It's A Small World ride video from the Magic Kingdom - December 2009

It's A Small World is a classic ride that originated at the 1964 New York World's Fair.  It was eventually transported over to Disneyland.  When Walt Disney World opened with the Magic Kingdom, It's A Small World was one of the original rides.  The main difference with the Walt Disney World version and the Disneyland version is in the ride queue.  At Walt Disney World, the ride queue is indoors vs. an outdoor queue at Disneyland.  I also think that the boats are wider at Walt Disney World than Disneyland.  Both versions of the ride are equally enjoyable. I took video of the ride when I went with my family in December 2009.  Enjoy the video!

Photo Tour around Port Orleans French Quarter Resort - October 2013

During the first week of October 2013, I had the opportunity to stay at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort.  This moderate level resort has a lot to offer. Let me take you all on photo tour of the resort.

Here is the bus stop where you catch your bus to the theme parks, water parks and Downtown Disney.  This bus stop is located at the front of the resort.  This is the only bus stop for this resort.

Here is the doorman that greets all visitors and guests to Port Orleans French Quarter

Lobster Roll from Columbia Harbour House

I was in the Magic Kingdom during the first week of October 2013 when I decided to try eating lunch at the Columbia Harbour House.  I usually skip this quick service place in favor of Pecos Bill or Cosmic Rays.  I decided to eat here because I wanted to try the Lobster Roll.  As soon as I received my order, I went to the upstairs where there were plenty of tables and picked one to sit at.  I took a picture before I tasted the Lobster Roll.

Lobster Roll from Columbia Harbour House

Lemonade with Wild Berry Foam from Sunshine Tree Terrace

Sunshine Tree Terrace was one of the early Magic Kingdom snack stands to serve refreshments.  They would feature the orange bird and promote drinks made with oranges.  For several years it was closed down.  Now Disney brought it back to life and brought back the orange bird.  It also introduced some new drinks. One of them is the Lemonade with Wild Berry Foam.  It is essentially minute maid lemonade topped with berry-flavored whip cream.  The whip cream does not add any enhancement to the taste.  I'd rather have LeFou's Brew for the price.  I took a picture of the drink so you can see how it is presented.

Lemonade with Wild Berry Foam from Sunshine Tree Terrace

Honey Chicken from Yak and Yeti Counter Service

On my recent trip during the first week of October 2013, I spent some time at the Animal Kingdom.  I dropped by the Yak and Yeti Counter Service to try the Honey Chicken.  I usually get the Sweet and Sour Chicken, but I wanted to switch it up this time.  As soon as I got the Honey Chicken, I took a picture of it.

Honey Chicken from Yak and Yeti Counter Service

The Honey Chicken is served in a take out Chinese food box.  There is white rice at the bottom of the box.  On top of the rice is the vegetable.  On top of the vegetable are pieces of fried chicken nuggets drizzled with honey sauce.  I thought that there was way too much honey sauce.  The sauce drowned all the rice.  The mix of the sauce and the chicken was ok.  The fried chicken nuggets tasted better without the sauce.  The vegetable was ok,  I would not order this again.  I prefer the sweet and sour chicken much better.

Croque Glace from L'Artisan des Glaces

When I was on my last trip to WDW during the first week of October 2013, I got asked by the Disney Foodies Facebook Group to try the Croque Glace from L'Artisan des Glaces in the France pavilion of the World Showcase in Epcot.  Luckily, when I got this request, I was on bus from Port Orleans French Quarter to Epcot.  L'Artisan des Glaces was the location of the old french bakery quick service that moved to an area near the exit of the movie theater.  I really like this new quick service place.  It serves ice cream.  One thing that they featured was the Croque Glace, which is ice cream with either chocolate or caramel sauce in a panini-pressed brioche roll.  I ordered it with pistachio ice cream with chocolate sauce.  I was wondering if the ice cream would remain frozen after being pressed in a sandwich iron.  As soon as I got the Croque Glace, I set it on a table, cut it in half and took a picture.

Croque Glace from L'Artisan des Glaces

I was surprised that the ice cream did not melt after being pressed into the brioche roll. I took a bite.  The taste was amazing!  The pistachio ice cream was cold and not too sweet.  The chocolate sauce blended well with the roll and the ice cream.  The roll was warm and tasty, and matched well with the pistachio ice cream.  Overall, I really liked this dessert and would definitely order it again.

Main Street USA at night during October 2013

I had the opportunity to be at the Magic Kingdom during the first week of October 2013 on a day that had Evening Extra Magic Hours.  I had a blast riding all the rides at night.  As the night winded down, I made my way down Main Street USA and snapped shots of the scenes at night.

Looking back at Cinderella's Castle and Main Street USA before exiting the Magic Kingdom

Fantasmic in October 2013

I had the opportunity to see Fantasmic in the first week of October.  It's been a while since I last watched Fantasmic.  I watched the show from the front, stage left.  Instead of explaining what I saw, I'm going to show you short video clips so that you can experience Fantasmic the way I saw it.

Onion Rings from Pecos Bills

During the first week of October 2013, I was in the Magic Kingdom during Evening Extra Magic Hours and was hungry for a snack.  To my surprise, Pecos Bill in Frontierland was open.  I made my way to the cashier to buy the onion rings.  Once I got the onion rings, I went to the toppings bar and filled two paper sauce cups with plastic cheese sauce.  I found a table and snapped a photo.

Onion Rings with Plastic Cheese sauce from Pecos Bill

The onion rings still had some oil on it.  They were still hot, so I had to be careful to not burn my mouth while eating them.  The fried batter tasted good.  The onions were well cooked. When I dipped the rings in the plastic cheese sauce and ate it, the rings tasted so much better.  The cheese really improves the taste.  I would definitely get this again!

Holiday Ham Sandwich now being offered at Earl of Sandwich for a limited time

Earl of Sandwich just tweeted me back after seeing my blog post review of the Holiday Turkey Sandwich that they are now offering a Holiday Ham Sandwich for a limited time.  I'm not sure how long this will be offered at the Downtown Disney location, or what exactly is in the sandwich.  If you are a fan of Earl of Sandwich, check this new sandwich out.

@kalegre79 Thanks for coming by! You'll be pleased to know we are now offering a Holiday Ham Sandwich for a limited time :)
— Earl of Sandwich (@earlofsandwich) October 28, 2013

Holiday Turkey Sandwich and the Potato Salad from Earl of Sandwich

I saw a picture post in the Disney Foodies Facebook group of a unique sandwich from Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney called the Holiday Turkey Sandwich.  I had to try this because I've never seen a sandwich like that.  I got this to go and brought it back to my room at Port Orleans French Quarter.  As soon as I took the wrapper off, I snapped a picture of it.

Holiday Turkey Sandwich  from Earl of Sandwich

LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom

I heard that Disney was trying to make something that counters Universal Orlando's widely popular drink Butterbeer.  I had to go to the Magic Kingdom in the New Fantasyland to get to Gaston's Tavern, the place that serves LeFou's Brew.  Unlike Butterbeer, this drink is only served cold.  You can buy the drink only, or you can buy it served in a plastic beer stein.  I went with the cheaper option and just got mine in the standard clear plastic cup.  I took a picture of it outside at the fountain.

LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern

LeFou's Brew is a apple juice tasting slushy with a marshmellow topping that resembles beer foam which has a hint of mango flavor.  The drink is not too sweet and very fruity tasting.  Compared to Butterbeer, this one was more refreshing and not candy tasting.  I liked the fact that the marshmellow foam blended well with the frozen apple juice.  I would definitely get this drink again, especially on a hot day.

Jalapeno Cheese Stuffed Pretzel at Disney Hollywood Studios

One my favorite snacks to get at the parks is the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel.  You usually can get these at the some of the snack kiosks.  The one that I tried on my most recent trip during the first week of October 2013 was at the kiosk right outside the exist of the Great Movie Ride at Disney Hollywood Studios.  This one was served warm, so make sure you get napkins to hold it!  Be careful when you bite into the pretzel because the cheese can be very hot like molten lava.  The cheese itself is not too hot.  The jalapeno does put a slight kick of heat.  The pretzel itself is not too salty.  This snack was tasty and filling when you are on the go.

Jalapeno Cheese Stuffed Pretzel at Disney Hollywood Studios

Pineapple Dole Whip from Aloha Isle

One of the most frequently mentioned snacks at WDW is the dole whip.  It's served at WDW in two places: at Aloha Isle in the Magic Kingdom, and at Captain Cook's quick service restaurant in Polynesian Resort.  I tried the pineapple dole whip at Aloha Isle:

Pineapple Dole Whip from Aloha Isle

This is a non-dairy dessert, which is perfect for anyone that is lactose intolerant.  The pineapple dole whip is not too sweet and tastes really good.  It's the perfect dessert to enjoy when you need to cool off from the heat.  I highly recommend getting the pineapple dole whip!

Room 7223 at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort

I recently had the opportunity to stay at the moderate level resort Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort during between the last week of September 2013 and the first week of October 2013.  Prior to leaving home, I did online check-in at Disney's new My Disney Experience website.  The website is still a work-in-progress because it glitched when it processed my check-in.  I was not sure if I got checked in or not.  As soon as I arrived via Disney's Magical Express bus, I went directly to the online check-in desk to ask the cast member if my online check-in was processed.  She looked in the reservation system and saw that my check-in was processed. Within two minutes, I got my information packet and key to the world card and a map of the resort showing me where my room was located at the resort.  The cast member assigned me room 7223, which is on the second floor of Building 7.  On the map, the x represents the lobby of Port Orleans French Quarter.  The circle represents the Building 7, where room 7223 is located.

Map of both Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter

Caprese Flatbread Pizza and Mediterranean Salad from Pinocchio Village Haus at Magic Kingdom

It's been some time since I last eaten a meal at Pinocchio Village Haus at the Magic Kingdom.  Back then, the place served a snack item that was a cult favorite to us Disney fans, Figaro Fries.  That item is now extinct, along with other items served there.  Disney totally revamped the menu.  I visited the Pinocchio Village Haus on two occasions during the first week of October 2013 to try out the new items.

Mediterranean Salad from Pinocchio Village Haus

Samosas at Mr. Kamal's Kiosk in Animal Kingdom

Recently, The Disney Food Blog revealed that new vegetarian offerings were being offered at Mr. Kamal's Kiosk, which is located right outside of the Flights of Wonder show in the Asia section of Animal Kingdom.  One of the items that caught my attention was the samosas.  I had to try this since I'm a big Indian food fan.  I headed down to the Animal Kingdom during the first week of October 2013 to try this out.  The order of samosas came quick.  As soon as I got this, I headed to side tables that were next to the kiosk.  I took a picture of the samosas when I sat down.

Samosas at Mr. Kamal's Kiosk in Animal Kingdom

The order consisted of 5 samosas with a mango chutney sauce.  The size of each samosa was smaller than those that I usually get back home.  Each one was fried then well drained of oil to not make it oily.  The inside of the samosa consisted of peas and potatoes mashed up with Indian seasoning.  It was quite tasty by itself.  I'm used to eating Indian food, so my taste buds liked the curry type seasoning.  I tried the mango chutney by itself.  It tasted very fresh and fruity.  The mango was not too sweet.  When tasting the samosa with the mango chutney, the samosa tasted a bit sweeter.  The mix was good, and there was more than enough chutney to eat with the samosas.  Overall, this makes a good snack to walk around the Animal Kingdom.  If you can't decide on a quick service meal, or are waiting to be seated at Yak and Yeti, drop by Mr. Kamal's and get the samosas!

The Welcome to Walt Disney World sign at the entrance to the Walt Disney World property

Anticipation always builds up in me every time I start getting closer and closer to Walt Disney World.  When my family used to drive down to WDW, it would slowly build whenever I see a WDW billboard announcing the distance to WDW.  I still get this excitement when I ride Disney's Magical Express Bus. On my arrival from latest trip which started on the last week of September 2013, I got to experience the arrival on board the Magical Express.  I was lucky enough to get the front seat.  The moment came when I got to the entrance of the WDW property.  I took the perfect picture of the welcome sign, which to me marks the start of the Disney vacation.  I always cheer everytime I see and cross the welcome sign.  I'm glad this time that the picture turned out really good!

The Welcome to Walt Disney World Sign at the entrance to the Walt Disney World property

Presidential Swirl from Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom

Sleepy Hollow is a small food stand in the Magic Kingdom that serves waffle sandwiches, hand scoop and soft serve ice cream treats, and other desserts.  Daily, they have special desserts that are only served on that day.  When I went to Sleepy Hollow on a weekday during the first week of October 2013, the special for the day was the Presidential Swirl.  Imagine a red and blue Slurpee or Icee topped with a vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream.  That is what the Presidential Swirl is.  I like Slurpees and I like vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream.  I never had them together in one dessert.  I had to try this and see if this was as good as it looked.  As soon as I got it, I took a picture of it.

Presidential Swirl from Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom

Breakfast at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom

I normally eat my breakfast at the Disney resort that I'm staying, whether that is the breakfast at the food courts in the value or moderate resorts or some leftovers from dinner the night before.  I was at Port Orleans French Quarter during the first week of Oct 2013.  I wanted to change routine and head to Animal Kingdom to try breakfast at Pizzafari.  When I got to Pizzafari, it was nearly empty.  The cast members were nice and helped explain the items that were being served for breakfast.  I saw what I wanted, the Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata with Potatoes and Salsa.  As soon as I got the dish, I took a picture.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata with Potatoes and Salsa at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom

The frittata was very dense and looked like it was made with real eggs instead of the powdered stuff typically served.  The potatoes looked well cooked and well seasoned.  The frittata was easy to cut into.  As soon as I took my first bite, I said "wow".  This frittata tasted so good.  The goat cheese was really prominent in the taste without being overpowering.  The spinach complimented the egg and goat cheese.  The salsa was fresh and blended well with the frittata and the potatoes.  The potatoes were not overcooked, and had just the right about of seasoning.  This is one dish I wish was offered at the resort food courts because it's so good.  If you are ever at Animal Kingdom during the morning hours and have not had anything to eat, give this one a try and you will not be disappointed.