reddening's thread of DISNEY PARKS gossip

full disclosure: i too have been inebriated at epcot in florida

i don't recommend it tbh

Drinking around the world at Epcot is one of my favorite things to do in the actual world, no joke.

Just maybe avoid Soarin' on that day, is all.

i'm used to being shitfaced in the perpetual bitter howling wind of scotland, drinking in florida feels like being wrapped in wet laundry and i do not like it

OL otm

Ah, see, that explains it as most of my day-to-day drinking is done in the sauna.

Drinking around the world at Epcot is one of my favorite things to do in the actual world, no joke.

Just maybe avoid Soarin' on that day, is all

OTM. But these days I only get to two countries.

True, I don't know that I can really drink around the world, but I'm at least going to try.

Given that I'm generally lucky to get all the way through a six-pack of beer in a month, my liver is assuredly thrilled that I tend to visit Epcot during either Food & Wine or Flower & Garden in order to expand the range of options by which to punish it.

(In reality, my version of 'drinking around the world' usually means I'm still nursing a plum wine by the time I've made it to jolly old England.)

I really need to get back to WDW posthaste, if only to briefly rekindle the happiness I still felt during my last visit in late October 2016...........

ilx fap @ wdw 2019

My family did achieve eating around the world by getting a snack at every Flower & Garden booth in March. The additional meal at Spice Road in Morocco was sheer overkill. By the time we got back around to Canada, I was ready to die.

That would be incredible

xp

Don't you tease me now, bg.

I have a big Hawaii trip planned in early spring, so finding the funds would be tricky, but by golly, I'd try. Anaheim, too.

Ned, get over here!

IM SO FUCKING STOKED TO GET BLOTZO'D AT THE STAR WARS BAR HELL YEAH!

are there any all you can eat restos in WDW ? I mean you might say "wtf all you can eat is generally terrible" but there are several at the Paris park & the one we've tried, the Agrabah Café, was good. btw buffets & Disney parks are two of my favorite things. no it was not all you can drink booze, maybe at the park in Japan they have that though. haven't been to that one yet.

went to the restaurant in The Land years ago, it was family style rather than buffet and maybe they'd eventually stop bringing you refills? this one

Yes!

The German pavillion restaurant has a great buffet.

Boma at the Animal Kingdom lodge has a good African-themed buffet.

I haven't been to Disney World since I was 17 or so and I haven't been to Disneyland ever but I want to finally go to Disneyland next time I visit my sister.

dang I would like to try those, if I ever am forced to go back to Florida. Animal Kingdom opened after I moved away so I've never been.

The Norway restaurant also has a cool pseudo buffet including a herring bar! Sadly it is insanely overpriced and difficult to get into because it's now a princess experience.

Boma is at the AK hotel, not the park, which means you don't have to pay park admission to go there.

I'm looking forward to a solo dinner at Flying Fish, and a family dinner at Jiko.

(we're staying at the Ft. Wilderness cabins, as per our Thanksgiving tradition).

Dang, I'm jealous. I've never stayed at a Disney resort at WDW.

I've stayed at the cheapskate WDW resorts but I've always wanted to Fort Wilderness it up, so I am jelly.

I haven't experienced them firsthand yet but the changes to Norway at Epcot are like the most tragic thing ever and they break my heart.

Fort Wilderness is the only resort I've visited without staying there. I looooove the interior of the lodge.

I want able to get on the revamped Frozen ride this time, but I'd like to at least try it once. The Maelstrom was dope.

*wasn't

Don't you tease me now, bg.

Magic Kingdom does have booze now. Initially just at the Be My Guest restaurant, and since earlier this year at all sit-down restaurants.

also gonna be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time in exactly two weeks and pretty excited about it. had a short stay at Yacht Club earlier this year--my first time at a Disney hotel nicer than the low-rent All Star places--and although I probably wouldn't pay $500 a night for it it was pretty nice. Amazing pool there.

If I'm not awakened at Animal Kingdom Lodge by a giraffe chewing on my beard I'll be pissed.

Ned, get over here!

Noted, noted...

AK Lodge is top of my list for resorts I'd want to stay at if money were no object

I'm an old school Contemporary Resort guy

hard agree. i loved staying there

Haven’t been to WDW since I was 11 but we always stayed at the Contemporary and my aunt and uncle always lodged at the Polynesian. Both had amazing breakfasts, and we always had dinner in Frontierland and at the castle. /spoiled brat

Magic Kingdom does have booze now. Initially just at the Be My Guest restaurant, and since earlier this year at all sit-down restaurants.

Just back from 10 days at Disney (and 4 at Universal) and was pleasantly surprised by the fact it wasn't all Bud Light. Prices were steep but we were on the Dining Plan so all meals included an alcoholic drink anyway. (Think I ate more meat in the last two weeks than I have in the previous 12 months).

Were supposed to be staying at AK Lodge but got upgraded to Boardwalk after we complained that the pool was being refurbished during our stay. Boardwalk was great as there was lots going on around the lake and meant we could easily walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

The Magic Bands were awesome (and very convenient) and as my wife is super organised we had fast passes booked weeks in advance for the popular rides (3+ hour wait for Avatar is insane) but even without fast passes longest we queued for any ride was 25 minutes as I guess this is a good time of year to go.

Yeah, I want to say this is the (relatively) slow season? When we went with the kids for the first time I think we intentionally picked the slowest week of the year, and while it wasn't quiet, it wasn't too bad.

I heard Animal Kingdom Lodge is actually one of the better hotels! At the least it might have had our favorite food, but our entire trip we ate like royalty. Disney dining plan is great, especially if you get a package that includes a few free points and you book ahead of time to get in the most popular places. They feed you so much, we generally packed very light snacks (fruit, bars, cereal at the hotel) to nibble on throughout the day, saving our appetites for our big daily Disney restaurant blowout. And Disney makes you walk like a million steps a day, unlike cruise ships, which have good food, too, but you have to make an effort to keep moving and burn that shit off.

Disney food (at the restaurants) is really pretty good across the board, something cast into stark relief if you ever go to Universal, where it is more or less universally terrible, novelties aside (like Simpsons and Harry Potter themed places).

We have a really good friend whose brother lives in Orlando doing computer stuff. But his fiancé, she helps make the Disney cast costumes, so they get free passes and literally go every weekend. They're getting married at Disney, too, which apparently you have to plan way in advance to snag a slot. He says he has to pinch himself every day. He lives in Florida, where the weather is warm, has a pool, has a good job and a low cost of living, and goes to Disney on the regular. He feels like he's on permanent vacation and getting paid for it.

Two weeks till our family trip.

There's heated debate in Disney circles about the effect of the dining plan on restaurant quality, which to die-hards has dropped since 2005.

We thought quality was pretty decent. Great meal at Sanaa at AK Lodge plus some of the all you can eat character meet breakfasts were excellent too, especially those at the Floridian and the one in the Castle at MK. (Having all the quality food at Epcot cost only one snack credit was a bonus too).

Couple were more average but tended to be ones where you were there for the experience rather than the food (Sci-Fi Dine In and 50's Prime Time for example). Worst one was probably the Norway princess thing at Epcot.

I do appreciate that Epcot brings in chefs and staff from the countries represented. I think they have a very generous work visa thing worked out, like good for 6 months or so after the Disney stint.

Sanaa is terrific. I can't wait to try Jiko.

My mom had just been to Africa and said the Disney African food was better and more "authentic" than the food cooked for them in Africa (which may have been dumbed down for tourists). Anyway, this is what I was thinking of:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_International_Program

We are getting new Star Wars, Marvel, and Frozen zones in the Studio here. I'm cautiously optimistic about this, since the Studio at present is boring, except for the lols of being in the Paris-themed Ratatouille zone while in the Paris area.

Was kind of weird having a Marvel zone at Universal but nothing at Disney. Assume that's a licensing thing that will end at some point? The Universal Marvel characters we met (some X-Men plus Spidey and Captain America) were more like people wearing a good fantasy dress costumes compared to the more professional efforts at Disney.

Universal's strengths iirc are less in character meets and more in the live-hosted rides/attractions. I have no idea which of them are still there but live-hosted Jaws and King Kong were pretty delightful to me even as a young teen.

I think Jaws is no more. And King Kong has gone high tech but, like too many rides at Universal, is still largely a 3D motion simulator.