And follow the link to see lots more pictures on Flickr!

If you’ve had a chance to go to the T-Rex Restaurant, leave a comment and share your review!

Image: Flickr

Post from: The Disney Traveler

I’m so excited for this restaurant to open.  My 4-year old triplets are really into dinosaurs right now, and I know they’re going to have a blast going to the T-Rex Restaurant when it opens on ….. October 14th, 2008.

What do you think about the new T-Rex Restaurant?  Will you make a point to visit during your next trip to Walt Disney World?

You can read more about the T-Rex Restaurant coming to Downtown Disney in these posts on The Disney Traveler:

• Pleasure Island Clubs to Close – New Attractions Coming
• T-Rex Restaurant Construction Photos
• T-Rex Restaurant to Open in Downtown Disney

Image: Susan Gunelius

Technorati Tags: downtown disney,disney restaurants,disney dining,Walt Disney World,t-rex restaurant,disney dinosaur

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To save Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, Disney fans started a petition asking Disney to reconsider its plan to discontinue the character dining portion of the Liberty Tree Tavern experience.  If you’re a fan of Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, you can sign the petition and have your voice heard!

What do you think of Disney’s plan to eliminate Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern? 

Image: Susan Gunelius

Post from: The Disney Traveler

It will take two years for Pleasure Island to be recreated as a dining and shopping haven for a more family-friendly crowd.  According to Disney, the purpose for the redesign is to better meet the needs of Disney’s core audience – families.  Three businesses will stay after the transformation – Raglan Road (an Irish pub), Fuego by Sosa Cigars and Harley Davidson.

Some of the changes coming to Pleasure Island can be seen already from the new T-Rex Restaurant that’s already well into the construction phase to a tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet up in the air to catch the view of Disney from the sky.  Other new venues will include a Central/South American restaurant scheduled to open in Spring 2009 and a design your own T-shirt store scheduled to open in Fall 2008. 

Changes will also be made to existing locations.  For example, Portobello Yacht Club will change to Tuscan Country Trattoria sometime this summer and Fulton’s Crab House and the Wolfgang Puck Cafe will be revamped.  The existing Marketplace Stage will also change into a larger stage that will be fully covered.

I’m actually not surprised by these changes.  What do you think?

Stop by The Disney Traveler later this week for my upcoming homage to Pleasure Island in pictures or subscribe to The Disney Traveler so you don’t miss it!

Image: Susan Gunelius

Technorati Tags: Walt Disney World photos,Walt Disney World,Disney rumors,Disney news,Pleasure Island,Pleasure Island nightclubs,Pleasure Island closing,Disney dining,Disney refurbishments

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If you didn’t read my original post about the T-Rex Restaurant, definitely check it out.  This restaurant sounds incredible, and I can’t wait until it opens!

Photo: Susan Gunelius

Post from: The Disney Traveler

First, the Beach Club Resort is beautiful, so one would expect a great restaurant to go along with a great hotel. Overall, I’m disappointed by the restaurant choices at the Beach Club Resort and its next door neighbor, the Yacht Club Resort. The reason is there just aren’t enough of them, but I’ll save that for another post entirely.

The Cape May Cafe’s dinner buffet is a New England Style clam bake. It’s held every night from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. This is a very popular buffet, so reservations are a must (407-WDW-DINE). Adults cost $27.00 each and kids ages 3-9 cost $13.00 each. It’s pricey but worth it.

You know about the decor and ambiance from my photo review yesterday. Food is the focus today, so let’s get started.

When you’re seated at your table, the first thing you’ll notice is instead of tablecloths, the tables are covered in large sheets of paper. Kids are given crayons to color with, which my 3-year old triplets love. Your server will take your drink orders, then you’re set loose on the food. Bring your appetite, because it’s all you can eat – and you’ll want to eat a lot.

The buffet is set up as a huge square that sits in the center of the dining room. Each side of the square buffet holds a different type of food. One side consists primarily of seafood such as clams – as you’d expect at a New England style clam bake. Red-skinned potatoes, corn on the cob, corn bread and more can be found in this section of the buffet.

Another side of the buffet holds cold salads such as green salads, potato salad, brocolli slaw and more as well as soups. Clam chowder is usually offered as well as a second soup choice. This weekend, the second soup choice was a delicious minestrone.

The third side includes red meat and poultry selections as well as a pasta dish and several hot vegetable dishes. Additional seafood selections can also be found in this area. The mashed potatoes are incredible. I’m not a huge mashed potatoes fan, but these are amazing!

The fourth side includes the kids meals (pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese), breads, a carved red meat and several desserts such as cookies, brownies and blondies.

Once you’ve hit the main buffet several times, you can wander over to the more elegant dessert table that typically includes bite-sized treats such as to-die-for cheesecake, German chocolate cake, an Oreo cookie-based chocolate bon bon and a kiwi tart.

Bottom-line, the Cape May Cafe offers an incredible selection of foods. If you love clams and seafood, then this is the buffet for you. While the seafood is the main attraction, if you don’t like seafood, don’t worry. There is such a great variety that even non-seafood eaters will find a lot to try. I don’t like seafood, but I love the dinner buffet at the Cape May Cafe. Also, I love that the buffet includes foods kids like. This allows parents to enjoy the foods they love without worrying about finding something their kids will like, too. Overall, you can’t go wrong at the Cape May Cafe dinner buffet at the Beach Club Resort.

Tags: Walt Disney World, Disney restaurant review, Cape May Cafe, Disney Beach Club Resort, Disney dinner buffet, Disney dining, Cape May Cafe review

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For today, here is a review in pictures of the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort in Walt Disney World. Check it out after the jump.

The entrance to the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort says it all. Every night there is a clam bake and buffet from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Looks like fun, doesn’t it?

The decor of the Cape May Cafe is reminiscent of the Jersey Shore long ago (hence the name – Cape May Cafe for Cape May, New Jersey). The artwork depicts various beach scenes from years ago, and elaborate sand castles can be found in plexiglass display cases. Additionally, old fashioned bathing suits and beach paraphernalia can be found throughout the restaurant.

The buffet is in the center of the restaurant. It’s designed as a big square with each side offering different types of food from seafood, to poultry and beef, to cold salads, breads and selections for children.

The elegant desserts are displayed just inside the entrance to the Cape May Cafe to tempt all the guests to save room.

Do I have your curiousity piqued and your mouth watering yet? Come back tomorrow to read my review of the dinner at the Cape May Cafe at Walt Disney World’s Beach Club Resort. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!

Tags: Walt Disney World, Disney hotels, Disney dining, Disney restaurants, Disney Beach Club Resort, Disney Cape May Cafe, Disney buffet, Disney vacation planning

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At the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the 5-star Victoria & Albert’s restaurant will offer a very special and romantic dining experience to help couples celebrate Valentine’s Day. The main restaurant in Victoria & Albert’s will offer two seatings from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and from 9:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at a cost of $130.00 per guest (not including tax, gratuity and alcohol). A wine pairing is also available for an additional $65.00 per guest.

Another Valentine’s Day celebration option at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will be held at Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table. There will be one seating at 5:45pm at a cost of $70.00 per guest. A wine pairing is available for an additional $65.00 per guest.

For guests who want to add some more spice and sizzle to their Valentine’s Day celebrations, Disney’s Pleasure Island will host its annual Sweetheart’s Weekend where guests can have their romantic fortunes told by Love Prophets and meet Cupid. Live music, DJs, stilt walkers and other entertainment is also available during Sweethearts Weekend.

As per usual, Walt Disney World offers something for everyone. For Valentine’s Day, guests can choose between ultra-romantic or ultra-fun meals and activities. Better yet, if you’ll be in the Walt Disney World area for Valentine’s Day, why not do both?

Have you spent Valentine’s Day at Disney?

Photo © Walt Disney Company

Tags: Walt Disney World, Valentine’s Day at Disney, Disney World Valentine’s Day, Disney Valentine, Grand Floridian Valentine’s Day, Victoria & Albert’s, Pleasure Island, Sweethearts Weekend Disney Pleasure Island

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Here is a picture of the outside of Rix Lounge. The entrance is directly across from the exit of the Pepper Market.

The arch doorways lead to a small area where greeters dressed in black welcome guests. Here’s a picture of the lights in the entry area:

The lounge is decorated with gorgeous details, but it is a bit dark.

Here are some pictures of the bar:

Rix Lounge offers appetizers and drinks. Some of the drinks were created by mixologists in New York City specifically for Rix Lounge. That means you can only get them at Rix Lounge. I did notice the prices were a bit high, and the drink menu includes not only pricey mixed drinks but expensive hard liquors and champagnes, including Dom Perignon.

I was actually surprised to see such an upscale looking lounge at the Coronado Springs. It looked and felt more like something you’d find on the top floor of the Contemporary Resort near the California Grill.

One thing I do like about the addition of Rix Lounge to Disney’s Coronado Springs is the fact that with the renovation came a larger snack and food-on-the-go store that took the place of the previous arcade and then some. I’m sure this change will be very popular among guests.

Here are a few more pictures of the interior of Rix Lounge showing the unique seating options and decor:

Overall, the decor seems more Asian inspired than what you’d expect to find at the Coronado Springs Resort. It all just seems out of place. Frankly, it seems foreboding and intimidating for the Coronado, which is a moderately-priced resort.

As you approach Rix Lounge, there are black velvet ropes guarded by employees dressed in black as if it’s a Hollywood nightclub waiting to turn people away because they’re not “on the list.”

Between the decor and the prices, Rix Lounge doesn’t seem like it will be a winner for Disney. However, I know I’m not the target market for Rix Lounge, so perhaps I’ll be proven wrong. Maybe conventioneers with an expense account to burn will love it. We’ll have to wait and see. When I was there at about 8:00 p.m., there was only one table occupied by four people.

What do you think? Does Rix Lounge sound like a good fit for the Coronado Springs Resort?

Tags: Walt Disney World, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney convention, Disney vacation, Disney nightclub, Disney bar, Disney for adults, Rix Lounge, Disney Rix Lounge, Rix Lounge Coronado Springs

Post from: The Disney Traveler

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the newest table service restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I left the Yak & Yeti very satisfied and very full!

As we entered the Yak & Yeti, we first noticed the beautiful decor. My one complaint is that the restaurant is very dark, but the decorations are exquisite. Since the Yak & Yeti is in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the restaurant’s design is Asian-inspired. I noticed a great deal of elaborately carved woodwork and jeweled statues and urns. Below is a picture of one of the beautiful statues (for lack of a better word) found throughout the restaurant. This one is in the restaurant’s foyer.

When it was our turn to be seated (I highly recommend priority seating reservations as this restaurant gets very crowded), we were taken past a small bar and up an elevator to our table. My first impression was that this restaurant looks huge (it seats up to 443 people). The vast size has a tendency to make it feel less cozy than many of the other Disney restaurants, but that’s a very minor complaint. Here is a picture from the second floor looking down onto the first floor.

We were greeted by our server and handed our menus. Instantaneously, we realized we were in for a treat. Everything on the menu sounded completely mouthwatering. Of course, all of the menu items were Asian inspired. We tried the pork pot stickers and fried green beans with chili sauce as appetizers, and both were delicious. For the main course, I ordered the honey glazed chicken – phenomenal. My husband had the Pho, and my parents each ordered the Miso Salmon. We all absolutely loved our meals. Luckily, my 3-year old triplets were also satisfied with the kids menu that included hamburgers, chicken nuggets, lo mein and egg rolls.

Here is a picture showing some more of the decor on the second floor of the Yak & Yeti.

I should mention that since Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes fairly early most of the year (for example, 5:00 p.m.), the Yak & Yeti only offers one menu that is served for lunch and dinner.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Yak & Yeti restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The prices were comparable to other table-service restaurants on Disney property, and the food was amazing. I can’t wait to go back again!

Tags: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Disney vacation, Disney dining, Yak & Yeti, Disney restaurants

Post from: The Disney Traveler