By Senior Travel Planner – Mindy S Located inside Disney's Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’s has been closed since Walt Disney World® reopened in July 2020. This week marked the grand reopening. We were there to experience Dinner. While it’s not the buffet you remember, the food is served family style and you can get all that you want of each course that is served. We were there at 8 pm on a Tuesday evening. The tables are very spaced out and explains why it’s so hard to get a reservation as there looked to be 3 or 4 sections with 10-12 tables around the edges of the room so the characters had room to come out and socially distance. We started with some of the signature cocktails and specialty nonalcoholic drinks. While those were being served, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald came out and danced and waved to us. They would stop at each table for socially distanced pictures and brought the same magic they always do to Chef Mickey’s even from afar. First, we were served a basket of really yummy rolls with three kinds of salad to share. The salads were a plant-based salad that had sweet potatoes and fancy lettuce, Chef Mickey’s Caesar and Citrus poached baby shrimp with lime broccoli slaw greens and avocados. The salads were really tasty. Next, you’re served a big skillet (similar to the serving stye at Liberty Tree Tavern) of prime rib, turkey slices, carrots, succotash, asparagus, and pearl onions. Then, they separately serve salmon, Potato Gnocchi in a mushroom cream sauce, Potato au Gratin, Farro and Farro Wheat Fried Rice. The turkey was very good, as was the salmon (my daughter ate three pieces). The boys liked the prime rib. While the food was tasty, if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you will not be happy. They were in absolutely everything. It wasn’t a problem for me, but my daughter and son had an issue with it. For kids, servers will bring a plate with macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders and broccoli. They are happy to refill anything, if requested. For dessert, our server brought a plate that had mickey chocolate mousse domes on oreos, a rather tasty strawberry cake, an apple tartlet and chocolate chip cookies. While the food was tasty, there weren’t a lot of choices like there used to be, now that it’s a family style experience. The price was $55 per adult and $36 for children. A bit pricey for what it was but you’re not just paying for the food, you’re paying for the experience. Where else can you see the Fab 5 up close??? Chef Mickey's will, in my opinion, still remain a favorite. By Tink's Planner, Kathy F. The Walt Disney World® Resort offers several different options when it comes to special fireworks viewing parties. I have been to Walt Disney World® many times and have seen many of their spectacular fireworks shows but I have never done a private viewing until on my last visit when I decided to book the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage for my family. This voyage included tasty treats, character meet and greets, and a cruise on the Seven Seas Lagoon to watch the fireworks show that takes place at Magic Kingdom. The adventure started at Disney's Contemporary Resort. We arrived about 45 minutes before the event by car and were able to park in the Contemporary Resort's parking lot since we had a reservation. The check in desk was easy to find on the third floor. A friendly cast member explained the itinerary to us and gave each of us a pirate scarf to wear so we can easily be identified as being part of the group. He gave us a card which told us we would be on Captain Hook's boot and it showed which row we were assigned to sit in. Since we arrived early he asked us if we would like to do a scavenger hunt while we waited. The scavenger hunt took us around the lobby area of the resort and was a lot of fun. After we were done we turned in our completed sheet and my daughter was able to pick a prize from a treasure chest. The event started with two "identical twin" pirates both named Patch coming out to greet us. They invited us into the party room for refreshments. There was a nice spread of snacks including cupcakes, cookies, popcorn, pita chips, fruit, ice cream bars, chocolate coins and a variety of beverages including pirate punch, hot chocolate, coffee and tea. Some of the snacks were prepackaged and we were told we could take as much food as we wanted home. We ended up taking home a purse full of chocolate coins! Captain Hook and Mr. Smee were in the room mingling with us the entire time and available for photos. We were then divided into two groups, one for Captain Hook's boat and one for Mr. Smee's boat. Captain Hook and Mr. Smee then led us outside to the boat dock. This was a lot of fun and I loved being in a private parade with the characters while onlookers wondered how we got so lucky! We made one final bathroom stop before boarding the boats and were told that we would be on the boat for about 45 minutes. Captain Hook and Mr. Smee did not come on the journey with us but each of the boats had one of the Patch twins on board to guide us. Patch was amazing at keeping everyone entertained the whole time with songs, trivia, games and lots of interaction with the kids. The time flew by and before we knew it, it was time for the fireworks. The view from the boat was amazing and I really enjoyed the feeling of watching the show with a small group of people instead of the massive crowds I am used to in the parks After the fireworks show ended we headed back to the dock and Patch kept us entertained again. He gave out pirate themed prizes to all the kids. One last surprise was waiting for us at the dock: Peter Pan was there to welcome us back. We followed Peter Pan to a special photo spot just for the Pirates and Pals Voyage group and we got a private meet and greet with him to end the night. My family and I absolutely loved the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage. My three year old daughter was entertained the whole time and still talks about how much fun she had when we went to "Captain Hook's party". This event is definitely worth the price in my opinion and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun night with pirates and a special view of the fireworks. By Tink's Vacation Planner, Missy. About 10 years ago I decided it would be really fun to have an adult beverage at every resort bar on the Monorail loop at Walt Disney World®. Riding the monorail between the resorts is free so it sounded like a fun idea! Unbeknownst to me this was actually something other adults did during their vacation. This adult activity has been nicknamed the "Monorail Bar Crawl." No, it is not an official Disney sponsored activity, but apparently a lot of adults do this for fun! So much for me thinking that I actually was the brains behind this great idea! I have learned from googling "Monorail Bar Crawl" that this actually includes every bar in all the resorts on the monorail loop. We would always have a drink in one bar and then head back to our resort. Sounds easy, right? Trust me, if you do it right it is not as easy as it sounds! The three resorts in the Magic Kingdom area that are on the monorail are the Contemporary, the Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian. The monorail does not go to the Wilderness Lodge, so scratch that off your list. If you decide to try the Monorail Crawl, you will experience six venues: the Contemporary has three venues: California Grill Lounge, The Outer Rim, and The Wave Lounge; the Polynesian has two venues: Tambu Lounge and Trader Sams Grog Grotto; and the Grand Floridian has one venue: Mintzer's Lounge. Last week my fiancee and I did our own version of the bar crawl. We like to enjoy a libation at the pool bars and then head inside in search of the adult bars. During our latest vacation at Walt Disney World®, we did not go to all of the bar venues listed in the Monorail Crawl, although a rumor might be true that we spent a little more time at Mintzer's Lounge! We had a blast doing the Crawl, and met lots of other people doing the same thing as us! Our experiences with the Monorail Crawl are yet another indicator that Disney appeals to all ages, and for all sorts of different reasons. I hope you have an amazing time at your next Disney Destination vacation. Cheers! By Tink's Vacation Planner Kimberly The Walt Disney World® Resort is a great place the entire family can enjoy. After all, Great-Grandma is just as likely to enjoy the It’s a Small World® Attraction as her infant great-granddaughter. Little ones in strollers and older ones in wheelchairs have access to most attractions. Because of this, many families choose to travel together as part of a family reunion or simply as a fun, large family vacation. Having traveled with my own large family this past fall, I quickly came to realize while I loved having my entire family in one location for a change, there are special considerations to be made when traveling with a large group. Many of the Walt Disney World® Resorts can accommodate large families in the same suite. The Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and can accommodate up to 9 people. A three-bedroom Grand Villa at one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts sleeps up to 12 people. In addition, these rooms have full kitchens for those who’d like to cook for their large group. For those staying in separate rooms in the same resort, a request can be made to have rooms near each other, but how near is dependent on availability. The same building may be as close as one can get, but it’s worth asking about. Written by Tink's Vacation Planner, Jennifer. In a recent stay at the Walt Disney World® Resort's Bay Lake Tower with my two boys ages seven and nine, I took advantage of Disney's new Pixar Play Zone at the Contemporary Resort. The Pixar Play Zone is set up very similar to the kids clubs from Disney Cruise Line which my kids are very familiar with. Parents have the option of making a reservation for your children (ages four to twelve) prior to your visit or you can walk up as we did. At 5:00 on the dot we were at the door and the boys were ready to play! My nine-year-old was especially excited because the Play Zone was added on to include the old arcade! |
Our vacation planners their children and yes, even some of our Tink’s clients, have written about their experiences in the Neverland Blog. The magic of Disney comes alive in an immediate way when our children visit the Land of Mickey and Minnie.
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