Any swanky tips/suggestions for Walt Disney World?

[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.

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

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]

Originally Posted by mousepod

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*

Originally Posted by mousepod

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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.