A Blog About Disney Stuff

If you’re an adventurous couple, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great park to spark some romance. It is one of the most beautiful parks at Walt Disney World and there’s lots of hidden spots to discover. With Valentine’s Day nearing, we thought it would be good to gather together the most romantic places at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

• Tiffins Restaurant
• Nomad Lounge
• Dawa Bar
• Tree of Life Discovery Trails
• Maharaja Jungle Trek
• Pandora – World of Avatar
• The Oasis

One of the most exquisite theme park restaurants at Walt Disney World is Tiffins. It has some of the best food of any theme park restaurant, with a selection of adventurous entrees, and some classics too. The wine list is extensive, and the hand-crafted cocktails, and mocktails, are some of the best on Disney property. Of course, I have a soft spot for Tiffins as it is where my husband and I celebrated our engagement. The service is usually impeccable too.

Connected to Tiffins is the best theme park lounge at Walt Disney World. Nomad Lounge is a very popular spot for enjoying a round of cocktails, craft beer, or wine with delicious small plates. The inside lounge area is beautiful and evokes the spirit of adventure. And the outdoor lounge area has spectacular views of the park.

For a more casual place to have a drink together, Dawa Bar in Harambe is a walk-up only bar, with plenty of outdoor seating. Dawa Bar is at the heart of the Harambe Village giving guests a place to be surrounded by the atmosphere. The outdoor seating is shaded and makes for a nice place to relax, but also a quick stop if you’re itinerary is packed.

In the center of Animal Kingdom is the iconic Tree of Life. And around this park icon are trails that take you up close to the Tree as well as along the water. There is a winding trail at the front of the Tree and another along the back of the Tree. Both are wonderful to explore and great for some quiet time together.

Maharajah Jungle Trek is not very quiet, but the tiger habitat is stunning and the atrium is tranquil. The tigers are most active first thing in the morning. But this is also a great place to wind down at the end of the day.

Pandora – World of Avatar gets a lot of hype for its nighttime lighting and effects. But, during the day the views are just as lovely. There’s waterfalls and a winding creek, and multiple trails where you can get lost together.

Finally, The Oasis is the very front of Animal Kingdom. Most guests are too busy trying to get to their first ride of the day to take time to appreciate this area. If that’s the case for you, no worries, just be sure to make some time at the end of the day to explore. There’s neat little animal viewing areas, as well as a small cave and waterfall that make for a romantic escape.

What’s your favorite place in Animal Kingdom? What romantic places would you add to our list?

The post The Most Romantic Places in Disney’s Animal Kingdom appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Dos and Don’ts, Trip Planning, animal kingdom dining, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, disney’s animal kingdom for adults

Festival of the Arts offers some of the most beautiful — and tasty — bites out of any EPCOT festival. Naturally some options are better than others, and some (like some art) just don’t work for every palate. Here’s part 1 of our hits and misses from the 2021 Festival of the Arts.

Deconstructed Dish

(located at Showcase Plaza near Traveler’s Cafe)

See our full review here. 

• Deconstructed Reuben: Rye Popover, Corned Beef, Gryuère Panna Cotta, and Brined Brussels Sprouts with Broken Thousand Island Dressing – $6.75
• Deconstructed BLT: Crispy Pork Belly, Soft-Poached Egg, Brioche, Watercress Espuma, and Tomato Jam – $7.00
• Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake: Whipped New York-Style Cheesecake with Fresh Florida Strawberries and Sugar Cookies – $6.25

Out of the dishes here, our top pick is the Deconstructed BLT — a beautiful looking dish with great flavors. The Deconstructed Reuben is also a good option, if you like the flavors of a reuben. Although the Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake isn’t bad, it also isn’t worth going out of your way to get.

Pop Eats

(located at Showcase Plaza near Disney Traders)

• Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese – $5.00
• Tomato Soup with French Onion and Bacon Grilled Cheese – $5.25
• Shrimp Ceviche with Lime Mint Foam  – $6.00
• Almond Frangipane Cake Layered with Raspberry Jam and Belgian Chocolate – $4.50
• Pop’t Art: Modern-Designed Sugar Cookie with Strawberry Filling – $4.50

Grilled cheese, whether “normal” or “plussed” in a French Onion and Bacon style is delicious, and the tomato soup is quite tasty, but realistically the best part of the tomato soup and grilled cheese combos is the artsy tomato soup “bucket”. They have been known to run out of the bucket during the festival, so check before you buy it if you are truly interested in the souvenir.

The Shrimp Ceviche was incredibly disappointing with mealy shrimp and a lack of flavor. This one is a hard pass.

The Almond Frangipane Cake is a festival staple. Delicious and beautiful, have you actually been to the Festival of the Arts if you’ve never ordered it?

The Pop’t Art may not be quite as beautiful as the cake, but it also is a festival staple and a fun treat.

The Masterpiece Kitchen

(located at Canada Pavilion)

• Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings and Zinfandel Reduction – $9.25
• Salmon and Cream Gâteau with Egg Yolk Cream, Paddlefish Caviar, and Micro-Herbs – $7.00
• Vanilla, Rose Water, and Pistachio Panna Cotta – $8.00

The Wild Mushroom Risotto is a familiar favorite. It’s simple, but tasty and a great option that will appeal to many with its creamy and hearty flavors.

By far, the most impressive dish in flavor at this booth is the Salmon and Cream Gâteau — it is truly food that is art and something that our reviewing team wants to go back and try every time. (They say it is because they’d want to check “consistency”. I guarantee they just want seconds!)

From a visual standpoint, the Rose Panna Cotta is a beautiful item that makes for a gorgeous picture. It also has a lovely floral flavor, and is a good dish to enjoy, even with its high-for-a-dessert price.

L’Art de la Cuisine Française

(located at France Pavilion)

• Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm Creamy Brie in a House-Made Bread Bowl – $8.00
• Croissant à la Truffle Noir d’Hiver: Black Winter Truffle Croissant – $7.75
• Moelleux à la Framboise et aux Chocolats Valrhona: Molten Chocolate and Raspberry Cake with Pure Origin Valrhona Chocolates – $7.75
• Trio de Macarons: Assortment of 3 House-Made Macarons in a Gift Box – $9.50

Overall the flavors at the booth in France are rich and decadent. The warm brie in a bread bowl may not look all that spectacular, but it is a lovely comfort food dish. If you’re a fan of mushrooms, you’ll enjoy the truffle croissant with its mild yet earthy flavors. Our personal favorite was the molten chocolate and raspberry cake, but be warned–this is dark Valrhona chocolate (and so more bitter than sweet). The combination of this dark chocolate with the raspberry is a real treat. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with macrons. They’d make a delightful gift to bring home, but you’ll probably end up snacking on them in the evening instead, if you don’t devour them on the spot.

Stay tuned for more Festival of the Arts food booth reviews, but in the meantime, which of these dishes would be on your must-have list?

The post Festival of the Arts 2021 Food Reviewed: Part 1 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Epcot, Festival of the Arts, Walt Disney World (FL), festival of the arts

Located on the water of World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT’s Mexico Pavilion is a Cantina de San Angel. Mexico’s quick-service location provides a satisfying meal with tacos, nachos, empanadas, and more. (And of course you can’t forget a selection of margaritas to wash the food down.)

Our reviewer ordered the tacos de pollo, nachos, guacamole, and churros, plus a lime margarita. Here’s how the items stacked up:

Tacos de Pollo: This is a wonderful dish if you’ve got people who are concerned that Mexican food will be spicy. These chicken tacos on corn tortillas are served with mild and delicious rice. There’s nothing too spicy, saucy, or mysterious here — just a satisfying street taco-style dish.

Nachos: Although the serving size is enough to share, you may not want to. One trick with nachos is that it often seems like you eventually end up with chips that don’t have enough toppings. For the serving here, there was enough cheese, beef, beans, tomato, and sour cream for every chip. The nachos come with jalapeños, but our reviewer opted to leave them off. That’s another great aspect of this dish — you can customize it according to your needs base on the given menu items.

Guacamole (side): At first, this may seem like a painful uncharge at $6.99, but it is a hearty bowl of guac for the price. If you’re a fan of guacamole, get some to add to those nachos or tacos and rice. (But no matter how much you like guac, skip guac on the churros, okay?) The guacamole is fresh and flavorful, and a welcome add-on for a meal.

Churros: If it is possible to go wrong with churros, we don’t want to know. What’s great is that these are served in bite-sized pieces for easy sharing.

Lime Margarita: Cool and refreshing, this is a good drink to accompany the meal, however if you’re at EPCOT during one of the many festival seasons, you may want to save your budget to try out some of the more interesting drinks at the festival booths.

 

La Cantina de San Angel has an 89% thumbs up rating and is ranked 34 out of 106 dining locations. Overall, the food was fresh and tasty, and dining near the water provides a pleasant atmosphere.

Have you dined at La Cantina de San Angel? Would you splurge for the guacamole or does the food look filling enough on its own?

The post La Cantina Provides a Solid Meal that Pleases appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Epcot, Walt Disney World (FL), la cantina de san angel

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a wild and beautiful atmosphere, different from the other Walt Disney World theme parks. A great way to capture your visit to this special park is with some souvenirs that are distinctive. From hand-carved treasures made from craftspersons in Africa, to a banshee you wear on your shoulder, here’s the top 3 souvenirs at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Hand Crafted Jewelry and Carvings

In the village of Harambe, Animal Kingdom’s Africa-themed area, you can find incredible handcrafted treasures. There are hand-carved wood figures and walking sticks, and other items that you can watch being carved in front of your own eyes. The simple tools that are used to craft these treasures make the carvings even more impressive.

You can also find handmade jewelry. These beautiful bead creations are bold. Notice the incredible detail on each piece. While you can find similar items at the African Outpost in EPCOT, there is something truly special about taking home one of these items as a way to commemorate your time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Shoulder Banshee from Pandora – World of Avatar

There’s so much merchandise at Pandora – World of Avatar that is special. It is hard to decide which item is the most “out there.” The one Avatar merchandise item that turns the most heads is the shoulder banshee. These winged creatures are the star of the groundbreaking attraction, Flight of Passage. You can own your own small banshee that sits on your shoulder. You can control its movement with switches that fit in your hand. It’s a head-turner, for sure.

Yak and Yeti Restaurant’s Merchandise

Although the merchandise from Yak and Yeti Restaurant is not Disney-specific, there are certainly some unique items. If you enjoy yoga, mindfulness, or other Zen-like practices, you’re sure to appreciate some of the clothing available. There’s also silly t-shirts with cute panda puns, small dragon figures, skin care products, and other goodies that are worth a browse.

Do you have a favorite souvenir from Animal Kingdom? What would you add to our list?

The post The Top 3 Souvenirs at Animal Kingdom appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Merchandise, Shopping, animal kingdom merchandise, animal kingdom shopping, animal kingdom souvenirs

Walt Disney World does a great job of having multiple companion restroom locations in each theme park. If you’re planning a trip with someone who could benefit from assistance in the restroom it’s good to know ahead of time where to find the companion restrooms.

Ready for Disney’s wildest park? If you’re wondering where the companion restrooms are located at Animal Kingdom, we’ve  got the answers.

Animal Kingdom Companion Restroom Locations

• Discovery Island – Across from Flame Tree BBQ
• Dinoland U.S.A. – Near Chester’s and Hester’s Merchandise Shop
• Asia – One near Expedition Everest and another near Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Africa – One located near the Festival of Lion King theater and another near Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Pandora – World of Avatar – One located near Satu’li Canteen and another near Na’vi River Journey

Every land at Animal Kingdom has one companion restroom location. The lands of Animal Kingdom are Discovery Island, Dinoland U.S.A., Asia, Africa, and Pandora – World of Avatar.

What are some of your Animal Kingdom tips? Let us know in the comments!

The post Where Are the Companion Restrooms in Animal Kingdom Located? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Dos and Don’ts, Trip Planning, Animal Kingdom For Adults, animal kingdom for kids, animal kingdom tips, disney guest with disabilities