General Overview and Tips
We were lucky enough to have another trip to Walt Disney World! The good thing about going several times in a short window is that we have some learnings to share--hopefully they help. If you want to see previous posts about tips and tricks, you can see them linked here:
Here is one general post. This is another all about food: Thoughts on food.
Parks:
Magic Kingdom Posts:
Animal Kingdom Posts:
Disney's Hollywood Studios Posts:
EPCOT Posts:
Between the posts for this trip and the older posts above, there is a wealth of information that may help you on your trip!
After being in Florida during August, being here during January was amazing! The weather was 60sF at night and 70s F! With a heated pool we were able to enjoy being outside!
Hotel Review
Orlando has SO many options for hospitality needs. If you have a larger family, there are condos and homes for rent (VRBO or AirBnB), hotels at all levels of cost and service. We have stayed in several different types of accommodations at Disney. You can see some of those comments on posts above. Most often we stay at a "Partner Hotel" or a "Good Neighbor" hotel for Disney. They get some of the fun Disney benefits, but do not cost as much as the Disney Resort Hotels. Hotels at Disney Springs and Flamingo Crossing have easy access and several options. Again, more thoughts on those in other blogs
This trip we stayed, for the first time, all on Disney Resort Property. We learned so much! Hopefully this helps you with some ideas as you plan your trip.
Overall thoughts about staying "on-property":
Pros:
You get to stay "in the Magic." It is so fun to have that "bubble" when you are trying to enjoy your time at Home. We switched hotels a few times and if it is going from one Disney Resort to another, they will move your bags for you while you are at the Parks. The swimming pools and other activities are amazing at the Resorts. If you need to have a day between parks, the resorts have all kinds of fun things to do as a family. We found that the food at the resorts was delicious! Everything is well cared for and clean. Transportation is EASY! There are several ways to get to the parks once on property. You get to use Extra Magic hours and book your Lightning Lanes 2 hours before everyone else. All sites have laundry and it is easy to use.
Cons:
It is expensive. You have a great experience, but you pay the price. While the food is delicious, it is more expensive than food outside of the WDW property. None of the Resorts offer food as part of your stay (unlike some of the Good Neighbor hotels). You have to pay for parking at the resort--it is cheaper than paying for the parking at the parks, but it is still a fee.
- Polynesian Resort
- A Magic Kingdom resort located on the Monorail. Easy access to Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
- Themed after Moana and some rooms Lilo and Stitch. The rooms are larger and spacious. The details are all thought out--from a line to dry swimming suits in the bathtub to small shelves by the bed with plugs for cellphones.
- Beds were really comfortable.
- Food at the Polynesian is AMAZING!
- Watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks is amazing from the beach.
- Caribbean Beach Resort
- We stayed in a Pirate Room for our kids. They loved it. But it costs more to have one of those themed rooms and they are located at the end of the resort. If you want to eat, catch the skyliner, or go to the main pool, it is a walk.
- The Lobby is beautiful and the food is delicious. We had breakfast and dinner at the Center Town Market. For the most part it all tasted good.
- The Skyliner access is amazing when going to EPCOT or Disney's Hollywood Studios.
- The rooms were small, the beds were fun to look at but horribly uncomfortable.
- The resort is clean, but when you are in the room it feels like a lower-end motel. It is clean, just small and basic.
- We did not feel it was worth the price.
- Riviera Resort
- New resort. Beautiful building. Have a "posh" vibe to it.
- Easy access to Skyliner.
- Topolinos was one of our very favorite places to have a Character Breakfast.
- Cabins at Fort Wilderness
- If you have a larger family, need a kitchen, or want to have a place to get out of the craziness of people and reconnect to nature--this is your place.
- Cabins have been updated, but still feel old.
- Beds were ok--not as good as Polynesian, but not as bad as Caribbean Beach.
- It was nice to be able to just drive up to our room at the end of the day.
- Lots of nature to enjoy and experience.
- Get a golf cart. It is an added fee, but necessary as there are several places only accessible by foot or golf cart.
- Boats to Magic Kingdom make transportation easy.
- Watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks is amazing from the beach.
- Wilderness Lodge
- A hotel made to look like a luxury lodge you would see in Aspen or Park City.
- Storybook Restaurant is fun and delicious.
- Again, you can get your nature-fix here with trails and trees.
- Boats to Magic Kingdom make it easy to commute.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- The animals around make this lodge what it is. However, you cannot see them after dark and rooms overlooking the Savannah are expensive.
- The African art and history make this a mini-museum to enjoy.
- This lodge is farther away and can only be accessed by bus or personal vehicle.
- Contemporary Resort
- An iconic and central hotel.
- They are updating the rooms to be more modern.
- It is a fun place to see the monorail come right through the hotel.
- You can walk to Magic Kingdom (means you miss the craziness at the end of the day waiting for transportation back to the TCC)
- Chef Mickey's is another fun character dining option.
- Coronado Springs
- Next to the Polynesian, Coronado Springs resort was our all-time favorite. It is considered an Animal Kingdom Resort, but really not far from the Dolphin and the Swan.
- It is a LARGE resort so walking is necessary. But the rooms are spacious and new. Beds are comfortable.
- Food options are amazing!
- Grand Floridian
- Another Magic Kingdom resort.
- It is designed to be an upper-level luxury hotel and geared towards cliental that like that vibe.
- Beach Club
- More laid back resort. Big pool. Easy access to EPCOT.
- Felt a bit dated.
Dining and Restaurant Review
Make sure that you have the Walt Disney World app downloaded. It makes your life easier. You can use it for lightning lanes as well as booking food. Sit down restaurants require a reservation. You can book those 60 days before you arrive. They go fast, so keep looking. We are always able to get the reservations we want, it just takes patience and looking often. Usually midnight and sometimes at 0600h EST they release more appointments...so keep checking. As people cancel appointments you can grab them as well.
Mobile ordering food on the app at quick service locations makes your life so much easier. You order and they text you when it is ready to be picked up. No lines.
Resort/Hotel Restaurants
- Ohana--Polynesian
- Ohana is expensive, but it has been a family favorite for years. We always go for dinner or lunch. They do offer a breakfast option, we just have never done it.
- Kona Cafe--Polynesian
- AMAZING breakfast! Make sure to try the Tonga Toast.
- Captain Cooks-Polynesian
- Quick Serve by the pool area. We tried nearly everything and it is delicious.
- Trails End--Fort Wilderness
- Up by the docks. It is a sit down in the evening and you can get quick service during the day.
- Topolino's--Rivera Resort
- This is a character dining breakfast! They also serve dinner and have a beautiful balcony you could watch fireworks. We went for breakfast and the food was AMAZING!
- Chef Mickey's--Contemporary
- Great character dining option.
- Storybook Dining--Wilderness Lodge
- It is themed really well. The decor and the food all fit the theme.
- You get to see Characters from Snow White.
- Center Town Market--Caribbean Beach
- Quick Service. The meals are hearty and delicious (there was only one or two things we did not like).
- Beaches and Cream--Beach Club
- Great experience. But really felt like expensive ice cream.
- The Kitchen Sink is HUGE
- Boma--Animal Kingdom Lodge
- It is buffet style. We were not impressed.
- Some food was really good. Other things were not. (could be that we were there at the end of dinner and getting the stuff that had been made early in the morning).
- Rix--Coronado Springs
- Delicious food!
- El Mercado de Coronado--Coronado Springs
- Quick service. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner here, it was all fresh and well made.
Park Restaurants
Magic Kingdom
- Crystal Palace
- Buffet Style restaurant that is themed in Winnie-the-Pooh. There are several options for all taste buds. It is similar to what you would find at a Chuck-a-Rama or Golden Corral. It is just more expensive.
- Cinderella's Royal Table
- You pay for the experience. It is so fun to say that you ate in the Cinderella Castle. The food is upper scale and Cinderella comes to join you while you eat. It is themed really well and feels like a castle. It is extremely expensive and the menu is limited. If you have picky eaters, it may be a bit harder to come here.
- Be Our Guest
- We have now eaten in all three rooms in the restaurant. It is designed to be the Beast's Castle. There is the Rose Room which looks more like a restaurant. The Ballroom looks like the ballroom in the movie. It snows outside and everything. The West wing has the rose and the typical destroyed art. It is a bit dark in there. The Beast comes to all three rooms. Again, you pay for the experience.
- Jungle Skipper Canteen
- The idea of the fun restaurant appealed to us. We have now tried it twice. Once the food was good and the server was not. The second the server was ok (not great but just ok) and the food was not good at all. We will not be going back there again.
- Aloha Isle
- This is a quick service stop, but one worth making. Make sure to try it. They rotate in and out the signature treats, so go see what you can find is amazing.
Animal Kingdom
- Yak and Yeti
- We really like Yak and Yeti. Both the sit down restaurant and the quick service. The quick service has the same food, just a limited menu version of it.
- Tusker House
- It is family style (they bring you all you can eat) and a character dining. It is fun to see the characters, but maybe not worth the money
- Tiffin's
- Part of this experience is seeing all of the photos and prototypes from the Imagineer trip to Africa. You can see their photos and sketches and then outside in Harambe you can see where they made the buildings look authentic. The service is white linen style. Food was good...not amazing.
- Satu'li Canteen
- Great quick service option.
- Harambe Market
- Quick service food. Several options. Flavored well.
- Harambe Fruit Market
- We loved the CORN! Both the spiced version and the buttered version.
- Pongu Pongu
- The Night Blossom pear drink it is amazing!
Hollywood Studios
- Woody's Lunchbox
- We liked the Tatchoes. The rest is comfort food and we felt it was not quality.
- Mama Melrose
- The setting feels like a fun backyard dinner. It is delicious and filling. But almost double the price of Olive Garden etc.
- Brown Derby
- The salad was AMAZING! The rest of the food was good too. But again, expensive. Good food. High prices.
- Hollywood and Vine
- This is a Character dining. We liked the food and the dining with characters was fun. I have more details on this on other blogs.
- 50's Prime Time Cafe
- I wrote more details about on other blogs too. Family style dining. Fun jokes. Great experience.
- Fairfax Fare
- Quick service that has traditional burgers and fries.
EPCOT
- Space 220
- This was such a fun experience. We ate at the "lounge" which gives you the same experience, just a bit cheaper than the ala cart restaurant.
- Le Creperie
- Great for a quick lunch! The soup and Creperie is amazing.
- Le Cellier
- Similar to a steakhouse outside of Disney.
- Chefs de France
- The French Onion Soup is my favorite! It is a beautiful place to eat and experience a French Cafe.
- Carmel Popcorn
- Make sure to get some Werther's Carmel Popcorn in Germany. It is delicious!
- Le Halle
- Great stop to get your baguette, macarons, and the Napolean (Mille Feuille).
Transportation
- Skyliner
- A really fun and easy way to transport. Even if you are not at the hotels it connects to. Just take some time to ride it. It was really fun to ride to EPCOT and see backstage a little bit.
- Boats
- There are so many boat options. There are boats from Magic Kingdom Resorts to Magic Kingdom. There is also the big ferries that take you back at night. That is a whole mess with all the people, but the line moves fast.
- Monorail
- The Monorail is an option to get Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. During the day it is a fun and convenient way to move. But it is hard to ride at night after the park closes from Magic Kingdom.
- RideShare
- UBER and Lift are easily accessible in Orlando.
- Buses
- If you are staying on property buses are a great choice! Less walking from the parking lot.
- Personal Vehicle
- Parking at the parks is costly daily. If you are staying on property you pay there, but you do not have to pay when entering the park. They just scan your magic band. When you are choosing a hotel, make sure to check the parking prices--sometimes there is a hidden fee. It does give you the ability to get off property and eat and buy groceries for a cheaper price.
- Stroller
- We rented again from Orlando Baby Rental. They were amazing as always. This is such a cheaper option than renting a stroller from the parks.
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