Saturday, February 26, 2011

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort’s Jambo House, one of the most unique dining experiences at Walt Disney World Resort can be found. Boma, a buffet serving seasonal dishes from over 50 African countries is ideal for tasting and trying, sampling a little bit of everything on the buffet.


Our waiter gave us the best advice – there are three different types of hummus on the buffet, and that’s the best place to start. From there, move on to the carving board, which features prime rib and pork shoulder and try a few of the sides. Then on your third trip, try the salads (I recommend the curried pasta salad, which was delicious, and the tomato salad).

Remember to take small portions, because there is also large selection of desserts to choose from. The mini desserts are lovely because you can try a bunch of them and they are all so good!


You can reach Animal Kingdom Resort by Disney transportation bus from any of the parks or Downtown Disney. Jambo House is the second stop on the bus route to Animal Kingdom Resort.

Reservations are recommended, as the restaurant stays full the whole night.

Friday, February 25, 2011

'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort

Undoubtedly there are a lot of places to eat at Walt Disney World Resort – there are even blogs dedicated just to the foods at the parks and resorts. However, what we have decided might be the best restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort is located at Disney's Polynesian Resort, just off the monorail – 'Ohana.


'Ohana is Brazilian steak house meets Hawaiian foods. To start your meal you are served 'Ohana Welcome Bread, a sweet bread, as well as a salad with honey-lime dressing (which was delicious).

Appetizers come out before you know it and include the best pork fried dumplings I have ever tasted, as well as honey coriander chicken wings which were delicious (and that’s coming from someone who doesn't like wings).



The entrĂ©es are brought around on long skewers that are brought hot off the oak fire pit in the middle of the restaurant. Eat as much as you like from options of chicken, pork, steak and shrimp, all cooked to perfection with a beautiful smoky finish.

EntrĂ©es are also served with lo mein noodles in a peanut sauce and stir fried vegetables.

An 'Ohana bread pudding with ice cream and banana caramel syrup to share tops off the meal.

By the end of our meal for two, you would have thought there were six or more in our party.

Throughout dinner a storyteller is playing music, telling stories and playing games with the kids to keep them occupied.

Reservations are definitely required (unless you don’t mind waiting 45 minutes to an hour). And if you do make reservation, show up a little early to make sure you get in on time. And ask for a table close to the fire pit for a great show with dinner. 'Ohana does accept Disney Dining Plan.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

1900 Park Fare - Grand Floridian

Why wait in atrocious lines or pay more (or spend two “table-service” dining plan meals) to have dinner with Cinderella at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom when you can have the same experience without the stress at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort?


Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner is a buffet dinner featuring American classics like macaroni and cheese, a carving station, salads and homemade soups, as well as Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia.

Besides the wonderful foods and much more laid back atmosphere, during dinner, you might catch the evening waltz, Drizella or Anastasia trying to find the perfect man for each other, as well as lots of pictures and autographs of all the famed Disney characters.


Best of all, while you’re waiting for your table to be ready, the lobby of the Grand Floridian is very lush and while we were there had a three piece band playing on the second floor, playing swing and slow music. After our meal, a pianist was seated in the middle of the lobby taking requests for Disney songs.

Plan to spend at least an hour here, as it takes the characters about that long to make one full circuit around the restaurant – and Cinderella is the last of the circuit.

Reservations are recommended and the Disney Dining Plan is accepted at 1900 Park Fare. You can reach the Grand Floridian by Disney transportation from any of the parks.





Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Chef Mickey's - Disney's Contemporary Resort

If you only choose one character dining experience in Walt Disney World, Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort should win out over all others for many reasons.


Number one, of course, is the characters that show up to Chef Mickey’s – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. These characters in the parks always have the longest lines and you could be waiting up to an hour or more, but at Chef Mickey’s, they come right to your table.

Second reason to come to Chef Mickey’s – well, the food. The variety as well as the taste makes Chef Mickey’s as delectable for adults as children. A salad bar option is there, but I recommend starting at the homemade soup (very yummy!) and then moving on to the carving board, which includes prime rib and ham. The rest of the buffet includes turkey pot pie, Tandoori chicken, Mickey cheese ravioli and more.

And don’t forget dessert, because Minnie’s famous cheesecake is on the dessert bar, as well as Mickey mousse dessert, which are adorable and delicious!


Third reason, the atmosphere in and around the restaurant. While you’re waiting for your table, you can watch the monorail run through the hotel. There are caricaturists, cartoons playing on the TV, two resort shops and more.

While at the restaurant, when the next character comes out to start the circuit, the whole restaurant gets involved, which is a lot of fun at any age. Spinning napkins, dancing and more.

The Contemporary Resort is reachable via monorail or Disney transportation bus. Reservations are required, and even if you do have reservations, show up a little early.





Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Academy of Natural Sciences

Located in Logan Circle, the Academy of Natural Sciences provides fun for people of all ages. As soon as I walked in the door, I could tell that kids from toddler to teenagers were having a blast. The amount of time you spend here can vary depending on your interests and how much detail you want to see. You can spend only an hour in the museum if you want to quickly go through everything, or you can spend the whole day really diving into every detail the museum has on offer. For $12/adult and $10/child, you really can't go wrong.


For me, the highlight was definitely Dinosaur Hall, where you get to see a 42 foot Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton staring right at you from the entrance. Plenty of other dinosaur bones are on display, including a life-size Stegosaurus that shows the internal anatomy. For children, there are plenty of fun activities in this area such as a scale to see how much you weigh compared to dinosaurs. There is also the Big Dig, which allows kids to literally get on their hands and knees and hunt for dinosaur bones in a sand pit.


Beyond the Dinosaur area, there are exhibits on each continent such as Asia (with the Panda Bears being my favorite), North America (the Moose is huge!) and Africa (featuring a mummy). There are plenty of staff around to help explain anything you'd have more curiousity about as well.

A temporary exhibit that is proving to be quite popular is the Bizarre Beasts: Past and Present which is displaying animals that have very strange looks to them such as a shark with what looks like a circular saw on its mouth. The majority of what is on display is for extinct animals, so it will give you the opportunity to see things you'll never see anywhere else outside of a book.


This museum definitely gets two thumbs up for me and I'd recommend it to anyone in the Philadelphia region.