Any swanky tips/suggestions for Walt Disney World?

[DisneyDaniel]

Yes, I know LoT is definitely not like other boards--which are sometimes filled with threads about Disney trip advice, FAQs, and Disney for beginners. However, this thread is intended to seek the expert advice and highly-regarded tastes/interests of the many cool and informed people at LoT.

I've already done much research and reading on other Walt Disney World sites/boards, purchased a couple WDW/Orlando travel-guide books, and read some WDW-related posts here, but what special advice/suggestions do you have for someone like myself (a Southern California-based Disneyland fan) visiting Walt Disney World for the first time?

I will be on vacation (and attending a work-related conference) directly in the Walt Disney World Resort and Downtown Disney area for two weeks, from June 15-27, 2006, so it's not going to be a rushed trip. Hotel stay will be split between Disney's All-Star Sports the first half and the Grosvenor Resort (in Downtown Disney) the second half. Myself and two other adults (fellow SoCal Disneyland fans), no kids. No waterparks. The tentative plan, for now, is to spend at least a full-day at each of the four Disney parks, a couple extra days for park-hopping, a full-day at Universal's Islands of Adventure, and a day at Kennedy Space Center.

--FOOD: I'm planning to "eat my way around the world" at Epcot, but, of course, there are probably many special restaurants and foods that are unique to WDW. Do you have any suggestions for any favorite foods, drinks, or restaurants that should not be missed? Several people here at LoT have already mentioned the Boma restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge, for instance.

--THINGS TO ENJOY, ATTRACTIONS and EXPERT TIPS: For example, at Disneyland, there are things that frequent DL visitors know about, such as the Disney Gallery, Dole Whip, Monte Cristo, Disneyana store, fireworks/Fantasmic! viewing spots, BTMRR goat trick, DCA Animation Building, best time of day to visit certain attractions, etc. Do you have any of these kinds of suggestions for WDW? For instance, should someone actually take advantage of the "Extra Magic Hours" as a Disney hotel guest, or will certain parks be extra-crowded due to the EMH on those days?

No matter what, it will be a great trip visiting WDW for the first time. I hope to apply the same casual, laid-back approach of visiting Disneyland toward Walt Disney World--except it will be much larger, spread out, new and different.

So, if any of you from the East Coast/Florida area would like to meet up at some point between June 15-27 at WDW, please send me a PM. I would love to meet some East Coast LoTers/swankers in person--I'll be visiting your territory!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions. :)

[Prudence]

Hrm - are you sure you want to stay at one of the All-Stars? If there aren't any kids with you, that might not be ideal.

For other swanky tips -

We really enjoyed the "behind the seeds" tour in the Land pavillion in Epcot. It's best to book in advance, but it's not too much per person and there are usually several tours a day. You visit most of the same sorts of things that you see on the boat ride, but you get more info and you get to be more up close and personal with the growing methods. I'd probably do it again.

Boma is a definite don't miss.

If you're eating around the world in Epcot my recommendations are:

Canada - only has a sit-down restaurant and we've not tried it yet. Hope to next time.

UK - fish and chips at the counter. The sit-down restaurant is good, but over-priced more so than most. If you're on the meal plan thing, it would be a choice to consider.

France - Best deal in the park is the "French Menu" lunch at Chefs de France. Soup, sandwich with salad, and dessert for $15. There's a similar, but more expensive, deal at dinner. Crepes from the kiosk are also good. (sigh). We had crappy service at the patisserie (um, I know what you guys are saying about us?), and honestly I didn't think the products were that spectacular. Haven't tried the higher-end restaurant upstairs.

Morocco - Best deal here is at the counter-service cafe. If you're a meat eater, the lamb wraps are very good with lots of meat. (I think we had a wrap and not a schwarma, but I could be wrong.) The couscous is also very good here. The sit-down restaurant is good, and the interior very interesting, but portions are smaller than Americans expect and prices are higher than deserved. Also, on our visit the dancer wasn't particularly good and danced for about a millisecond. Again, if you have the dining plan, it might be worth considering.

Japan - Haven't done the teppanyaki dining yet. The Yakitori House counter service was disappointing. Not recommended. Do stop for the kaki gori, though.

US - only a counter-service restaurant, I believe. We can't imagine a reason to try it.

Italy - only a sit-down restaurant here, and we haven't tried it yet. Or the pastry shop, which I don't even remember seeing.

Germany - we love the Biergarten buffet. The show is very entertaining, so if you choose this make sure you're dining during the show. They seat you at tables of 8. So if there are three of you, prepare to meet 5 new people. I like the food a lot. There's a lot of variety. However, there's also a lot of meat, so if you have vegetarians this probably isn't the best bet. I found that some of my favorite items were things that didn't look so appetizing. (Apparently Germans haven't mastered the display aspect.) There's also a counter service place here, which isn't important. What IS important is the chocolate shop, which has GINORMOUS bricks of mint chocolate.

China - Haven't done the sit-down here yet, but did enjoy the counter-service. Thought it was reasonably priced and portioned and tasty.

Norway - Tried to do the bakery thing, but there was a huge line. Apparently it's very tasty. Did bite the bullet and do dinner with the princesses. Food was tasty and we got all princess giddy in spite of ourselves.

Mexico - meant to get a margarita last time and didn't get around to it. Haven't eaten at either of the restaurants here.

Oh- and at Animal Kingdom, don't miss the Flights of Wonder show. It's really fantastic. But first thing, RUN to Expedition Everest! It is SO cool! Ride fast pass and stand-by to see the different, highly-detailed queues.

[DisneyDaniel]

Hrm - are you sure you want to stay at one of the All-Stars? If there aren't any kids with you, that might not be ideal.
An "All-Star" resort was booked by my workplace, since it's the Value-level, lowest priced, Disney hotel. My workplace is actually paying for most of the hotel, airfare, and even theme-park ticket costs, so I can't complain.

What great detail about the Epcot foods and tour. THANKS for your suggestions, Prudence! ... and I read your posts about your recent WDW trip, too. :)

[Scrooge McSam]

Resorts? You didn't mention if you'll have a car. If I'm driving, sometimes I'll stay at one of the All Stars because you can generally park closer to your room. And you can't beat the price. The rooms are smaller, so if the three of you are bunking together it will be tight. Noise has never been a problem for me as I sleep like a log, but this is an issue for some of the lighter sleepers. Plus I love watching all the kiddies in the morning trying to hurry their parental units along to the parks. Of the three All Stars, Sports is my least favorite as far as theming. AS Movies is my fave of the three. If I'm not driving, I'll generally stay elsewhere.

(add... You posted while I was composing so... never mind ;) )

At the Grosvenor, go ahead and pop for a Downtown Disney view room as high in the tower as you can get. They had nightly fireworks at DD last I was there. The hotel is nothing special, but the view added to my enjoyment immensely.

[Prudence]

An "All-Star" resort was booked by my workplace, since it's the Value-level, lowest priced, Disney hotel. My workplace is actually paying for most of the hotel, airfare, and even theme-park ticket costs, so I can't complain.


Not sure if this would work, but when you check in you might ask about the possibility of paying the difference to upgrade to better resort.

[Stan4dSteph]

I love the cinnamon-roasted almonds they have at some of the ODV carts there. Mmmm.

[Not Afraid]

My favorite swanky restaurant is The California Grill located on the top cloor of the Contemporary. Fantastic food with a sweeping view of the lake and the Magic Kingdon. If you book it right, you can be there to see fireworks as well as the sweet little electrical water parade that takes place on the lake. The meal I had there was superb.

Boma is another winner. Don't miss it.

Epcot requires 2+ days. It's a fantastic park and World Showcase alone reqires a full day. Of course, there's the lagoon show at night (Illuminations?) that is a must see.

After your meal at Boma, be sure to go up to the second floor of the hotel and relax on the outside balcony that overlooks the park. This was one of the loveliest experiences we had at WDW. You can see the animals roaming or, as we did, a lightening storm moving over the sky.

The candy store in Japan is wonderful. I loved the boat ride in Norway. I love World Showcase in general.

At AK, we got some food at Flame Tree BBQ then walked down to the river to eat. There are gazebos you can sit in and relax. There is one that overlooks the river and, from here, you can feed turtles that swim in the river. It's a nice place to experience the natural wildlife of Florida. Apparently, there are even occasional gators in that there river.

[CoasterMatt]

Use the WDW Railroad at the Magic Kingdom to full advantage - parades effectively split the park in two, and Splash Mountain and Big Thunder are right next to a station.

Single rider line is the best way to get on Test Track

Animal Kingdom is especially beautiful early in the morning - all of my best photos from there were from before 12 noon.

[CoasterMatt]

Islands of Adventure - My favorite non-Disney theme park, in many ways because the theming is so well executed...

My usual plan of attack for IoA is to stay on site and enjoy Express pass, but that doesn't seem to be an option for you.

Get there early, and head clockwise through the Islands

There's tons of detail in just about every Island, especially Toon Lagoon and The Lost Continent; I've never been able to take enough photographs.

If you're looking for good food at IoA, you've gotta eat at Mythos - absolutely wonderful - especially the desserts. :D

[cirquelover]

Let's see- At the Magic Kingdom check out Mickeys Philharmagic(sp) we really enjoyed it, it's a 4d movie. If Carousel of Progress is open it's a must see. They have a Stitch ride, I haven't been on it though. The Pooh ride there is done much better than ours, we liked the moving hunny pot. Everything is a little different than our rides so personally I think they are all worth checking out!

At MGM- Fantasmic is different there also, it has stadium seating and is a different show than DL but we personally enjoyed it. It was nice to have a seat, we like to sit up close but you may get wet if you do! They have an Indianna Jones show instead of a ride. I've heard good things about the car stunt show there, it wasn't open yet when we were there. The Little Mermaid show was well done but it can be a wait if you don't time it right. I've never done Rock n Roller Coaster but it sounds interesting

I know there is a website with menus for all the restaurants, maybe someone else knows it otherwise I can try to find it for you.
Boma is wonderful or if you want a more upscale experience at AKL they have Jiko, some wonderful African wines. I second NA's suggestion of deinitely go check out the savannahs while you are at AKL.

Of course at DTD I'm going to suggest the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba, it is a wonderful show and a great way to spend an evening!

I need to put the kid to bed but if I think of anything else I'll post again.

Have a great trip!!

[LSPoorEeyorick]

If you can swing the priority seating (and the bill) be sure to eat at Victoria and Albert's. My favorite meal of all-time.

If you're interested in contrast/compare, check out their Fantasmic @ MGM. It's weird.

Another vote for Boma.

My family always enjoyed a different frozen confection than the Dole Whip. Near their bast@rdization Tiki Room (which is another interesting contrast/compare) there's a place you can get a swirl of orange sherbet/vanilla.

Always keep your head straight forward during Mission:Space, and don't lift it. You will better avoid the queasy.

All Ears Net is an excellent guide to WDW eats.

WDW is much wider than DL-- even the MK is more spread out, if I remember. Be sure to bring extra walking shoes and rotate them. And don't underestimate wait times at the busses. I had one rough day when I was trying to bus back and forth between parks to make the various parades/fireworks/shows. That doesn't work like it does in DL. You can't just run back and forth with ease.

If you like a nice clambake (so to speak) we enjoyed the excellent seafood buffet at Cape May. We liked their oreo truffles even more than the notorius Boma's zebra domes.

A wonderful, WONDERFUL cheap sandwich can be had at Downtown Disney's Earl of Sandwich. (Chain owned by the actual Earl of Sandwich.) The Earl's Grey Lemonade is magnificent.

[€uroMeinke]

You must ride the People Mover (Tomorrowland Transit Authority) and look out for a diarama of a city of the future - it is all that remains of the original progress city model that used to conclude the Carrousel of Progress. That is what EPCOT was supposed to be, that is what are future was supposed to be - sniff - ride it twice

[innerSpaceman]

Time Machine.



Set it for 1986.



Warning: Bitterness Ahead .... if your time machine is not sensitive enough to plunk you down between 1984 and 1993, then don't bother to visit Epcot. And if Epcot's not worth visiting, neither is DisneyWorld.

[mousepod]

Food: as far as that goes, you can tell by the posts above that there's a lot of it and much of it is actually very good. Among my favorite restaurants that haven't been mentioned yet are "Artist Point" in the Wilderness Lodge and "Flying Fish" on the Boardwalk. Since there are no kids in your group, I'd try to get later Priority Seatings. Dinner will be just a tad more quieter and relaxed than if you eat during family hour. As for breakfast, you can't really beat Donald's Breakfastosaurus at the AK. It's a buffet character breakfast, but if you play it right, you get to be first into the park. Not a bad deal.
(Just as a quick FYI, I love the idea of eating around the world at EPCOT, but I would avoid the sit-downs in Morocco and Mexico - especially if you're a foodie - the stuff has been blanded down big-time for the Middle-American palate. On the other hand, Chefs... in France is outstanding and Alfredo's in Italy has the world's biggest servings of pasta - be warned.)

Since you have lots of time, be sure to visit all of the resorts. Every single one has some remarkable theming. When we were there for our honeymoon, (which was the 25th anniversary), we went to each resort to collect the unique flattened quarter at each resort. It was worth it.

Also at the resorts, don't miss some of the live entertainment that's designed for the guests - there's a great piano bar at the Port Orleans that's worth a look-see.

Oh yeah... live entertainment. If you miss Slue Foot Sue (how could you not?), make sure you go to the Hoop-De-Doo review. You get a great and silly show a la the Golden Horseshoe, plus lots of food serving in metal buckets (don't believe me? Ask the dishes).

Apparently, there are also theme parks there.

[Gemini Cricket]

Drink lots of water.

I enjoyed the food and Ankershus in Norway. I've heard nothing but good things about Boma.

I've heard the Explorer's Club in Downtown Disney is lots of fun.

I've heard of complaints about how thin the walls are at the All Star Resorts - noisy. But as SMcS said, you can't beat the price.

If you can, eat in the Castle at MK. It's very cool. Princess dining or not, you're in the freakin' castle. It's cool. :)

Ralphie recommends GatorLand. I have no comment on it. :D

Be prepared for MK's stroller and wheelchair calvacade. Lots more than DL. Wear ankle guards. :D

Look for the living statues in Paris.

Don't miss Illuminations.

Don't do the boat ride at Animal Kingdom. Bo-ring. But do the safari ride. It's awesome.

Take a good look at the Tree of Life. So much detail. One of my favs.

Don't forget about the American Adventure at Epcot. I did. Dang it, dang it.

Do the Tiki Room at MK. The show isn't that great, but there's a cool AA god that appears. She's neat.

[Scrooge McSam]

I would avoid the sit-downs in Morocco and Mexico - especially if you're a foodie - the stuff has been blanded down big-time for the Middle-American palate. On the other hand, Chefs... in France is outstanding

Agreed! Mexico was a big disappointment for me, with the exception of the ceviche. The outside venue wasn't much better. But I agree with Pru when she says the counter eatery in Morocco is well worth a visit. I can also vouch for Chefs in France. Ahhh, lamb shanks with stewed tomatoes and profiteroles for dessert *Homer drool*

Since you have lots of time, be sure to visit all of the resorts.

I do this every trip. I can't "theme park" every day for days on end. Pawpaw needs to take his breaks, don't ya know ;)

[Prudence]

More on food (gee, what's my favorite thing?): Most of the food at the MK is fair to poor, unfortunately. We do like the character dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. The food is better than most MK food (not as good as most Epcot food) and, most importantly, they have Birch Beer.

The Noodle Station used to be good but they changed the menu and we weren't impressed. Cosmic Ray's has a pretty broad selection, with a toppings bar for the burgers. Nothing wow, but nothing nasty. Our biggest gripe about MK is the lack of a Carnation Cafe.

Apparently there are other places to eat at Epcot besides the World Showcase. We ignore them, and so should you. :D

I second the nod to Flame Tree BBQ at AK. Tusker House is okay, but seating is in big rooms and it's really noisy. (Do check out Harambe in general, though. There are often strolling performers with instruments I've never seen before.) Flame Tree has these scattered seating areas, more like park shelters. And if you go all the way down to the water, you can watch the character boat go by. The key lime pie, while nothing spectacular, had the good sense to refrain from being bright green.

At AK in general, take the time to look at things. Many people say it's a half-day park, but we're always there at opening and reluctantly dragging ourselves out at closing, and we always miss doing something we'd really planned to do. There are trails winding around the Tree of Life that let you get close to portions. Look behind you, above you, etc. - there's always something tucked away where you didn't expect it.

Also, since much of the focus is wildlife, stop and watch. Sometimes it takes a minute to really scan the area for all the bits of life. And you never know when that spoonbill pelican is going to stand up and adjust its nest, complete with eggs, right in front of you.

And despite what others think, we like to ride out to conservation station and watch the goats in the petting zoo part. They have a little playground set up and it's fun to watch them play king of the hill on a picnic bench.

As for the studios - definitely eat at the Hollywood Brown Derby. The food's a treat, the decor is a treat - it's all wonderful. And do see Fantasmic. It's not the same at all. There are parts that are woefully underwhelming (Pocahontas segment instead of Peter Pan), but I think the film portions are different, and we liked those better. (If they've updated the film bits at DL, ignore that last bit.) And watch for streetmosphere. They have some of the best of all the parks.

[mousepod]

Pru's post reminds me of two things -
1 - Do not miss Conservation Station at DAK - it's a great "behind-the-scenes" look at a fabulous park.

2 - If you're gonna eat at Brown Derby and see Fantasmic, you might as well go for the special seating. You get ushered from your meal to the show. The seats are in front on the side, IIRC, but there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

[Gemini Cricket]

Pru's post reminds me of two things -
1 - Do not miss Conservation Station at DAK - it's a great "behind-the-scenes" look at a fabulous park.
Completely agree. A real highlight of the park. :)

Make sure to check out the Tigers, too at AK. Really neat.

[Not Afraid]

Make sure you read all of the signage at AK and AKL. There is some really funny stuff skattered about and, most of the time, it was written by our own Flippyshark.

[Prudence]

Make sure you read all of the signage at AK and AKL. There is some really funny stuff skattered about and, most of the time, it was written by our own Flippyshark.

What about the "Beware of buffalo" rock at AK?

[flippyshark]

My contributions to AK signage are all over the park, but by far the lion's share of credit goes to former WDI show writer Kevin Brown. I was brought on board for that project in the last couple of months before opening day, and stuck around writing copy for about five years after that. But Kevin, along with Joe Rohde, was the guiding light for story content and sign copy.

I have to add that the signage at AK Lodge is a mixed batch. My stuff is all indoors. (The giant Igbo tribal head-dress story, the animal legend plaque on the floor by the fireplace, some signs identifying authentic tribal art around the building.)

Outside, there are lots of info plaques about the live animals, and these were done by the animal care staff. Among these signs, you will find a real howler on the antelope plaque. (Essentially, it says that when a predator attacks, "the herd of antelope literally explodes in all directions!" Wow! That sure makes it easy for the predator!)

The buffalo thing wasn't me.

[DisneyDaniel]

Wow! What great suggestions I've not encountered yet on any other site or guide book! Thanks, everyone! :D

I knew all you cool cats at LoT would offer some swanky suggestions as only you could. :snap:

If other ideas come to mind, please keep them coming. I can't be the only Disneyland fan who will be heading to Walt Disney World for the first time. So, perhaps your wonderful contributions will help out others as well. :)

[Drince88]

Living Statues in Italy are no longer with us :(

Norway restaurant is 'All Princess, All the Time' - haven't heard from anyone about the quality/selection of food that wasn't there for the little princesses in their life, so not sure if it could still be recommended.

For a really nice restaurant, I like Jiko, though California Grill is darn swanky, too! Boma is good and being a buffet, appeals to a wide range, and I didn't find it that 'out there' flavor wise - good, but not 'weird'.

For eating your way around World Showcase, consider getting chocolate in each of the countries.

Stitch in MK kills brain cells, TikiRoom under New Managment is a waste of time (or maybe it's the other way around - they're both pretty bad, IMHO)

Philharmagic is fun - Carousel of Progress and Tomorrowland Transit Authority are nice pieces of nostalgia.

Expedition Everest is a BLAST. Look behind you as you near the top of the big lift, you can see Space Mountain! If you're into it, they sometimes are doing procedures in the Conservation Station.

Oh, and Millionaire still exists in the Studios!

I second the Behind the Seeds tour (if you have the time) and avoiding food in Future World (though I keep meaning to try the Garden Grill in the Land some time - I didn't look closely at the food court in the land, but it's recently been redone and used to have a nice change of pace from burgers/etc.

At Islands of Adventure, don't miss Spiderman!

[CoasterMatt]

Oh, yeah - when you ride the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at IoA, see if you can spot the 400 ft. tall penis

[Matterhorn Fan]

My advice: ask for tips and request meets more than 4 days before your trip.