Walt Disney World is officially adding FuelRod kiosks to a few of its resort hotels.
FuelRod kiosks will now also be located inside the arcades at all 3 All-Star Resorts and inside of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
The portable chargers debuted several months ago at Walt Disney World. You can check out our review for more information on how FuelRods work and a list of other locations.
For quite a while now, Fairfax Fare at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been home to barbecue dishes (and more recently sharing that menu with loaded baked potatoes). Well, just this week, the main barbecue dish from this establishment picked up and moved over to the ABC Commissary, but was replaced with a number of “tex-mex” options.
New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The new menu features three tex-mex options, while keeping the Loaded Baked Potato, Fairfax Salad, and the Chili-Cheese Foot-Long Hot Dog.
New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The photos on the menu are reminiscent of those that appear at Pecos Bill’s at the Magic Kingdom with their similar menu items. Keep this in mind for when you actually see the food below.
New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)
The El Pastor Pulled Pork sandwich is a step up from many similar style sandwiches around Walt Disney World. The pork here has a nice spicy kick and the bun is soft and flaky. The sweet plantains are surprisingly good, but the dish would probably be better off without the roasted corn medley as a side. I would certainly pick this over the pulled pork sandwich at Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom.
El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)
Empanadas Platter ($12.49)
The empanadas platter is solid, especially considering the inclusion of 3 sides. I wish that the empanada shells were a little crispier, but in fairness they seemed to have been sitting out at the restaurant for a while before we ordered them. They could also use some more beef inside, as you can see below. While I’m not a fan of the roasted corn medley, the rice and black beans were solid. Overall, not a bad dish, but not something I would order again.
Empanadas Platter ($12.49)
Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)
This is a sad, sad, sad imitation of the fajita platter at Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe at the Magic Kingdom. There is no stacked condiment/toppings bar here and the advertised inclusion of sour cream didn’t materialize. When I went back to the counter to ask if I could have some sour cream, I was greeted with a dumbfounded look. I had to point to the menu and that it stated that there would be sour cream. The cast member then informed me that they don’t have any sour cream…
As far as the actual food, it was good. The pork is the same as the sandwich and the chicken was fine. Altogether in a tortillas, it comes together nicely, although it was missing something… perhaps some sort of cream-based condiment…
Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)
Besides that, the meal came with just two tortillas… that’s insane. How on earth can you put all of that into two tortillas? Also, I’ve never been to a restaurant where I didn’t at least receive three tortillas with a dish of this style, Disney-owned or otherwise. When I went back to the counter to ask if this was correct, they said that they indeed only provide two. I then asked if I could have more and again was stared at as if I was a complete psychopath. They did reluctantly hand me another pack of two tortillas. Mind you, when I have asked for additional tortillas at Pecos Bill’s, they have always been more than happy to oblige.
Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)
I would return again for the pulled pork sandwich, but otherwise I would skip Fairfax Fare in its current state. The baked potatoes are alright, but otherwise I wasn’t wowed with the new empanadas nor the fajita platter, at least not without some sort of viable condiment station for such dishes. It just feels like they are still not ready for this menu, even though it has now been there for a few days.
If you really just hate the other counter service locations at Hollywood Studios and absolutely need tex-mex in your life, this is where you will have to go, but don’t expect much from anything but that pulled pork sandwich.
In our latest photo report, we take a trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park to see what’s news and exciting as 2016 draws to a close.
Merry Christmas from Animal Kingdom!
The new dining gazebo at Flame Tree Barbecue finally opened a few weeks ago.
The kitschy decor in Dinoland U.S.A. continues to be a favorite of mine.
Animal Kingdom boasts some of the best decorations in all of Walt Disney World.
DINOSAUR reopened a few weeks ago from its lengthy, multi-month refurbishment boasting a number of upgrades and fixes.
The first section of the queue added a number of new display cases, as well as removing the large mural that once stood at the left end of the room.
The graphics package for all of the existing displays were updated as well.
Here is where the mural once stood.
Many of the items on display are on loan from Texas Christian University’s College of Science and Engineering.
As for the ride itself, a number of effects were fixed, most notably the laser field that appears over the Iguanadon in the finale scene, indicating that he indeed was captured and transported back to the institute. This effect is simple, but has been broken since the earliest days of the ride’s existence, dating back to Countdown to Extinction. A new effect replaced the long static “Compsognathus” dinosaurs who appeared to jump over the Time Rover, a large screen with video of these creatures doing this action. Overall, the ride looks amazing and the changes are all positive. This is one of the finest attraction refurbishments I have ever seen, and much needed for our beloved DINSOAUR.
The graphics along the exit of the attractions were updated as well and look great… other than the fact that the logos get cut off in the frame…
I had to pay a visit to my favorite Christmas decoration in all of Walt Disney World on my last visit…
IT’S SANTA-SAURUS!!!
2017 merchandise is now available at Walt Disney World.
Disney Parks announced today that a Moana character meet and greet is coming to the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts sometime in late November.
No exact location that was given for the meet and greet experiences at either Resort as of yet.
The Moana character already meetsat Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii and will begin meeting at Disneyland Resort Paris on November 20.
The highly anticipated PizzeRizzo soft opened today ahead of it’s official opening on Friday, November 18th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Located in the Muppets Courtyard area, the quick service pizza restaurant takes over the space formerly occupied by Pizza Planet by MuppetVision 3-D.
I didn’t take many pictures of the exterior as we have been staring at it at naesuem for several months now.
Many pictures are just rather plain, but some feature Muppets characters. You’ll have to look real close for the details at this restaurant.
My first stop was Rizzo’s Deluxe Supreme Banquet Hall as it was the most talked up feature of the restaurant.
It was fairly plain, but had fun lighting and music. In fairness, I haver been to banquet halls in New York that look just like this. But we’re not in New York apparently… more on that in a bit…
Pictures of New York landmarks can be found scattered around both the upper and lower floor seating areas.
This is the upstairs.
Some signs from the Streets of America were reused in the interior of PizzeRizzo, a nice touch.
The two “VIP” booths towards the back of the second floor are surrounded by Muppets caricature pictures.
The balcony upstairs offers nice views of the Muppets Courtyard (and a little bit of Star Wars construction).
The upstairs restrooms are fairly plain.
Some papers hanging upstairs allude to more of the restaurant’s storyline. A “ZARAT” review puts the restaurant in Downtown L.A., meaning Rizzo and his fellow rats have opened this Pizza restaurant far from New York. It is supposedly a secondary location to their New York one. There is also a reference to 1989, when the park opened.
1991 is a reference to when MuppetVision 3-D joined the park.
The lower level dining area, adjacent to where you order your meal.
We will have a full review of the menu for you in the next day or so, so stay tuned!
Over the weekend, something new popped up in Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Attached to those lampposts we showed you a few weeks back are some rather interesting looking lighting fixtures.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
The lights lie just behind the construction walls keeping guests out of the active construction zone.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
The new lighting fixtures with the floating island looming in the background.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
More of the impressive details on the bridge continue to emerge as well.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
Towards the end of the bridge, some very different lighting fixtures begin to appear.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR construction
We also have a short video of the new details to share with you today:
If you haven’t seen it yet, please check out last week’s video update below to see the overall progress on Pandora: The World of AVATAR:
Pandora: The World of AVATAR is scheduled to open in 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
The Walt Disney World Resort hotels had no shortage of special Halloween activities presented for resort guests over the weekend, but among the new offerings was a “Water Boat Hay Ride” at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
Offered on Saturday and Sunday, the 1st annual Disney’s Old Key West Resort Water Boat Hay Ride consisted of some themed decorations being placed on a watercraft, some cast members leading in spooky stories and Halloween songs, and a leisurely trip from the resort down to Disney Springs and back.
Here is a little bit of the experience for you to enjoy:
Right after the boat ride, we were welcome to a special meet and greet experience with Chip and Dale in their Halloween finest as well:
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Have you ever done any of the special holiday activities at the Disney Resort Hotels? Which ones do you enjoy?
The Buffalo Chicken Waffle Slider at Trilobites, located in the Dinoland U.S.A. area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park has been a personal favorite of mine since it was introduced a while back. Needless to say, I was a little upset to see the dish removed from the menu at the establishment last week, but I was intrigued to see that a new Buffalo Chicken dish had replaced it.
Trilobites menu, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park
The menu consists otherwise simply of ice cream treats and some drinks, so it does seem a bit odd to find Buffalo Chicken Chips on the menu. Somehow a waffle sandwich makes more sense here, but let’s see how the new dish stacks up.
First off, the serving is massive for the price. Sitting next to our more expensive items from Restaurantosaurus, I couldn’t help but notice that the Buffalo Chicken Chips dish just looked much bigger. Other than that, it is the same buffalo chicken that was served in the slider, now placed over house made chips with arugula, bleu cheese, tomato, and celery.
This was surprisingly amazing. If you like buffalo chicken and the chips served at quite a few locations around property, you are going to enjoy this. The chicken was tender with a good, spicy kick from the buffalo sauce and all of the other ingredients tasted fresh and as they should.
This certainly isn’t Victoria and Albert’s, but it is a big, filling meal that hits the spot if you’re going to do counter service dining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I don’t need to go over why you shouldn’t eat at Flame Tree Barbecue or Pizzafari again, right?
This is for sure a dish I will be ordering again should I feel the need to dine quick at the park. While I do miss the buffalo chicken waffle sandwich, I guess I can always have the sweet and spicy chicken and waffle sandwich when I go to the Magic Kingdom.
I’ve seen some strange stuff at Walt Disney World in my time, but never the interior of a Monorail decorated for Halloween…
The inside of the monorail cars on the Magic Kingdom loops today sported Halloween decorations. I certainly don’t recall this ever happening before.
So, what do you think? Is it tacky or fun?
Covering menu updates around Walt Disney World frantically sends me off to find many a great new dish around the resort, but it’s just a matter of time until I am harshly slammed back to earth and reality. The All-Star Resorts are not known for their cuisine, arguably the only of the 3 value resorts that have food courts with a bad reputation. While people rave about Art of Animation and Pop Century, you never hear anyone speak well of the 3 food court options between all three All-Star Resorts. There is probably a good reason for that…
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, home to the Intermission Food Court
My Walt Disney World vacations (before I picked up and moved here) typically consisted of the outhouse or the penthouse when it came to hotels. The hotel I stayed at the most was Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. My second most visited? All-Star Sports. In fact, if you add my stays at all three All-Star Resorts, it is easily the resort I have stayed at the most. Sometimes a good hotel discount was all the reason to make a trip to Disney World.
But what is my point? Well, in those 40-50 or so stays at the All-Star Resorts, I think I probably ate at the food courts available there about 8-10 times, and mostly for breakfast. I would often avoid them like the plague for their boring menus and the usual inability for the cooks to prepare anything well enough. A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the remodeling and menu change at the Sports resort, and I recall having a fairly good meal there, so I wasn’t apprehensive to visiting the Intermission Food Court at the Movies Resort when we found out there was a new menu.
A Pub Burger is among the new offerings at the Intermission Food Court
I personally had my sights set on the new Pub Burger, while my partner in crime decided he was going to get the “Red Wine Braised Short Ribs”. Yes, he actually decided he would get short ribs at an All-Star Resort. As Dr. Seeker would say, “What can go wrong?”.
Foot Long Hot Dog from Intermission Food Court
While I waited for my Pub Burger, this was my view. A giant tray of already cooked foot-long hot dogs from an All-Star Food Court. This is when it set in that we had made a horrible mistake. It’s like in an action thriller when you realize you are in the room with the murderer and he’s probably going to kill you when you turn around.
Foot Long Hot Dog from Intermission Food Court
Foot Long Hot Dog from Intermission Food Court
Foot Long Hot Dog from Intermission Food Court
This is going to get ugly fast. Kids, shield your eyes for this one… It’s time to eat.
Pub Burger ($12.99)
I was so excited for this Pub Burger. Pretzel bun, fried pickles, onion strings, and beer cheese on a burger even makes me hungry again just typing this. So, what went wrong?
Pub Burger ($12.99)
The bun was good and the fried pickle was fantastic, but the burger was cooked terribly. It wasn’t particularly overcooked, it just tasted bad. Now, I know what some of you are saying, “But the counter service hamburgers are bad!” They aren’t. I have had success outside of D-Luxe Burger, it can be done! I don’t know what happened here, but the onion straws and beer cheese flavors died on top of this hamburger. It was flavorless meat in a rather tasty pretzel bun.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs ($15.99)
Why we expected anything but what we got out of the Wine Braised Short Ribs is beyond me. Yes, it is as bad as it looks.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs ($15.99)
You do get to pick your sides, and everything Josh picked was pretty awful. The stuffing and the breadstick were near inedible, and the short ribs are what you would expect, flavorless and kind of fatty. I did like the plantains a lot, but one out of three being digestible is a pretty bad stat unless you’re swinging a baseball bat.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs ($15.99)
I don’t even know what to say about our meal here. I think I would be more distraught if they didn’t take our Tables in Wonderland card for a discount, but this meal was still really awful. I’m not sure that I’ve ever been to a Disney counter service restaurant where we have ordered two completely different entrees and both were equally awful. I think a big part of the problem here is the kitchen. Going to an All-Star food court and then to Art of Animation, you see a huge difference in morale. The same hamburger patty being edible at one counter service, but then tasteless and awful at another just means that they aren’t cooking things correctly at the latter.
The Art of Animation or Pop Century eateries have a lot of upbeat, very happy and helpful cast members, but the Intermission Food Court almost felt like a prison. No one was smiling, no cast member seemed remotely happy, and the care just wasn’t there not to over-or-undercook every dish in the place. It is possible that the food and beverage managers here just aren’t as good at their job as the other resorts managers are, but whatever the problem is, I think the time has come to fix it. Counter service at Walt Disney World these days can be fantastic, so it’s about time that establishments like this stop settling on serving slop just because they are at a value resort.
