory or voluntary, we would go.  We sat on the balcony and saw dolphins.  I can think of only one time when I didn't see these beautiful creatures swimming and playing in the gulf.


I know that there aren't lots of beach pics. But Its me by a Saturn V for crying out loud.

After a bit of time enjoying the beauty that the Florida pan handle had to offer our little group  decided we were getting hungry.  The people of the northern gulf coast know already that one of the best places for breakfast is the collection of restaurants know as Tacky Jacks. Tacky Jack's has several locations scattered around the northern Gulf coast but the original location,  at least I think it is the original location, is in Orange beach Alabama, overlooking Perdido bay.  Originally, Tacky Jack's started out as a bar on the top floor with a breakfast restaurant on the bottom floor.  When we first started going to Tacky Jack's, we went for the huge pan cakes that were the size of a dinner plate.  My wife loves pecans in her pancakes and being in the south, where pecans are famous, Tacky Jack's is only too happy to offer them on the menu.  We have, in the past, eaten upstairs in the bar as well. They serve what they call Garbage Can Nacho's.  This Sounds kind of unappetizing if you think too much about it, but the The Garbage Can refers to the amount of different things they put on the nachos.  Meat and cheese are included of course, but when you add the jalapenos and the sour cream and the other nacho toppings you feel like they put everything in the kitchen on this delicious appetizer. Interestingly, while my wife had the wonderful pan cakes, I found something new on the menu that I thought would be delicious for breakfast.  Shrimp and Grits are a staple of the southern states. And cheesy grits are a staple all over the south. Putting fresh gulf shrimp with perfectly cooked cheesy grits can only make a delightful breakfast.  These were good shrimp and grits. The  dish had plenty of perfectly cooked gulf shrimp over some delightfully creamy and cheesy grits.  With each spoon full i got some shrimp and i savoured every bite.  I may have found my new favorite breakfast on the gulf.

How we got to the Moon. (More Saturn V Pics)

Giant F1 rocket engines of the Saturn V.

My wife and I spent the rest of the morning in the surf and sitting in the sand.  Issac wasn't so close that the waves had become dangerous, actually they were perfect for body surfing again.  So i ditched my glasses and newly purchased Tacky Jacks cap in the bag with the towels and enjoyed the surf, letting it carry me in again and again on the top of the waves.  It was great fun especially after I figured out how to let the eastward flowing tide help me get back to my feet. Fortunately for everyone there is no known video evidence of my seal like adventures in the surf.   after a couple hours of body surfing and sitting in the sand it became time for lunch. We originally wanted to go to Cobalt's, a new restaurant that was fairly close by, but their menu was a Sunday brunch menu that we didn't find too attractive.  Our second choice was The Fisherman's Corner, a fairly new bistro that serves Cajun and Creole food.  They served a brunch as well but the food they offered appealed to us more. They weren't busy when we got there so we were seated quickly. The food was very good.  I had a Gumbo Salad which fried shrimp, oysters, crayfish and okra, everything you would expect in gumbo over spring greens. The dressing was sort of a remoulade with out being to spicy.   My problems  my dish were, the breading on the seafood was too heavy and personally i like a corn meal based breading for fried oysters.  Also,  all the fired things were under salted and a bit more spiciness would not have gone amiss. Still the seafood was fresh and flavorful and well cooked. So all in all it wasn't a bad dish.  My wife hand the scrumptious shrimp and grits in what was almost and etouffee sauce. She had eaten this dish before.  The grits come in a baseball sized fried ball and the sauce is delicious. After lunch we went to the outlet mall, were we bought more stuff to eat at Harry and Davids and as we returned we purchased a wonderful Hopes Cheese cake. You see, We had purchased all these wonderful things in anticipation of being at the beach for several more days.

Inside Apollo 16.

Reentry was hot.  Look at the scaring.

Precious Moon Rock

Sadly, none of that was meant to be. The next day started out beautifully.  The sun was out and the sand on the beach was warm and lovely. My wife and I awoke early and decided to take a walk on the beach.  We noticed that all the loose man made stuff had been removed. The beach loungers and the big white containers where the cushions for the loungers were kept had been hauled away.  All the trash cans were gone.  Even the mats where beach combers cleaned the sand from their feet before entering the condos were gone. There were no other people walking that morning ether.   It was a little creepy but still beautiful.  Knowing that this could be our last day, my wife and I wrote our names in the sand where the waves can wash it away.  This is a ritual we came up with some time ago.  We want the gulf to remember us when we come back. Then we returned to the Condo.  At the bottom of the elevator we were met by the same Meyers Real estate fellow that we had seen the previous day when we had the fire alarm was go off. He asked us why we were still there and told us about the mandatory evacuation that had been ordered. In addition, He told us the power and water would be shut down and the elevators would be turned off around noon.  That was enough for us.  the prospect of spending three or four days with no electricity or water and no elevator made us pack our bags and leave northward.  We had a back up plan in mind so that we could still enjoy at least another day of vacation before returning home. We would stop in Huntsville and see the Rocket Center. That evening we exited I 65 and drove the 15 miles over to Huntsville where we lucky enough to find a room in the Marriott hotel that was right next to the rocket center.

Our first manned space Vehicle

Juno, Jupiter, Redstone and the Saturn S1B.

The US Space and Rocket had its start in 1950 when Werner Von Braun  and his group of displaced German V2 rocket scientists where moved from Fort Bliss Texas to the Redstone Rocket Arsenal in Huntsville. In the area surrounding Huntsville, Von Braun and his team developed the Mighty Saturn V rocket and its smaller Cousin the Saturn S1B. The New SLS (space launch system) that will carry astronauts into deep space is being designed and tested at the Huntsville Marshall Space Center and the near by Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.  Von Braun worked with Alabama legislature to create the US Space and Rocket center on land donated by the army.  the US Space and Rocket Center Opened its doors in 1970 and remains one of three locations in the world where you can see the actual Saturn V rocket.  One of these mighty rockets is at Kennedy, one is in Huston at the Johnson Space Center and the third is on display at the US Rocket Center where there is a full scale mock up stacked up in the missle park, as well as the three stages of the Saturn V preserved in a Davidson building on the site.  Along with the Saturn V,  a Mock up of the space shuttle stack,  Juno,  Jupiter and Redstone rockets that were based on the old V2 designs and an Atlas rocket like the one that took the Mercury Astronauts into orbit have been set up in the Missile park, outside of the Welcome center. The Juno booster was made famous when it lifted the United States first Explorer Satellite into orbit. The Juno rocket was a modified Jupiter Rocket that shared many of the same parts as the Redstones that were used to lift Allan Shepard and Gus Grissom to the Sub Orbital flights in the early 60's.  At that time,  the Navy was given the best chance to put a satellite into space but the Vanguard program was plagued by explosions and problems.  Von Braun's team was able to get JPL's Explorer Satellite into space before Vanguard was able to get off the ground.



MMU mock up.  (Bonnie wasn't really Scared)

Quarantine Trailer (Imagine 11 days here) 

Along with its impressive collection of rockets and missiles,  the US Rocket Center has an impressive collection of Simulators, Mock Ups and artifacts from the early days of space flight.  Visitors can imagine them selves in the tight confines of the Mercury Space Craft.   Or wonder how Gordon Cooper could spend 8 days days inside the only slightly bigger Gemini space craft.  An original Apollo space craft that went to the moon on the Apollo 16 mission is on display.  Looking inside the Apollo space craft you can imagine the thrill that these brave men experienced as the traveled to another world.  Visitors can find a mock up of the lunar lander and a rover, which in of its self is an amazing piece of engineering.  Light and strong, the lunar rover folded up in a nice compact bundle that stored neatly in one of the side panels of the landing stage of the Lunar Lander. Along side of the lander is an exhibit of lunar soil and regolith found by the astronauts that went to the moon. Just across the way, behind the Apollo 16 command module is some of the rarest stuff on earth.  An actual Moon rock is encased in plastic and is available for the public to see.  Near the Apollo space craft is the actual Airstream quarantine trailer used for for the Apollo 12 mission.  Visitors can go inside and look through the Plexiglas and see where the crew was isolated from everyone for 11 days.  The story of the trailer and how it was lost and re-found again is an interesting one. You can read about it online or at the Rocket Center.  The rocket center doesn't have displays for just the past.  Visitors can find simulators for the new Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle that astronauts will use to go into deep space.   My wife actually slid her self into a Mock up of the space craft.  It was designed to visitors the feel of what it would be like to be inside this new space craft.

Bonnie in the Orion Mock up.

On December 13, 1972  Gene Cernan left the moon for to this date was the last time.  This December will mark our absence from the moon for 40 years.  Of course, NASA had  plans for additional missions and had built more Saturn V Rockets to go.  Funding, and lack of interest killed the last 3 missions. Now our closest neighbor sits glowing enticingly out our windows still becoming us to come back but, 40 years after our last visit to the moon, there are no moon bases, and our space strategy seems inconsistent at best.  We still haven't visited the far side of the moon that only a few people have seen.  The space shuttle was an amazing machine.  As flawed as it was,  it could carry people and heavy cargo hundreds of miles into space. The shuttle made the Space Station possible and who isn't awed by the amazing photos that the Hubble space telescope have taken. With out the Shuttle none of this would be possible.  But now,  The time has come in my mind to go somewhere.  Perhaps we  reach out to the moon again, or we should go to an asteroid like current mission planners are contemplating. Our Technology should be driven in the spirit of peace and exploration and a thriving space program can provide that.  Much of the new technology today is being driving by weapons of war. Millions of dollars are being spend finding new ways of destruction.  We should channel some of that scientific energy into going to beautiful unknown places.  We should be expanding our technology by seeking solutions to the problems presented to us by a trip to Mars.  Our survival as a species may depend on finding new worlds to colonize.  Our nature demands that we go to new places and "look behind the next hill".   We must as the poet says,  "Slip the surly bonds of earth" and "Put out our hand and touch the face of god"*

*  High Flight was written by Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee.  He was an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was killed by a mid air collision over England the 11th of December 1941.  He was a hero.

* I wanted to put another footnote to this post with regard to all the poor people that lost their homes to Issac.  I know it seems trivial to write about a lost vacation when so many other people were affected by this storm. I have friends that live on the gulf and their lives have been effected by so many things.  Hurricane Ivan destroyed many businesses.  The BP oil spill caused and is still causing hardship for fishermen and the tourist industry in that area.  I in no way want belittle what these folks are going through.  As a matter of fact, we have always tried to return to the gulf coast area as quickly as we can to support our friends.  Maybe this blog will show others how wonderful the area is and get them to go down and enjoy the beautiful gulf coast soon as well.

* I'm sure you noticed the number of photos from the Rocket center and not as many of the beach.  This is OK with me because I have tons of photos of the beach but just a few from the Rocket Center.

The Next Trip to Disney (Where to Eat)

Mickey and Me.

Though you might not guess to look at me, food is a topic near and dear to my heart. and  when it comes to eating I believe that variety makes for a happy belly. I love almost everything, from ethnic cuisine to regional delicacies, from BBQ to Kung Pao, I pretty much like it all. There are, of course things that i don't like.  For example, I personally can't think of a way to prepare brussel spouts that would make them taste good. If you are a fan of brussel sprouts don't be upset with me, I'm sure that a few of my readers think of them as wonderful little green gems of flavor. Its ok with me that people don't agree with my taste in food and drink. because the wide variaty of tastes among the people that visit Walt Disney world has produced a wide array of restaurants. Because all of these restaurants are different  making recommendations of one restuarant over another becomes almost impossible. Lots of people like reviewers to make a top 10 list, some sort of ranking of restaurants when making recommendations for restaurants.  In order to achieve this list i feel reviewers end up comparing apples to oranges. While I love eating at sophisticated, higher class restaurants. And there are times when a well crafted hamburger or a slice of pizza tastes just as good as Filet of Beef or delicious hand crafted desert.  This post will be about my favorites restaurants in Disney World. I will  try to give them merit based on the experience I had.  I will try to classify restaurants  by categories in hopes that readers can make a more informed choice about where to eat.  By no means have I eaten at each and every eatery available over the vast expanses of Walt Disney World, and I will try to make a comment or two about places that sound good to me that I haven't visited. So hang on to your hats,  this post could be a long one.

Anyone who had eaten on board a cruise ship or at one of the many gambling institutions around the country know that a buffet restaurant can be a fast way to satisfy a noble appetite. Buffet Restaurants stretch across the country.  Amish buffets are scattered across Illinois and Indiana.  Grand buffets feed the throngs in Los Vegas and on cruise ships.  Many Americans love eating themselves into a food coma at elaborate buffets. Walt Disney World has taken the idea of a grand buffet to Disney inspired levels. Disney World buffets can be found all across the whole of Disney World and they each offer something a little different. What makes a good buffet in my estimation is the freshness of the food, how often the servers bring out hot food to the buffet.  I have eaten in a number of the buffets in Disney World and of course I've formed some opinions about them.  I was happy to see that each of the buffets was a little different. Each buffet had a little different kind of food and some offered a Character experience to go with them.

There is an Inside to Tuskers.. Really.

The most unusual buffet that I have had the pleasure to eat in Disney World so far is the buffet offered at the Tusker house in the Animal Kingdom. My wife and I ate at the Tusker House in conjunction with the show Finding Nemo in Dinoland.  The Tusker House is in Africa in Harambe village and serves African and Asian spiced dishes.  Curried rice and Tropical Fruit salads are usually available, along with a carving station that includes pork and beef roasts. Many of the side dishes are served with an African or Asian twist. Chutneys are served along with delicious jams.  My favorite part of eating at The Tusker House was the breads and cracker breads they served.  Many had seeds and spices that we don't often get in the US and the wonderful Chutneys and Jams made it all the more delightful.  The rest of the food was always hot and tasty though some of the more adventurous tastes were not to my liking and, while i enjoy a little burn in my mouth, some of the dishes might be too spicy for some people.  Those dishes are pretty clearly marked.  All in all i enjoyed the experience at the Tusker House.  The service was good and the food was hot and tasty.  I think they have discontinued the dinner and a show offer with Finding Nemo, so my motivation to return is not high.

Chef Mickey's Home of the Morning Food Coma.

As far as Character Buffets go, I can only speak to one, since it is the only character buffet that I've eaten.  Tucked in the Center of the Contemporary Resort is Chef Mickeys.  I have eaten at Chef Mickey's at least three times for breakfast.  The Character breakfast at Chef Mickey's is a great way to start a day at Disney, especially if your plans include the Magic Kingdom, which is just a short walk away from the Contemporary resort.   The food there is pretty typical Breakfast fair.  They have Scrambled eggs,  A delicious Cheese and potato casserole that I enjoyed.  My wife isn't a big fan of eggs so she stuck with the Sausage and Micky Waffles along with the  large selection of fresh fruit. The cheese blintzes are good too and there is an omelet station if you are so inclined. Biscuits and Gravy are served as well, though I didn't think there was enough sausage taste in the gravy. I have to admit,  I have very high standards when it comes to biscuits and gravy.  Of course the limp tasteless strips that Disney serves as bacon were available as well.  My Favorite part of this buffet was the pastries.  Disney chefs go to great lengths to produce some wonderful cream or cheese filled delights.  Some have fruit inside, others are glazed confections that delight the eye as well as your tongue.  If this isn't enough They offer toasted bagels and English muffins as well as the more traditional types of muffins. What makes this spot magical to me is, of course, the Characters.  Periodically, most of the original Disney Characters wander through the crowd delighting young and old alike. Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy all can be found and photos are encouraged. From time to time, Guests are encouraged to wave their napkins in the air as the Characters parade through the room. Its a great way to tank up before starting your adventures for the day.

Hollywood and Vine, Always something good here. 

On our trip at the change of the Millennium we found that visitors to Disney's Hollywood Studios could make reservations at one of several Restaurants and get preferred seating to Fantasmic, Hollywood Studio's water and Fireworks spectacular at the close of the day.  We chose Hollywood and Vine for the restaurant.  Hollywood and Vine serves a fairly typical buffet that features Carving station with Pork Loin and Prime Rib.  I like my prime rib Medium to Medium rare so finding beef off of the carving station wasn't much of a problem for me.  Many of the folks in my group are not fond of red in their meat and its much more difficult to find a medium well to well done piece of prime rib.  If you don't get the end pieces then you don't get the well done meat. Anyway, that particular issue is a problem of buffets in general and not necessarily an issue with just  Hollywood and Vine.  The restaurant has a wide variety of buffet items available for adults and they also have a section of the buffet set aside for items that kids might enjoy.  Some of the Items you might find are a variety of chicken dishes, Peal and eat shrimp, salmon, and seafood pasta. It can be difficult to eat at a buffet sometimes.  Many of the dishes look good and you want to try as many as you can.  The resulting overfull stomach isn't very comfortable. But its hard to resist the Pickled beets, (I like pickled beets) and the Garlic mashed potatoes. Of course Hollywood and Vine serves many wonderful deserts.  Trays and trays of sweet confections make the tables grown form the shear number of choices.  I liked going to Hollywood and Vine for dinner and have been back since that original trip. The second time was with my extended family in 2009 and the food was just the same as it was in 2000.  Disney is nothing if not consistent.  All in all, it was a good time.  Though I've never been to Hollywood and Vine at lunch and breakfast, they also offer a character meal at those time.

Cape May Seafood and Salad.

The Last of the Buffets that I have personally eaten at is the Clam Bake at Cape May in the Beach Club.  The Beach Club at Walt Disney World is famous for more than the clams, which are very good.  They boast the best Pool area at Disney World.  What makes this pool so grand is the size and amenities it has to offer.  Holding over 750,000 gallons of water, Stormalong bay has Water Slides and a ship wreck along with a sand bottom to give it a more Beach Like feeling. I've not stayed at the Beach Club but one never knows how things will shake out in the future and Stormalong Bay sounds like fun.  As far as the buffet is concerned, The one time i was there in 2000, the food was hot,  The clams were yummy, but maybe a little small and I believe that there was snow crab on the buffet. Crab legs are still  listed as one of the items your might find on the menu. The buffet features new potatoes and Corn on the cob to go with the clams.  Mussels, which have become a new favorite of mine since I started getting fresh ones, are listed on the buffet as well. For the non-seafood eater in your family, the buffet includes chicken, a carving station with beef,  Ribs and a variety of salads and deserts.  I think its about time to revisit this restaurant and see if it is as good as I remembered it being.

There are far to many buffets at Disney World  for me to have sampled in the relatively few times I've been there.  For all things German there is the Beirgarten in the German Pavilion at  Epcot.  The Crystal Palace  in the Magic Kingdom serves  Carved leg of lamb along with Catfish and Marlin.   1900 Park Fair in the Grand Floridian specializes in Prime Rib and Pasta Dishes.  You will find Camp Fair at the Buffitiera  at Trails end at the camp grounds. Finally, at Jambo House in the Animal Kingdom Resort you will find Boma.  Many have commented that this might be the best buffet in Walt Disney World.    The fusion of Asian and African flavors with the flavors of more American cuisine are suppose to be wonderful. My Mother-in-Law has eaten there but I've not had the chance.  Maybe this time I will take the chance to go.

O'hana's (Family in Hawain)

Disney breaks their restaurants into three classes for use with the dining plan.  In order form most expensive to least expensive the list includes Signature Restaurants,  Table Service Restaurants and Quick Service restaurants.  For the purposes of the dining plan,  the buffets are considered table service restaurants and require one table service credit to eat there. Our family have eaten at many of the other table service restaurants with great relish. Most of our favorite restaurants fall into this category and Disney has table service locations throughout all the parks and many of the resorts. Usually Table Service restaurants are include in the amenities of moderate and deluxe resorts. One of my favorite Non-Buffet table service restaurants is in the Polynesian resort, which is a Deluxe resort. I guess I should state now that O'hana's, while not a buffet, is an all you care to eat restaurant. I have written previously about O'hana's, but it might be worth reviewing what attracts me to this wonderful restaurant.  For the most part, The service style is similar to a Brazilian steak house.  Along with bread O'hana's serves really delicious wings and Pork Pot Stickers along with a mixed green salad as a starting course.  This is soon followed by the main course that consists of meats roasted over an open oak wood fire carried to the tables on skewers.   The wait staff will keep bringing you meat till you say you have had enough and then try to coax you into eating more.  The meat choices include Sirloin Steak, Pork Loin, roasted Turkey and Shrimp in the shell.  Served with the meats are Pad Thai Noodles and stir fired veggies.  Both taste very good with the meat.  Diners have a choice of any combination of dipping sauces that include Peanut sauce, Chimichurri sauce and a pineapple sweet and sour sauce.  The meal is capped with the legendary O'hana bread pudding that even my wife, who is not a big fan of bread puddings, enjoys.  All the time during the meal, entertainment is presented.  Hula lessons for all ages and coconut races for the kids happen periodically through out the evening.  Then, all the lights are brought low and the music swells as the Wishes Fireworks display jumps to life at the Magic Kingdom.  The fireworks and easily be seen from the restaurant adding magic of the evening.  Good food, Good fun and fireworks to boot add up to make O'hana's one of my favorite places to eat at Disney world.

OOOooo Scary Kids.

 Disney's Hollywood studios host many table service restaurants.  Among them, The Sci Fi Dine-in Theater features an experience unlike I have ever had at any other restaurant.  You might have guessed by the name that the the theme of this restaurant is a drive in theater dedicated to the old 50's science fiction  movies. The food is good, perhaps not as good as some of the other restaurants in Disney World, but visitors to this restaurant are not going to the Sci Fi Dine-in Theater for the food. Shown in a loop on a large screen at the front of the restaurant are trailers for some scary, odd, and just plane bad Science Fiction movies that were so popular during the 50's. I mean, They had to be popular right?  People made a bunch of them. In addition to the trailers, News reels featuring the 50's vision of the future are presented.  I enjoyed seeing what how the 50's viewed the new millennium and how wrong they were.  Of course, these News reels were chosen not for their accuracy but for their entertainment value so the more outrageous subjects Disney could find, the more entertained people would be. The loop lasted for somewhere between 30 to 45 minutes and included an Old MGM cartoon "The Cat that Hated People" directed by Tex Avery in 1948.   Inside the restaurant, people are seated at a table that looks like a 50's convertible.  All the seats are facing the screen.  The restaurant is dark to simulate a summer night.  Even stars twinkle in the sky. The "Cars" have lamps over the eating surface so you can, at least, See what you are eating.  The food served at the Sci Fi Dine-in Theater consists mostly of sandwiches.  I've had a burger there and it was a bit dry.  The second time i went i had the Reuben and it was much better. They do have a rib eye steak and a couple of pasta dishes to go along with a veggie burger, three different hamburgers, and  a turkey sandwich.  They also serve a number of deserts, including Red Velvet Cheese Cake, Hot Fudge Sunday, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Apple Crumble and a Sugar Free Desert. 

Little Doughnuts of Love

The best place for Pizza in Disney World, as far as I have tasted, is where you would expect it to be.  In the World Showcase, each country usually has a restaurant or two that showcases the food of that particular region of the world.  I've had food from Moraco, China, Mexico, Canada, even a bratwurst from Germany.  Of course, diners would find the best pizza in Disney world at Via Napoli in the Italian pavilion.  Via Napoli means Road to Naples in English and Naples Italy was where pizza was reported to have been born. The restaurant has 3 wood fired stone pizza ovens and the restaurant import almost all the ingredients for the pizza.  I think they may even import water and flour for the crust.  Anyway, people that go to this pizzeria can get the anything from the more traditional, pepperoni and cheese to more exotic combinations that include Mellon and Prosciutto. I've heard that Mellon and Prosciutto is an amazing combination.  My favorite pizza there has been the Carciofi which has artichokes, mozzarella and pecorino cheese with truffle oil. The pizza sounds simple but I've been unable to recreate it at home. Via Napoli serves more that just pizza.  They have a variety of appetizers that include fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and a meat ragu, fried calamari with a spicy tomato sauce, tortellini and minestrone soup, a salad of cucumbers, fennel and green beans in a red wine vinaigrette, plus the Fritto Misto that my wife and I enjoyed. The Fritto Misto  has battered and fried veggies, that I found very similar to a tempora. Main courses include pastas like Lasagna Verde, a layered baked pasta dish with a spinach besciamella sauce.  Specials include Spaghetti with veal meatballs in a tomato sauce, Rigatoni with chicken in a cream sauce and Linguini Frutti di Mare. The also serve three kinds of parmigiana with egg plant, veal and chicken. For desert they have Sorbettos and Gelatos  along with the ubiquitous Tiramisu.  My wife and I enjoyed the Zeppoli de Ricotta, little doughnuts served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  They were amazing.


There are number of other table service restaurants where I have eaten that are worth mentioning.  A great place for Irish food and terrific Irish entertainment is Raglan Road, in the Pleasure Island district of Down Town Disney. They serve some traditional and some non traditional Irish fare that my whole family loved.  The music and dancing, provided by a husband and wife team from Ireland,  is astonishing. If you haven't been there, put this one on your list.  Paradiso 37 is a newer restaurant in the Pleasure Island district.  They advertise their food as a taste of the Americas and you can see influences of may different kinds of cuisine in the food they serve.  I enjoyed the restaurant but it wasn't my favorite. We have eating at the House of Blues many times.  They turnout a delicious assortment of creole and Cajun food that had at one time been some of the best Cajun I had tasted outside of New Orleans. The white chocolate bread pudding they served for desert was wonderful.  The last couple of times we have been however, the food wasn't quite as tasty and the bread pudding left something to be desired.  These things tend to be cyclical so I imagine another trip to the House of Blues will be in order sometime in the future. My Daughter got engaged in Disney World in the Big Balloon at Downtown Disney.  To Celebrate, We ate at the Fulton Crab House.  They were kind enough to give my Daughter and now her husband a cake.  They were tilting the cake so we could get a great picture when gravaty noticed the cake and decided it wanted a bite.   The picture of them reacting to the sliding cake was better than the picture of them with the cake. Fear not, however,  the cake was not injured in its slide and was enjoyed by everyone at the table.

Luscious Potato Wrapped Snapper

Disney World  refers to its best restaurants as Signature restaurants.  I have had the pleasure of eating at four of them.  Each of these four restaurants I would consider among the best restaurants I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. These restaurants are run by some of the top executive chefs around and the exquisite food they produce delights both your eye and your palate.  Of the four Signature restaurants I have experienced, it is impossible to choose which is best. You cannot really compare them with each other. Visitors will just have to go to them and see which one they like the best.  I will go so far as to comment as to which restaurant has a reputation for what kind of food.  For the best Seafood of the four, the Flying Fish on the boardwalk would be difficult to beat.  I had their famous potato encrusted Snapper  that was so lovely to eat and had such flavor that my mouth waters even now as I think about it. Of course the cheese tray appetizer with the tastings of 5 different cheeses from around the world with the Pino Grigio wine flight enhanced the experience and the deserts were out of this world.  My wife who is a big fan of scallops had the Oak Grilled Maine Divers Scallops. We tasted each others food and both entres were wonderful.  For desert, I had the Banana Napoleon while my wife had the no sugar cheese cake. Both deserts were exceptionally tasty.  The rest of the menu looked equally delightful, but I just don't know if I can keep myself from getting that wonderful snapper dish again. The sauce was robust without overwhelming the fish and the fish itself, protected by the potato crust was flaky and beautiful. they have a Prix Fixe menu that i might try next time. We will see.

California Grill, This place is amazing.

Close to the Magic Kingdom, atop of the Contemporary Resort a beautiful California style restaurant that serves, oddly enough,  California style cuisine and is home to some of the best Flat breads I have ever had.  The California Grill at the Contemporary Resort, serves everything from an assortment of sushi to delectable chicken dishes. To this day, my son-in-law, the same guy i was talking about before, swears the best chicken dish he ever had was the chicken he had at the California Grill.  For people that want a wonderful dining experiences but don't want to spend the two Dining credits it costs to eat there, You can do what my wife and I did.  We purchased Flat breads and Desert.   Both were wonderful, plentiful and were much more reasonable that the cost of a entree.  I was, however, tempted by the lusciously described entrees available. I remember the desert was a chocolate creation that was rich and wonderful.  I won't give you a full menu here because the menu changes frequently depending on what is fresh.  Once again, I had to have the cheese sampler that was delicious.  The California Grill was restaurant we discovered the Cheese sampler.  Almost all the Signature restaurants offer a cheese tasting on their menu. The California Grill has full length windows facing the Magic Kingdom.  When the time comes for the fireworks display over Cinderella's castle, The lights dim and the Jiminy Cricket begins the Wishes Fireworks display . Diners are treated to one of the best views of the Nightly fireworks display anywhere on the Disney property. Other than Main Street of the Magic Kingdom Itself I can't think of a a better view. Couple the Fireworks with the wonderful food and the amazing and friendly service you have one of the best dining experiences you can get anywhere.

Almost like you are in Montreal. 

I cannot not say that I've eaten at every steak house in Disney.  Actually I'm pretty certain that the only one I have eaten at is Le Cellier in the Canadian pavilion at the Epcot World Showcase. Le Cellier has some of the best steaks I have had anywhere.  My wife describes the fillet of beef as butter.  I have to agree with her that the melt in your mouth tenderness of this steak resembles the texture of any buttery cut of beef I have ever had.  The Prince Edward Island mussels we were served convinced me that fresh mussels are one of my favorite appetizers. The cheddar cheese soup is something that the restaurant touts as world famous and is very cheesy and flavorful.  We had a delightful meal there.  Le Cellier isn't all about beef either.  They serve Chicken, Pork and Fish as well.  I look forward to next time when I think I might get the pork.  We ate Le Cellier in conjunction with the Candlelight Processional that Epcot presents around Christmas time. I highly recommend visitors that want to go to the Candlelight Processional  obtain a Dinner package.  In addition to a delightful meal, you get prime seats at one of my favorite events at Disney World.  People who reserve Dinner packages also get VIP seating for Illuminations Reflections of Earth at the end of the Epcot day. This year, Le Cellier only offers lunch packages for the 5:00 showing of the Candlelight Processional.  The lunch menu for the Processional is a Prix Fixe affair that doesn't offer all the things that I want to eat at Le Cellier.  On our next visit to Walt Disney World, We will probably eat at the restaurant,  just not at lunch and not as part of a dinner package.

Cheese Sampler at Jiko

Visitors to Disney world might be surprised to find out that one of the best restaurants on the Disney property is located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. More surprising perhaps is the fact that this restaurant specializes in a fusion of African and American flavors.  I will let you know right now that you will need to leave your preconceptions about African flavors behind and let your taste buds relish in the wonderful food at Jiko The Cooking Place. As you can see by my enthusiastic introduction to this restaurant that I loved evey facet of dining at Jiko.  The food was flavorful and delicious.   The service was over the top friendly and fast. Even by Disney's service Standards this place stood out.  The variety of food they serve is hard to top as well.  We have eaten there twice.  Both times we got the cheese sampler, which is a treat that most of the signature restaurants offer, a Taste of Africa which was a bread service with differing dips to eat on the bread and delightful flat breads for our entree. For desert, I had the coconut bread pudding while my wife had the creme brulee both of which were yummy.  My son was there with us in august of 2010 and had a more traditional meal that included tastings of our appetizers with a more substantial entree than the flat breads my wife and I had. He raved about the short ribs he had eaten.  Other things on the menu looked equally wonderful but you can only eat so much. Dishes such as maize encrusted perch or Berkshire pork were very tempting. The other deserts looked appetizing too. Who wouldn't enjoy a peach tart or Madagascar cheese cake.  As with all the Signature restaurants at Disney, Jiko's isn't cheep.  But the spectacular service and food make this place well worth the money.

The last category of restaurants that Disney supports on its dining plan are the Quick service restaurants.  These restaurants are designed to feed larger numbers of people in a faster amount of time but that doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of food is bad. Quite the opposite is true.  There are at least two Quick service restaurants that I like and return to every time I go to Disney World, and others that I have eaten in because they were convenient to where we where staying or close to where we were at the time we were hungry. I'm sure the goal of these restaurants are to provide a fast convenient way to eat without suffering most of the fatal traps many amusement park food vendors suffer. Every one can remember eating a bad meal standing somewhere in a nameless theme park. Since we strive to get the Disney Dining plan when we make reservations,  we are sometimes faced with the dilemma of how to spend our Quick server credits. The Table service credits we usually have not trouble spending.  The following few restaurants are our favorite way of spending Quick service credits and still eat very well indeed.

This is one of our favorite Quick Service Restaurants.

First on my list of quick service restaurants is located in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom. As you might expect from the name, Pecos Bills is a western themed restaurant that serves burgers, pulled pork and an especially good taco salad.  What makes Pecos Bill's stand out are the wonderful toppings and additions you can find on the hot and cold fixin's bar inside the restaurant. Guests at Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn can expect to find cheese, salsa, lettuce, onions and sauteed mushroom on their amazing fixin's bar.  I've read where people have more than doubled the weight of their cheese burger and Taco Salads are filled to over flowing.  Pecos Bills also serves Chicken wraps as a healthier alternative to the Angus hamburgers and the Taco Salads.  Included with a Quick service meal at Disney is a desert and a drink.  Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn is nearly always pretty busy.  My wife and I went there over Christmas and ate during the Very Merry Christmas party and it was still pretty packed.  Last summer when we ate there it was even busier.  Fortunately,  the tables turn around pretty quickly and if you are sharp and can spot a group leaving, your wait for a table is usually very short.

I don't seen any abominable snow men here.

In the Animal Kingdom Near their table service restaurant in Asia is a quick service restaurant that servers some pretty delicious Asian food.  We have eaten at the Yak and Yeti twice and were very satisfied both times.  The first time we ate there was during our December trip in 2010. As with all things when we refer to the December trip it was pretty cool and we were looking for a place in the sun to enjoy a meal.  We decided to try they Yak and Yeti quick service.  Most of the time I'm all about Asian food but some of the Asian food at Disney world isn't quite to my liking.  I've had food at the Nine Dragons at the Chinese pavilion in EPCOT and while the food was good it wasn't wonderful and the cost of the restaurant wasn't a good value in my eyes.  Far better to me was the Yak and Yeti restaurant in the Animal Kingdom.  In my estimation, both the table service and the quick service restaurants serve tastier food and are a better value for your dollar than ether the Table service or the quick serves at the Nine Dragons in Epcot. I had the Honey Chicken during the December trip and it was very tasty. We visited again in the summer of 2011, and again I had the Honey Chicken.  What I remember most about our visit to the Yak and Yeti  in the summer of 2011 was how aggressively friendly the ducks in that area were.  We had them all around us while we ate of course and probably ill advisedly we fed them.  One duck mistook my sons shorts as food because they were they were the color of  some of the food being served there. Which made the duck attack my sons shorts. The duck would quack and peck at his shorts. This all occurred after we didn't have anything left to give the ducks. It was hilarious and didn't bother my son a bit.  I suspect it was too cold for the ducks to be out  during our Christmas trip. Other offerings the Yak and Yeti are an Asian chicken sandwich and Mandarin chicken salad. The next time we go I think i might try the Beef  Lo Mein.

There are far to many quick service restaurants at Disney world to mention.  Suffice it to say you can get almost anything you would care to eat at one of the Quick service restaurants.  Most, if not all, the resorts have a cafeteria style quick server restaurant associated with them.  For the most part you can expect good food well prepared and served hot.  Its not Jiko's or the California Grill but you can't eat at places like that all the time and you cant afford to pay those prices all the time. Sometimes, all  I need is just want a burger to keep me happy.  Often, My wife and I would take our breakfast at the Quick service restaurant in the resort we were staying before venturing out into the parks.  Its a good idea to be well fueled before tackling the miles of walking that are in store for Disney visitors.  Other quick service restaurants of note that we have tried are the Sassagoula Floatworks and food factory at the french quarter and Old Port Royal at the Caribbean Beach resort.  Both are food courts that have a variety of choices.  You can even get Beignets at the Sassagoula Floatworks.  The beignets are not as good as you get from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans but the are still pretty good.  Pizza and burgers are everywhere at the food courts along with subs and other sandwiches along with specialties that are reflective of the regeons the represent.  For example in the French quarter you can get Jambalaya and in Old Port Royal you can get Mojo Pork (what ever that is).

This is just a taste (pun intended) of all the wonderful things to eat that Disney has to offer.  There may be more restaurants, food stands and counter services scattered though the parks than there are attractions.  I didn't even touch on some of the wonderful snacks that are offered there.  Who wouldn't like a delicious Dole Whip, or maybe a Caramel creation from  the Karamell-Kuche in EPCOT.  A large part of the fun when planning a trip to Disney is making the dinner reservations.  Reservations can be made 180 days in advance and are needed at all Table Service Restaurants and Signature Restaurants.  Keep in mind, those of you on the Dining plan,  the Signature Restaurants will cost 2 dining credits.  Often we will pay cash for some of our meals to save our dining credits for another event.  People that are planning on doing the Hoop Dee Doo review should plan on spending 2 dining credits for the 9:00 show.  That Option isn't offered at the other showtimes and you will have to pay ahead of time.  You will be required to leave a credit card number for Signature restaurants and Dinner shows like the the Candlelight processional dinner package around Christmas.  All in all Disney world is a great place for food. Go out and try something new the next time you find your self there.

* I apologize for the length of this post.  If the truth be told there were other restaurants that I liked but didn't spend time writing about.  I may have covered some of these in previous posts and i will try to spend some time writing about these restaurants in the Future.  I will be adding photos to this post in the near future but for now I wanted to get it out there and published.

* Well I've added some photos.  Most were taken from the internet, but they should give you a feel for what the restaurants look like and what they serve.  I reread the post and have found many errors for which I apologize but at this point the post is what its going to be.  Thanks for reading.