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best restaurant animal kingdom

Best Quick-Service Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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I would assume that just about every guests in a Walt Disney World theme park eats at one of the park’s quick-service restaurants during the day. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, there are 5 quick-service restaurants where you can eat lunch or dinner, all with quite different food options:

Animal Kingdom Quick-Service Restaurants

  • Flame Tree Barbecue – Located in Discovery Island near the entrance to It’s Tough to be a Bug, Flame Tree features BBQ options including ribs, chicken, pulled pork sandwiches and even a Watermelon Salad. The seating is fantastic, it is all in shaded pavilions overlooking the nearby lake with a great view of Expedition Everest. If you are ever stuck in a downpour at Animal Kingdom, the pavilions also make a great refuge from the rain.
  • Harambe Market – Located in Africa near the entrance to Kilimanjaro Safaris, Harambe Market features four separate walk up windows that each feature their own variety of African foods. While that may sound a bit scary to some, the food at Harambe Market is fantastic, and includes grilled chicken skewers, spice rubbed ribs and tikka masala chicken. Just make sure you check out the menu before you approach the window.
  • Pizzafari – Located in Discovery Island on the opposite side of the Tree of Life from Flame Tree Barbecue, Pizzafari features pizza! Not only can you get the standard pepperoni or meat lovers pizza here, you can also get items like meatball subs or salads.
  • Restaurantosaurus – Located in DinoLand USA, right before the entrance to DINOSAUR, the very difficult to spell Restaurantosaurus was once a McDonalds, but has now switched to more standard Disney hamburger fare, including bacon cheeseburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and chicken nuggets. Seating is mostly inside, and air conditioned.
  • Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe – Located in Asia, Yak & Yeti features some of the food options available at the table service restaurant Yak & Yeti, including honey chicken, Korean stir-fry chicken and ginger chicken salad. Seating here is outside, and very, very limited. Even on quiet days in the parks, it is hard to find a seat at lunch time.

All 5 of these restaurants are available on the Disney Dining Plans and require just one quick-service or counter service credit per person.

I would fully expect to see another quick-service restaurant or two added in the near future, there is a definite need, and with the parks staying open later once the Rivers of Light show and other events start, there will be even more of a demand.

The Dis/dom choice for best Quick-Service Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Yak Yeti local foods

This is a tough choice. I can immediately exclude both Restaurantosaurus and Pizzafari, as their food can be found elsewhere in the parks, and isn’t that great to start with. Many people love Flame Tree Barbeque, and while the seating is the best in the park, the food here has just been OK. I really, really like Harambe Market, it has fantastic food, but I think that Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe is the best Quick-Service restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

  1. The food at Yak & Yeti is awesome, really, really flavorful and the portions are huge.
  2. There are options for everyone, including vegetarians and picky eaters. If your kids are picky eaters, they can even get Uncrustables.
  3. Do not miss out on the Egg Rolls, they are to die for.
  4. While seating here isn’t great, and much of it is not in the shade, you are a short walk away from Flame Tree’s pavilions in the shade, so take a one minute walk with your food and find a spot with a view.

While I have selected Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe, I couldn’t blame anyone for picking either Flame Tree Barbeque or Harambe Market for their family either.

What is your favorite Quick-Service restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom?

Disney MagicBands

MagicBands

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In early 2013, Walt Disney World introduced MyMagic+, a complete overhaul of their entire system, which covered everything from hotel and dining reservations to fast passes. As part of this new system, Walt Disney World introduced MagicBands, which would be the central point of guest interaction with everything at Disney World.

MagicBands, are just that, Magic. They are a simple wrist band that you wear during your stay at Disney World. The wrist bands feature RFID technology, which allows Disney to interact with you in new and unique ways, many of which we have yet to see several years after this project rolled out.

What do MagicBands do?

Check out all the current and rumored things that MagicBands do:

  • MagicBands are your room key for all Walt Disney World Resort rooms. Just tap your MagicBand on the pad on your door and it opens.
  • MagicBands are your park passes for all four Walt Disney World theme parks, as well as the water parks and any other areas of Walt Disney World that require admission.
  • MagicBands are your fast passes for all rides and attractions. Fast passes reservations are now made online in advance of your vacation, or from kiosks in the theme parks, which are then stored on your MagicBands.
  • For Walt Disney World Resort guests who have added a credit card to their reservation, MagicBands are your charge card while in the theme parks and resorts, as well as at most Disney Springs shops and restaurants. Just tap your band and your charge is added to your room charges.
  • MagicBands keep track of you Disney photos in the parks. Not only when you stop to have a Disney photographer take your photo, but also in-ride photos are attached to your account, many automatically are added as you ride the rides.
  • While not currently in place, the next stop for MagicBands will be proximity usage. Imagine walking up to see Anna and Elsa, and they already know your daughter’s name because of her MagicBand, and they greet her by name. Magic!

Who gets MagicBands?

  • All Walt Disney Resorts guests who have booked a Magic Your Way Package that includes your Walt Disney World Resort and theme park passes receive one MagicBand per person for free.
  • Walt Disney World annual passholders receive a MagicBand for free, you just need to link your annual pass to your Disney profile online and customize your MagicBand.
  • Any Walt Disney World Guest can purchase a MagicBand either online or in the theme parks and have your current and future Disney passes linked to the MagicBand. More on this option below.

MagicBands

What are my MagicBand options?

  • If you book a Magic Your Way package or are an annual passholder, you customize your MagicBands online. You are limited to the solid colors they currently offer: Gray, Purple, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue or Pink. You can pick a different color for each person in your family, plus you will be able to customize it with your preferred name, which will be printed on the back of the band.
  • If you happen to book a package for this Summer with the current Awaken Summer discount, you will be given the option to choose a special BB-8 Star Wars themed MagicBand too in addition the solid color ones.
  • Please note, if you book a Magic Your Way Package and DO NOT customize your MagicBands online, you will be given a Gray MagicBand for each person in your party at check in. BORING! Do not forget to customize your bands.
  • Anyone can purchase a MagicBand online, at a Disney Store or in the Walt Disney Worth theme parks. Disney sells the boring solid colors ones online and in the parks for about $13. They also sell many themed MagicBands, which run about $23, though there are a few that are $28 for some reason. These themed ones feature just about everything from Mickey and other Disney characters to Star Wars and Zootopia characters. My favorite is the Orange Bird MagicBand, I wear it every trip! Once purchased, you can link your existing ticket to this new MagicBand, whether it is linked to one already or not.
  • Disney also sells little sets of “pins” called MagicBandits. Just pop them into the holes on your MagicBands to add some class. You can choose from a bunch of different Disney characters or jeweled Mickey heads. Also, Disney sells themed “sliders” that go on your bands to change them a bit too.
  • Of course, if you have a boring colored one, and don’t feel like spending an additional $23 on each person in your family, you can always customize your MagicBands for just a few dollars. Just search Pinterest or other sites for idea. I have personally purchased MagicBand stickers from My Fantasy Bands online, they work great, are cheap, and everyone in my family got a unique MagicBand for a fraction of the price.
  • Currently, MagicBands are only used at Walt Disney World, and do not work anywhere at Disneyland. Rumor has it that MagicBand will be launched at Disneyland at some point in the near future.

It will be interesting as time goes one to see what Disney adds to the MagicBand capabilities.

best epcot character meal

Best Walt Disney World Character Meal in Epcot

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Everyone loves a character meal at Disney. Even if you have teens, you know deep down they love it when a princess comes over to your table, regardless of the look on their face. A Disney World character meal can be one of the memories you are your kids may think back on for years. In Epcot, while there are more restaurants than at any other Disney theme park, there is a real lack of character meals, with only 2 offerings!

So you are fully aware of the character meal options in Epcot, here are they are:

  • The Garden Grill Restaurant (Land Pavilion) – Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Chip ‘n Dale’s Harvest Feast features your best chipmunk friends Chip and Dale, along with their friends farmer Mickey and Pluto.
  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway Pavilion) – Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Princess Storybook Dining features your favorite Disney princesses, including Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Princess Aurora, Ariel and Mary Poppins, though most likely not all of those princesses will be in attendance, they have busy schedules after all.
  • Cape May Cafe (Beach Club) – Breakfast only. I am including this on the list for you since the Beach Club is a short walk or boat ride away from the International Gateway in Epcot, so while not in Epcot, it is an option for most families visiting the park. Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast features Minnie and friends, including Mickey of course, as well as Goofy and others. A great way to see your favorite Disney characters in their beach attire.

Well, there you go! So many options, but which one is the best?

The Dis/dom choice for best Disney World Character Meal in Epcot?

princess storybook dining epcot

This one really isn’t close. While I really like the uniqueness of the Garden Grill, which rotates and gives you a view of Living with the Lane (my favorite Epcot ride), I think the Princess Storybook Dining in Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a much better option for most people, including families with boys.

  1. Princesses come to your table! What could be better than having Snow White or Cinderella come to your table to talk to you? You get plenty of photo opportunities with all the princesses.
  2. Castle Akershus is beautiful inside, just a fantastic building, a great place to eat your meal.
  3. While Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom is wonderful, if you happen to be on the Disney dining plan, it is also 2 table service credits per person, while the Princess Storybook Dining meals are only 1 per person, so basically half the price! Why pay twice as much to see Cinderella?
  4. New foods! Remember, this is the Norway pavilion, so you get a little bit of Norway with each meal. For lunch and dinner, the entrees are Norway themed. Don’t worry, you aren’t going to get stuck with a plate of pickled herring (unless you really want that), but you do get to choose Traditional Kjøttkake and Svinekotelett. Don’t worry, the princesses speak Norwegian and can translate for you. If you are a little afraid of trying new foods, stick with breakfast, you still get a little Norwegian starter, but the rest of the food is pretty traditional American fare.
  5. It is right next to the new Frozen ride, Frozen Ever After. While neither of the Frozen princesses appear at Princess Storybook Dining (yet), they are both just a short walk away. Please note, the Frozen Ever After attraction has not yet opened, but should open sometime in May, 2016.

What is your favorite Disney World character meal in Epcot?