Mouse Extra

According to the Disney Gossip blog, there is a rumor that some good news and some bad news about a certain sponsor at Walt Disney World may be coming soon.  The bad news is Nestle may no longer be a providing sponsor.  The good news is that Nestle may no longer be a providing sponsor.

Now we’re hearing that Nestle, with its headquarters in Switzerland, may be on the way out in favor of competing products from that second most famous of American brands, Coca-Cola.

So what is the bad part about this news?  Well, Nestle makes the ice cream found at the parks.  And I think we can all agree that there is more than one terrifically delicious item found at the ice cream carts in Walt Disney World.  They will surely be missed and I would expect nothing short of gastronomical outrage should this come to pass.

The good news is that Nestle is also the provider of the coffee found in the parks and resorts.  I am not exaggerating when I say it is the worst coffee I have ever had that hasn’t been sitting in the cup holder of a car for three days.  I can’t possibly imagine that there is a potential major sponsor out there that makes worse coffee than that.

In the end, I think this is a net plus for my enjoyment at Walt Disney World.  While I do recognize that Mickey Bars are terrific, there are many places throughout the resort to get equally delicious sweets.  However, the same can not be said about coffee, which many adults simply can’t live without.  Searching for good coffee at the Mouse makes one feel like Ponce de Leon.

In a move that may delight some and offend others, Disney announced this week that children under the age of ten years are banned from dining at Victoria and Albert’s in the Grand Floridian resort.  The Orlando Sentinel has the story this morning.

The company that reinvented the family vacation has drawn the line against potentially loud, ill-mannered or whiny kids in its only restaurant with a five-diamond rating from AAA travel service. Children younger than 10 are no longer welcome.

“We want to be the restaurant that’s available for that adult experience,” said Victoria & Albert’s general manager, Israel Perez.

Though a first for a restaurant at Walt Disney World, this is not a first for the Disney Company.  Palo, an adult-only restaurant on top of each of the Disney Cruise Line ships, immediately comes to mind as a comparison.  Victoria and Albert’s is simply looking for the same type of atmosphere.  But it is rare, even outside of Disney, to see a published ban like this. 

Victoria and Albert’s is not a particularly kid friendly place to begin with.  According to the article, they only get a few per month anyway.  So then one must wonder why make the ban to begin with?  The answer is plain and simple, marketing.

Perhaps it is that Americans are perceived as not having their own cuisine.  I mean we are guilty of it ourselves.  We flock to the Chinese place down the street for take-out, the Italian joint in the city for dinner, the Mexican place for lunch, or even the Irish pub for a drink.  But the United States does have a rich history of great food, and that is why it stuns me that among the gastronomical delight called the World Showcase Imagineers never bothered to create a headliner American restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »

We do spend a lot of time and effort in preparing for our Disney vacations on where and when we are going to eat. What World Showcase restaurant are we going to do? Should we have our sit-down meal at lunchtime or dinner? How do we get to that resort for our 6 o’clock seating? Why is counter service at the Studios so bad? These are all questions we ponder as we book our vacation and get those ressies 180 days beforehand. While we spend so much time on our big meals, many of us leave some of the most important aspects of munching to chance. Hopefully, this article will help you get the most out of snacking around the parks. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wilderness Lodge is one of the most visually stunning resorts in Walt Disney World. Its based on the classic national park lodges in the Western part of the country, places like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The lobby like the region itself is best described as “grand.” The pool is reminiscent of bubbling springs. Although not on the monorail system, the Lodge can be reached by boat or bus. Read the rest of this entry »

Port Orleans is perhaps the most popular of Walt Disney World’s moderate resorts. I suppose people love the French Quarter feel and old Southern charm. In the not too distant past, this resort was actually two different places- Port Orleans and Dixie Landings. They have been combined into Port Orleans with the French Quarter and Riverside districts. Boatwright’s is located at the Riverside section. At the name implies, there are boat making tools and similar items decorating the walls as well as boats hanging over your head.

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