Archive for January, 2010

The Belle Vue Room with its cozy library decor is a great way to enjoy the ambience of Disney’s Boardwalk Inn even if you’re not a current guest.  Just a few steps from the main lobby, this lovely room plays several roles throughout the day.

Light breakfast items are served from 6:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. and can be enjoyed in the main room or outside on the balcony overlooking the green.

The room offers a peaceful retreat in the middle of the day. Take a break from the parks and curl up in a cushy chair with a newspaper or spend an hour at the chess board.  There are comfortable sofas and the sun spills through French doors onto polished wood floors. Shelves are filled with books, board games, and antiques; old-time “broadcasts” whisper from vintage radios.

As evening falls, the atmosphere becomes warm and intimate.  The bar opens at 5:00 p.m. making this the perfect spot for a cocktail before dinner or enjoying a nightcap with friends.  Guests are often treated to personal performances from entertainers wandering in from the Boardwalk. Don’t miss the signature beverage, “The Shadow.”   This drink alone is worth the trip!

This tiny mouse has tucked himself away in the rafters of the lobby of the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  Surrounded by magnificent carvings of woodland creatures, he’s easy to overlook!

Nostalgia reigns at the Hollywood Brown Derby, appropriately located on Hollywood Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  It’s a recreation of the famous California restaurant – the walls covered with caricatures of the stars and the menu featuring some of the original  items, served by a crisply-attired staff.

The main dining room has a warm and clubby atmosphere with dark woods and dozens of wonderful drawings.

A meal at this Signature Restaurant is available as part of the Fantasmic! Dinner Package and the special experience, “Lunch with an Imagineer,” is held here in the small and private Bamboo Room.

Review: Disney has gone to great lengths to replicate the design and detail of the original, but the elegant ambiance of that Tinseltown icon, where diners dressed to impress, has been lost in a sea of shorts and sandals.  The “business casual” dress code of the Signature restaurants, never really enforced, truly falls by the wayside in this venue, the only one located inside a park.

Although I’m not personally blown away by the highly-touted grapefruit cake, the Cobb Salad, made from Bob Cobb’s original recipe, is a reminder of the reason this dish has endured.  Overall, the menu has escaped the homogenization that’s befallen so many other Disney restaurants and still features distinctive choices.

While the food is probably the best available inside the parks, the dining experience itself feels decidedly un-Disney.  This may be a plus for many but in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which boasts the most amazingly-themed venues imaginable in the Sci-Fi Dine-In and 50’s Prime Time Café, it seems a bit colorless by comparison.

Currently, Disney has chosen to offer the same menu for both lunch and dinner which makes it a wonderful dinner option, but a rather expensive and heavy meal for lunch.

Menus

Lunch and Dinner
Dessert
Tea
Wine

Hollywood Brown Derby

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

11:30 a.m. to time depending on park closing

Park admission required

Weaving a story with three-dimensional models, room settings, film clips, interviews, and memorabilia, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream gives the public a peek at one of the great creative minds of the 20^th century.

This self-guided tour winds through a gallery of displays, chosen from a revolving collection, that showcases the inspiration, innovation, and imagination of this consummate storyteller.  In the Walt Disney Theater, guests can watch a short film about his life which includes wonderful home movies and clips from well-loved classics.

The installation originally opened in 2001 as part of Walt Disney World’s 100 Years of Magic celebration but has become an ongoing attraction.  Visitors can move through the exhibits from the Disney archives listening to Walt’s own voice as he talks about his vision.  An extraordinary mix of material including costumes, toys, collectibles, Oscars, television clips, artist’s renderings, dioramas, and pieces from Walt’s own childhood make this a must-see for every admirer of the man who was not afraid to dream.

Walt Disney:  One Man’s Dream

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Wheelchair and ECV accessible

Assistive listening devices available

Captioning and translation devices available

Park admission required

A feel-good repertoire of old-time favorites and classic Disney tunes; snappy red and white uniforms; unflagging enthusiasm in all kinds of weather; The Main Street Philharmonic brings its distinctive small-town-America vibe right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A.

Offering a unique brand of fanfare and fun, the twelve-piece ensemble features trumpets, trombones, and tuba; percussion, and a lot of personality.

As one of several 20-minute shows daily, guests assembling for the afternoon parade are often treated to a rousing performance in front of the train station.   At 5:00 p.m., the musicians play a medley of patriotic songs as they march proudly out to meet the honor guard for the nightly Flag Retreat.

When the rope drops at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the crowds no longer head for Rock ‘n Roller Coaster or the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Instead, guests make a mad dash toward Pixar Place for Toy Story Mania!   Featuring Disney’s renowned blend of complex technology and spectacular theming, the attraction is based on Andy’s Room, a treasure trove of iconic toys that have delighted generations of children.  Nostalgic playthings include Mr. Potato Head, board games, Tinker Toys, crayons, dominoes, playing cards, puzzles, Lincoln Logs, and alphabet blocks; all supersized to allow each guest a toy-sized experience themselves.

As players move through the different Midway games scoring points, eggs fly, balloons pop, plates shatter, rings toss, and darts, well, dart!  3-D glasses allow passengers to “see” projectiles fly from their shooters toward the targets and watch other objects jump out from the scenes; the 4-D technology lending a virtual “whoosh” as they pass by.

Two-sided ride vehicles seat a total of four passengers back-to-back, allowing two players sitting side-by-side to compete at one game while two others face a different game.

Actual ride time is a satisfying five minutes, making that long wait in the standby line seem truly worthwhile.  Enormous fun for all ages, Toy Story Mania! has no height restrictions and features specially-modified cars that can be boarded using wheelchairs and power chairs.

Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

FastPass available

Guests must transfer from ECV to available wheelchair

Park admission required

Photo by Don Sullivan

Overhead, a “kindness” of kanus wings its way across a sky of deepening blue, curving gently toward the sunset.  Legend has it that fortune smiles on those touched by the shadow of these mythical birds, and lucky indeed are the diners who walk beneath them at Disney’s wonderful restaurant, Jiko.

The room glows with the colors of nightfall and firelight:  cobalt, shimmering bronze, ember, and coal.  Ringed pillars represent the long, elegant necks of tribal women, encircled with necklaces in a cultural display of wealth and beauty.  Towering wood-burning ovens demand attention.  The floor, finished in African woods, is inlaid with the symbols of a bountiful harvest.  Seats at the bar in front of the open kitchen invite interaction with the chefs, while tables along the windows overlook a peaceful stream.

In contrast to its more casual neighbor, Boma, which features a number of authentic African dishes, Jiko offers a fusion menu with a signature blend of perennial favorites and “of the moment” elements; the tastes of Africa – tribal, Mediterranean, and Indian – with a contemporary twist.  Influenced by indigenous ingredients and methods, spiced but not spicy, the food often incorporates the customs and culture of the continent.  For example, goat and sheep cheeses are used almost exclusively, since much of the African population is lactose-intolerant and does not consume cow’s-milk cheese.  Food presentation is considered and attractive without being fussy.

Vegetarians will be tempted by novel and delicious appetizers, salads, and entrees.

Many members of the waitstaff are also capable sommeliers and are happy to suggest wine pairings from Jiko’s amazing cellar, which boasts the largest collection of South African wines in North America.

Arriving guests are welcomed by traditionally-clad cultural representatives; warm towels are offered to refresh and relax; a memorable meal awaits.

With its low lighting, well-spaced seating areas, relative quiet, and knowledgeable, attentive service, Jiko is an excellent choice for a special-occasion dinner.  The Cape Town Wine Room is available for private parties and open to diners during busy times.

Review: I find myself returning to Jiko again and again, for the beauty of the space and the pleasure of the food.  I’m still trying to figure out how to get my own flock of birds, the most beautiful lighting installation in all of Walt Disney World, for a high-ceilinged room in my house. A tradition of imaginative cuisine and award-winning excellence has earned this restaurant the AAA Four Diamond rating and I always look forward to dining here.

Although the entrees are simply wonderful, a selection of several of the phenomenal appetizers can stand alone as a delightful meal.  If last-minute reservations are not available, arrive early and snag seats at the bar where you’ll enjoy an up-close view of all the activity and the possibility of “samples” from the chefs.

Dinner at Jiko is part of the Wanyama Safari, a special experience available to guests of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and gives diners the opportunity to savor a great variety of dishes from the menu.

For those staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge with a hankering for the oak-grilled filet but a plan to stay in and enjoy the animals from their balcony, most items on the Jiko menu can be ordered through room service.

Menus

Dinner
Dessert
Teas

Jiko – The Cooking Place

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

VITAL STATISTICS

Name: Pinocchio

Current Address: the home of Geppetto

Previous Address:  Geppetto’s workshop

Interests: becoming a real boy

Qualifications: brave, truthful, unselfish

Facebook Friends:  Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket, Blue Fairy, Figaro, Cleo

CHARACTER COORDINATES

Remember, the appearance of a specific character is never guaranteed.  Some of the locations below have regularly-scheduled appearances while others are occasional.  Always check the Times Guides for the most up-to-date information, and be prepared for possible substitutions at character meals.

Meet and Greet

• EPCOT, World Showcase, Italy
• Magic Kingdom, Town Square
• Magic Kingdom, Toontown Train Station
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Sorcerer’s Hat

Shows

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Fantasmic!

Parades

• Magic Kingdom, Celebrate a Dream Come True
• Magic Kingdom, Spectromagic

Miscellaneous

• Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland, Pinocchio’s Village Haus Restaurant