Parks & Resorts – Page 68

Paddlefish at Disney Springs Offering Father’s Day Special

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

For Father’s Day 2017 (June 18th), Paddlefish will be offering a special meal not available on their regular menu…

Paddlefish will be offering a 20-ounce Porterhouse, jumbo Gulf shrimp and a double stuffed potato, paired with a glass of Turnball Cabernet Sauvignon. And for dessert, a rich red velvet cake. The meal costs $85.00 per person.

Paddlefish is one of our favorite restaurants in all of Walt Disney World! Be sure to check out our exhaustive review if you plan on visiting soon.

REVIEW: Sno-Cones Return to the Magic Kingdom Just In Time for Summer Heat

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

For a period, guests could obtain a sno-cone treat at the Magic Kingdom over at Prince Eric’s Village Market in New Fantasyland. Many were upset when the snack was removed from the location and left without a home, but they will be happy to know that the treat is back at the park.

Magic Kingdom Sno-Cones, Available in Tomorrowland

Pretty much across the path from the Cool Ship and the Pizza Frusta in Tomorrowland, the cart adjacent to the popcorn cart now has sno-cones. Flavorings are available including grape, cherry, blue raspberry, or you can do a combination of any of those flavors.

Sno-Cone ($4.25)

Sno-Cone, $4.25 in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom

Flavored ice may seem like a good idea given the heat, but I still don’t understand the appeal. The flavoring is almost non-existent and the markup on such an item must be huge for anyone who sells it, considering it is just ice and a sugary liquid that is poured over it. A cup of ice from a counter service location on a hot day may yield similar results, but for a kid, they probably would prefer it in this form. I feel like you could do much better for a refreshing treat in this park, namely ice cream dishes of any kind, but if you desire a sno-cone, you can find it here once again.

Sno-Cone, $4.25 in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom

We tried the mix of three flavors, and it wasn’t unpleasant, but the heat will quickly send all 3 flavors to the bottom in a syrupy, liquid mess. I don’t think this is something I would order again, even on the hottest Summer day here in Orlando. Nearby is Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies with a number of ice cream treats, so I would just walk over there and get something.

BREAKING: Popular Shoulder Banshee Toys in Pandora: The World of AVATAR Are Completely Sold Out

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

Well, we told you that the Banshee Rookery experience in Windtraders at Pandora: The World of AVATAR was popular, but I guess we had no idea just how popular they were…

The Banshee Rookery inside of Windtraders in Pandora is completely empty as of 10:45am on June 3rd, 2017

According to guests visiting this morning, there were a few Banshees on the shelves when the day started, but now there are none. Cast members are telling guests it will be a few weeks until more are in stock (take that for what its worth). Either way, it is clear that Disney sold way more of these neat toys than they ever expected to.

The full contents of a Banshee Rookery box, and the optional perch.

If you are unfamiliar with what these are, you can check out our review of them here. The product was selling well during previews, but it wasn’t uncommon to wait 30-60 minutes just to enter Windtraders over the first week of it being open to the public. Guests would then have to wait another 15-30 minutes if they wanted the full Banshee experience, but Disney was also offering “grab and go” pre-boxed Banshees at temporary tables inside of the shop all week.

We will continue to provide updates on the status of the Banshee Rookery as many a guest have told us they were looking forward to doing this on their first trip to Pandora. Well, some guests will have to wait a little while longer.

Disney World Offering Special Discounted Summer-Long Express Bus Pass for Annual Passholders

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

This Summer, annual passholders can get a spectacular rate on the Express Bus Service at Walt Disney World, valid for over 2 months of use.

The all-new Express Transportation Summer Pass is available just to Passholders for just $59.00 per guest. This pass will go on sale June 5th through July 31st, 2017, allowing passholders to use the service in an unlimited fashion June 5th through August 10th, 2017.

For a full explanation of how the Express Bus Service works, please check out our review. The service recently raised its rates, making this Passholder offer an even more spectacular deal if you will be visiting the parks a lot now through August 10th.

Disney World Cracking Down on FastPass+ Cheating, Will Begin Locking Guest Accounts Who Abuse System

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

Disney will soon be turning on a validation system of sorts for FastPass+ usage inside of the Walt Disney World theme parks.

A term dubbed “In-Park Validation” on internal documents, this phrase means the validation of park admission and entry for the day before allowing FastPass+ usage. Guests “in the know” for the past few years have learned a loophole in the system that allows bookings using the in-park FastPass+ kiosks with expired tickets or by using a second ticket on their account to book another set of FastPass+ for the day, but not actually using the ticket to enter the theme park. Basically, tickets not used to enter the park could be used to obtain valid FastPass+ reservations.

There is a similar loophole with Cast Member passes as well, where they have 3+ “Guest Passes” to allow their family and friends into the park, but limited restrictions on FastPass+ booking and usage without redeeming admission.

Another issue that’s been plaguing the parks has been 3rd party tour guides. These are the unofficial tour guides people are finding through numerous Disney fan sites, Craigslist, and more. These guides promise FastPass+ usage for all the attractions for their paying clientele, which means their employees rope-drop the park with these handfuls of expired tickets and cards to book the major attractions first thing in the morning at the FastPass+ kiosks. This is all combining to a few people holding FastPass+ options from thousands of folks who are paying admission that day and now cannot find anything they want available.

This in-park validation system will check to ensure that a guest used an active ticket for admission before redeeming a FastPass+. If you didn’t, the Cast Member at the FastPass+ line at any attraction can see this and deny you entry. Repeated attempts will lock MyDisneyExperience accounts from utilizing the FastPass+ booking option, which can be a serious deal for those abusing the system. Guest Relations will be able to unblock accounts if the behavior was deemed non-abusive.

This new policy is slated to rollout within the next few weeks at Walt Disney World. Stay tuned for a more definite date.

REVIEW: New “Out-Of-This-World” Menu Items at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is likely in my top 10 favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World, and I often bounce between this location and the Brown Derby as to which is my favorite at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you want a burger and some good desserts, there isn’t anywhere much better in my opinion, and the atmosphere is the most unique of any eatery at any Disney theme park anywhere. For a few bucks more than a counter service meal of a similar style, the atmosphere and superior sweets menu here make it an easy decision to splurge on table service over counter at this park.

Guests sit in “cars” and dine like it’s an old-school drive-in at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

The seating style is different from any other restaurant at Disney theme parks as it has “cars” parked in front of a screen, with two-by-two seating facing the rotating kaleidoscope of classic cartoons, movie trailers, and more.

With all this being said, Sci-Fi is obviously a fan favorite. Being a beloved eatery, when the menu was changed a few days ago, many were concerned if the changes were for the better. Here’s a look at the new menu in question:

New to the menu are the following items:

The Boneless Chicken Wings now have 3 sauce options, rather than just the usual buffalo. The bone-in wings are now removed completely.
The Sci-Fi Salad is now a Wedge Salad.
The Build-Your-Own Angus Burger option is gone, but there are new burgers added.
The Salmon BLT Sandwich, Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie, Grilled Marinated Salmon Salad, Southwest Vegetarian Burger, and Sci-Fi-Fi Angus Burger were removed from the menu.
New entrees include the Classic American Burger, Southern Burger, Chili-Lime Fajita Salad, the Vegetarian Falafel Burger, and the Drive-In Barbecue Burger.

As you can see, it was a pretty major menu overhaul. So let’s find out how it is…

Boneless Chicken Wings ($10.00)

Boneless Chicken Wings ($10.00) with Buffalo Sauce

Boneless Chicken Wings ($10.00) with Sweet Chili Sauce

Your choice of Spicy Buffalo, Chipotle Barbecue, or Sweet Chili Sauce served with Celery Sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing

The Sweet Chili Sauce moved over from the Oasis Canteen, where these were available for a short period last year. Both sauces are great, but I recommend the buffalo if you want these to be spicier, and the sweet chili if you like a more flavorful taste. Funny enough, the buffalo sauce version was a staple at Backlot Express a few years ago as well, so both of these were available at counter service locations previously. Yes, these are basically just the chicken breast nuggets with sauce, but does that mean that we can’t enjoy them? I end up ordering these every time I come.

Classic Southern Burger ($19.00)

Our Signature Blend of Beef on a Brioche Roll, topped with a Fried Green Tomato, House-made Pimento Cheese, Bacon, and Lettuce

Classic Southern Burger ($19.00)

If you like fried-green tomatoes and pimento cheese, this is worth a try. The brioche bun on all of the Sci-Fi burgers enhance them nicely, while the beef patties are good enough to be at least more enjoyable than any Disney counter service location.

As always, the burgers come with the delicious steak fries, which you will also find for dinner now at the ABC Commissary next door.

Chili-Lime-Salmon Fajita Salad ($16.50)

Mixed Greens tossed with Roasted Corn, Peppers, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette topped with crispy Tortilla Chips and House-made Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

This salad is filling, fresh, and has quite a lot going on in it. If the dressing wasn’t so bland, this would be something we would order again. The salmon is surprisingly good and again, the portion size is more than fair.

Drive-In BBQ Burger ($19.00)

Our Signature Blend of Beef, BBQ Spice, Brioche Bun, House-made BBQ Sauce, Bacon, and Cheddar served with Crispy-fried Jalapeño and Onion Straws

Drive-In BBQ Burger ($19.00)

I really enjoyed the Drive-In BBQ Burger, likely my favorite of any burger I’ve had here in my life. As you all know, I enjoy a lot of spice, and I thought the crispy fried jalapeños delivered while the other toppings were nice and flavorful. While I might try to switch the cheddar cheese for Swiss next time (more of a personal preference than a suggestion), I was still more than happy with this entree.

Out-of-This-World Turtle Cheesecake ($7.50)

with Heath Bar, Pecans, Chocolate Chips, Caramel Sauce, and topped with Whipped Cream

It may not be the largest dessert, but it makes up for it in taste. This is basically a small cheesecake piece wrapped in Heath Bar, pecans, chocolate chips, and caramel sauce; and yes, it is as good as this description sounds. I love anything with Heath Bar, and if you do too, then I implore you to order this.

Milk Shakes ($6.00)

Sci-Fi Specialty Shake, Oreo Cookie, Chocolate, or Vanilla

My favorite dessert at Sci-Fi is still the simplest, and it’s the milkshakes. Pictured above is the current specialty shake, which is marshmallow and caramel over vanilla, and it is absolutely fantastic. The specialty shakes never disappoint, but you can’t go wrong with the Oreo Cookie version either. Sure, you can settle for chocolate and vanilla too if you wish. For $6.00, these are a great value as they are more than large enough to share between two guests after a full meal here.

OVERALL

In review, I think the menu changes here are quite positive. While the Build-Your-Own Burger option is gone, you can likely customize something to your liking between all of the burgers currently on the menu. I would like to return with someone who eats vegetarian options to see how the falafel burger holds up, but otherwise, Sci-Fi-Fi Dine-In is still an enjoyable, and often underrated table service restaurant you should try out if you have never been to it.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Star Wars Land Construction Update at Disneyland Park for June 3rd, 2017

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

Thanks to our friends over at Fresh Baked Disney, we have another weekly look at how the construction of Star Wars land is going over at Disneyland Park. Here is a look at the project as of June 3rd, 2017: