Tag: Boardwalk

WDW Restaurants Reopening!

Published on by RebeccaLeave a comment

When visiting Walt Disney World, aside from greeting Mickey and taking a spin in the Tea Cups, you may get excited about the awesome culinary experiences. Due to pandemic-related modifications many restaurants have been on a break. Disney just announced many fan favorite restaurants will reopen this month! Along with the reopening, you may see some amazing adjustments to their menus. Here is everything you need to know!

Guests will rejoice in seeing the return of:
Flying Fish on Disney’s Boardwalk
Jiko-The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and
The Turf Club Bar and Grill at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort
Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Ale and Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Flying Fish is considered a Walt Disney World Signature restaurant (also known as fine dining) serving a predominantly surf and turf menu. Disney foodies will remember one of their well-known dishes include a potato-wrapped red snapper but they also offer steak, chicken, and vegetarian options. They will begin seating guests on January 27th and can be found on the Boardwalk at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn.

Jiko is located at the amazing Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House. This signature restaurant presents a menu inspired by African, Mediterranean, and Indian flavors. Popular dishes include filet of beef with macaroni and cheese, bread service, braised short ribs, the bread service, and the Kilimanjaro dessert. Jiko is also regarded for it’s wide assortment of South African wines. Guests can dig in beginning February 17th.

The Turf Club Bar and Grill found at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. This menu gives a strong nod to the resort’s inspiration of the Saratoga Springs and racetrack area of upstate New York. This cozy spot offers a classic American menu with something for everyone. Entrees include a raved-about prime rib, New York cheese cake, and black and white dessert (a dish that gives a nod to the classic NY style cookie). While dining here, you’ll have views of the lake and golf course. Seating begins February 3rd.

Lastly we swing back over the Boardwalk to see the reopening of Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort and Ale and Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.

Cape May Cafe offers a New England inspired buffet. Fans of this restaurant love the King Crab legs. This locale will reopen on February 15th.

Ale and Compass Restaurant serves up an eclectic menu of New England comfort foods. From burgers to fish tacos, there is something for every appetite. Ale and Compass will reopen on
January 31st.

The big question is: which one will you try first?

Advanced dining reservations (ADRs) are recommended and can be made beginning January 20th right in your My Disney Experience app.

If you have questions or need recommendations for dining during your trip, reach out to one of our great Adventure Planners or ask a question on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Bon Appetit!

A Stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Published on by Rebecca1 Comment

On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, we decided to finalize our “stay at every resort” challenge and booked a stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. After countless trips, and visits to the resort, how have we never stayed here? Well, I have a guess, and it may be because we are from New England and felt like the theming would be the same as where we live, so why not stay somewhere where the décor is different. But that was just silly. This picturesque seaside resort has just risen to the top of my favorites list!

Yacht Club is one of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. It is located behind Epcot on the Boardwalk. It connects to Disney’s Beach Club Resort in more ways than one. You can walk from one resort to the other, as they are literally connected. They share a pool (more on that later), Ship Shape fitness center, restaurants, and a fabulous location.

The décor of the resort upon entering is more formal than its sister Beach Club, which I liked!  You can see this in the dark wood furniture, chandeliers, and brass accents. It was a nice change to find a lobby that was quiet with not

much of the “hussle-bussle” we have seen in other resorts. The exterior of the resort has a gray and white clapboard appearance with a meticulously cared for lawn.

The rooms at the Yacht Club are currently undergoing a beautiful modern refurbishment! Upon entering the room I was surprised to see the changes already!  The location of our room was at the end of one hallway. The walk from the lobby was lengthy, and one elevator was turned off due to construction. But there was a door to a staircase which put us on the Boardwalk quickly! It may be worthwhile to request a room closer to the lobby, but we enjoy the extra steps so it was no bother to us.

Restaurants at the resort are great too. When I was there in July, there was a bit of construction going on behind cleverly placed walls. What’s happening behind them is the creation of a new lobby lounge and the new Ale & Compass Restaurant, which will replace the former Captain’s Grille. This new gastro-pub style restaurant will present a New England-inspired menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The plans for the cozy lighthouse-inspired décor look really cool.

Other restaurants and lounges include the Marketplace at Ale & Compass for a quick bite to eat, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Crew’s Cup Lounge, Beaches ‘n Cream Soda Shop (you gotta order the No Way Jose, you’ll thank me), andCape May Café (which has a great character breakfast). There are even more but we didn’t visit them this trip.

One afternoon we abandoned Epcot and had fun in the pool .  Storm-a-Long Bay is often considered the “best” pool at a Disney resort, for many reasons. Most prominently is its sand bottom! Yes! when you get in the pool, you are walking on sand! Weird at first, but then it seems really neat. There is also a lazy river and amazing pirate-ship slide! Now, I don’t do water slides, but I did this one and loved it! Because of its popularity, cast members do check magic bands to ensure you are staying at Yacht Club or Beach Club and give you a bracelet granting access for the day.

Another great feature of this resort is its location. You can quickly walk to Epcot, a little bit longer walk to Hollywood Studios, or you can take a short boat ride!

My family and I just loved this resort. The beautiful décor, quiet ambience, super cool pool, variety of restaurants, and location to the parks makes it the perfect choice.  We will be staying here again on our next trip!

-Bekka C

As an aside, this resort would be PERFECT for a honeymoon or couples getaway!