Clap your paws, stomp your hooves, and ruffle your feathers, because we now know when Festival of the Lion King will be returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park!

The show was incredibly popular before the parks closed in March of 2020, but like much of the live entertainment, it did not return when the parks reopened. We later heard that many of the show’s performers had been laid off. Then, earlier this year, Disney announced that Festival of the Lion King would be coming back, and now we know exactly what day that will be!

When the announcement was made for the show’s return, we were told the summer of 2021 would be the reopening season. But today, as we were waiting in line for a soft open of the show, a Cast Member told us that performances would officially begin on May 15th.

We know that there will be some changes to how the show works to accommodate health and safety guidelines. There will be updated choreography, altered audience seating, and adjustments to the show both onstage and backstage. 

However, we would like to note that as of now, the Disney World website still has no dates listed for the return of the show. Disney is starting a soft opening of the show TODAY, so we’ll be sure to give you a look at it!

We’re eager to learn more details about how this show will work, and we can’t wait to visit Festival of the Lion King again — it’s a stellar performance! If you’re planning on stopping by, we suggest you make your Disney Park Pass reservations now, because it’s going to be popular.

Stay tuned to DFB for more news and updates on Festival of the Lion King and any other entertainment that returns to the Disney parks! We’re grateful to help you plan your trip to Walt Disney World!

Click Here to Read the Show’s Return Announcement!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you seen Festival of the Lion King before? Tell us in the comments!

The post NEWS! We Have A Reopening Date for Festival of the Lion King in Disney World! first appeared on the disney food blog.

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There are a LOT of Disney merchandise items out there. From plates and awesome rolling pins that could make your cooking extra magical, to ears, collectible keys, and more — it seems there’s always something new to buy!

 

And while you could go for the ordinary items, today we wanted to take a look at some of the WEIRDEST, most random (but also some of the coolest?!) Disney products on Amazon! Ever wanted to sit on a Darth Vader stool? Or maybe turn your windshield wiper into Mickey Mouse?! Buckle up, we’ve got some strange but also awesome items to show you.

First up, we’ve got the item that inspired this post originally — Disney Blankie Tails! What are Blankie Tails? Well, they’re essentially wearable blankets. What’s better than laying down to watch a Disney movie? Laying down in a blanket that makes you look like you have a tail just like Ariel of course!!

Online there are a bunch of different designs for these including the Ariel one for $29.99, a Belle design for $27.99, and more. You can literally take a nap and look like you’re WEARING Belle’s dress. Who doesn’t want this?!

It really is a “wearable” design, so you’ll slip your hands into those sleeves to actually wear your blanket.

It does say it’s designed for kids who are no taller than 5 feet, although some commenters seem to note that you might be able to wear it even if you’re taller, so just be sure to read through the sizing carefully before you bring one home!

Click here to check out these Blankie Tails!

While you’re laying down in your Blankie Tail, you might have a face mask on to make your night extra relaxing. But, you don’t want that mask to get in your hair, so that’s where Mad Beauty’s Make-Up Headbands come in! These headbands can not only keep your hair out of your face masks, face creams, face wash, or other things, they also make you look like a princess!!

There are quite a few designs available to help you channel the beauty of Aurora, Jasmine, Mickey, Minnie, and other classic characters.

These are also washable. These are so random, but actually useful and could make such awesome gifts! They’re generally priced at $12.

Get the make-up headbands here!

When we found this next item we were…surprised? Let’s just say, there’s a reason why this next one is on our weirdest list. Yes, that is a toy of Mr. Potato Head as Forky. We’re having Forky hairbrush flashbacks.

It’s literally Potato Head’s body on top of Forky legs with Forky arms and a fork design on the top — would we call it a fork hat?! Who knows?! It’s both random and incredible, and it can be yours for $9.99.

Click here to get this Potato Head x Forky mashup item!

If you’re a big Marvel fan, this next one might be exciting for you! The Avengers Hero Inventor Kit is such a random but awesome looking toy set. With this set, you get everything you need to build and customize electronic super hero gear, including our own gauntlet!

You’ll also be able to code your gauntlet to unlock 10 authentic Avengers sound effects. You can also record your own sounds if you’d like.

The set comes with “electronic building blocks, LED Matrix, authentic Marvel sound effects bit, plastic pieces, stickers and battery.” Grab this as a toy for a little one in your family or even as your next activity during game night. You could have a competition to see who builds the best gauntlet!

Grab this set online right now for $69.95.

Click here to get the hero inventor kit!

While you might not be able to visit one of the Disney parks every single day, you can visit the Disney parks every time you take a shower with this Disney Castle Shower Curtain! The curtain is machine washable and some people have commented how they’ve even used this as a backdrop at parties.

It’s a nice, subtle way to tell everyone living in your house “I WISH I WAS IN A DISNEY PARK RIGHT NOW!” You can grab it online for $19.99.

Click here to grab this curtain!

Star Wars fans: you haven’t been left out of the fun! Ever wanted a Darth Vader Garage Stool? Did you even know that a Darth Vader Garage Stool existed?!? Now that you do, aren’t you kinda curious?!

With this stool, you can solidify your support for the Dark Side, and hopefully it can give you some good support in return!

The stool is actually on sale right now for $48.88, but is normally priced at $92.14, so be sure to grab it while it’s available for a great discount!

Click here to check out this Darth Vader stool!

If wearing a Disney-themed blanket wasn’t enough for you, you could also grab this Kids Hooded Poncho for the bath, the pool, or even the beach! It’s a cotton towel designed to look like some of your favorite Disney characters, and it’s got that fabulous hood so you’ll even look like you’ve got the hair to fit the part!

There are tons of designs to choose from, including ones that’ll make you look like Donald Duck, Ariel, Iron Man, the Hulk, and others.

The price might depend on the design and size you get, but when we looked, the large size of the Cinderella towel one was priced at $19.50.

Click here to check these towels out!

Star Wars fans can also snag this pretty cool (but also so random) Star Wars 3D Illusion Lamp! The lamp comes with 4 different designs and even has a timing remote control.

 

The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda, a Death Star, or even R2-D2 could illuminate your room and make you feel like you’re staring at a hologram in space (not really, but kind-of).

This is normally priced at $20.99, but is currently on sale for $19.99.

Click here to get the Star Wars lamp!

Now, you might have seen some of those items and said “those aren’t so weird or random.” Alright, well how about this — did you know that Chrome Mickey Mouse Big Head Valve Caps are a thing?!

For $10.99 you can get a set of 4 of these, which say they’re for a universal car model. You’ve got the Mickey ears, spirit jerseys, and shoes — but your Disney collection isn’t complete without Mickey valve caps…apparently?? You’re welcome.

Click here to get these Mickey Mouse valve caps!

And finally, you might have Mickey Mouse valve caps, and maybe even a Disney decal or two on your car, but do you have Mickey Mouse Wiper Attachments?! These attachments are meant to go on your rear wiper blades, and they will very quickly identify you as a Disney super fan!

They’re detachable and interchangeable and meant for all-weather use. The company also has some other designs you can grab. This particular Mickey hand design is $14.95.

Click here to get the Mickey Mouse wiper blade attachments!

Note that all of the prices we’ve mentioned above are the prices listed at the time of writing the post, but they can change in the future.

That was QUITE the list of random and sometimes weird (but also SUPER cool) Disney items from Amazon. Maybe you’ve found a few items you want to bring home or even buy as a gift for someone else! It seems you just never know what you’ll find out there. We’ll continue to look for more great Disney items and let you know what we find. Stay tuned for more!

Click here to see what new Disney collectible is now available online!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Which of these items is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

The post 10 of the WEIRDEST Disney Items You Can Get on Amazon first appeared on the disney food blog.

When you go to Disney World every day, you often see evacuations happen, both on rides and in buildings.

We’ve seen it at the PeopleMover, on Splash Mountain, and even at Kali River Rapids. It happens for a variety of reasons, but we always want to keep you updated on these situations! And today, it happened at a Disney World restaurant!

We had just picked up our Mobile Order at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe when we were evacuated from the restaurant.

Cast Members haven’t shared why the restaurant was evacuated, but we did hear the fire alarm and lights were flashing.

Guests were just evacuated from Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café pic.twitter.com/Jk7nwV6pyD

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 8, 2021

Those who were in the lower level with Sonny Eclipse were evacuated through there, rather than back up through the rest of the restaurant. The bottom part with Sonny Eclipse was blocked off.

Cast Members were also doing their best to work with guests who had Mobile Orders, but had not yet received their food.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on the situation and keep you updated!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

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With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.

Have you ever been evacuated from something at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

The post PHOTOS & VIDEOS: A Magic Kingdom Restaurant Evacuated Today in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

In the past few weeks, we’ve peeked into a few data silos about dining at Disney. We looked at satisfaction with dining locations. And we’ve looked at how accessible locations are, using data from the Reservation Finder. But as with most things in life, lonely data in a silo is pretty sad. Data is not grain. It doesn’t belong in a silo! The more exciting information is unlocked when we tie different data sources together. I made my first attempt at doing that early this week when I compared attraction satisfaction with wait times. With dining, the things you care about might be slightly different. Some specific location might be really, really high in satisfaction, but almost impossible to get a reservation for. Wouldn’t it be great to know which locations are reliably high-satisfaction and also more easily accessible and easy to get reservations for? If we visualize satisfaction vs accessibility, we get insight into that information.

Explain the Math!

For this week, I’m going to focus on WDW table service restaurants. In order to find these hidden (or not-so-hidden) gems, I have to calculate two different things. I need to know overall satisfaction for each restaurant, as well as some measure of accessibility. I will pull satisfaction from post-visit surveys – percent of surveys that received a thumbs-up from each review. And for accessibility, I will pull the percent of Reservation Finder requests that were successfully found. For example:

• Over the past 3 years, if there were 100 post-visit surveys responses for Boma and 96 of those gave Boma a Thumbs Up, Boma gets 96% satisfaction (96/100).
• And over the past 3 years, if there were 200 reservation requests for Boma, and 140 of them were found successfully, Boma gets 70% accessibility (140/200).

Visualizing Satisfaction vs Accessibility

A few things to tell you to help you understand this colorful confetti:

• You can see at the bottom that each color represents a different location grouping
• The vertical red line shows the average overall reservation success across the whole property for the past 3 years, which is 82.5%.
• The horizontal red line shows the average overall Thumbs Up satisfaction across the whole property for the past 3 years, which is about 86%.

Understanding Quadrants

Splitting the data up with these two red lines give us four segments. And those segments (I’m going to call them quadrants) are seriously informative, especially to folks that aren’t very familiar with all of the dining options at WDW.

• The top-right quadrant has high satisfaction and high accessibility. I’m going to call these “Easy Win”. You’re likely to have a high-quality experience, and it’ll be relatively easy to get a reservation there. Awesome.
• The top-left quadrant is a little different. Still high satisfaction, but below-average accessibility. I’m going to call these “Still Worth It”. You’ll probably have to work a little harder to get a reservation, but you can be confident that your effort will be rewarded with a high-quality experience.
• The bottom-right quadrant is less fun. Satisfaction is now below-average (I’m not going to call it “bad”, because everyone has different tastes), but accessibility is at least high. I’m going to call these “Meh”. You won’t have to fight for a reservation, but there’s not as much of a guarantee that you’ll enjoy or be satisfied by your experience.
• The bottom-left quadrant is the most … icky. Satisfaction is below-average, and reservations are more difficult to get. I’m going to call these “Not Worth Your Effort”. You’ll have to work harder for a reservation, and even if you get one there’s a worse chance that you’ll have a high-quality experience.

Overall Impressions

Looking at that confetti explosion above, two things immediately jump out at me:

• There are a lot of gray dots on the left side of the graph. So in general I could say that reservations at Disney Springs are probably more difficult to get than other reservations at WDW. This makes sense. A lot of those restaurants are owned by third parties, and have reservations systems outside of Disney’s reservation system. So there’s likely a smaller pool of reservations to make this one way.
• A lot of orange dots are concentrated in the top right – the Easy Wins. So in general if I’m looking for a high-quality reservation that easy to get, I should probably default to exploring resort dining. Personal aside here – this will actually drive my behavior moving forward. I will purposefully be seeking out restaurants located at different resorts that I haven’t experienced before.

Drill Down on Satisfaction vs Accessibility

The confetti is interesting, but not really very impactful unless I know which restaurants each of those dots stand for. I can’t label all of them in that picture. And hovering isn’t a great function in a blog. So I’m going to split all of the restaurants by average entrée cost, just to make enough space to be able to include labels.

Satisfaction vs Accessibility at Lowest-Cost Restaurants

• Lots of orange dots in the Easy Wins again here. Sanaa, Beaches & Cream, The Wave, Kona Cafe, Whispering Canyon Cafe … yum. I’m hungry now.
• Lots of gray dots in the top left. High satisfaction, but harder to get reservations for – at least through Disney’s site.
• In this grouping, the dots below the horizontal line are actually pretty close to the line. Other than Rainforest Cafe, the “below-average” restaurants for satisfaction aren’t that far below average.

Satisfaction vs Accessibility at Slightly-Low-Cost Restaurants

• Lots of restaurants falling into “Not Worth Your Effort” here – The Edison, Coral Reef, Tony’s Town Square, Il Mulino. These restaurants still all get over 70% Thumbs Up, but they’re less reliable than average.
• Wine Bar George shows up very high on satisfaction and pretty easy to reserve, along with Teppan Edo and Olivia’s Cafe.

Satisfaction vs Accessibility at Higher-Cost Restaurants

• You’d hope that as price increased, you’d start getting more reliable high satisfaction scores. That’s somewhat true here, but there are still some definite losers, notably Planet Hollywood (which has several highly-priced entrees) and The Diamond Horseshoe (which is currently closed, but sometimes operates as an all-you-can-eat BBQ meal).
• Some clear winners in this group include Topolino’s Terrace, Jiko, and Boma. More data pointing toward excellent dining at resorts.
• Several character meals begin appearing in this group. Thankfully most of them fall into the “Easy Wins” quadrant, but Hollywood and Vine drops because of its relatively lower satisfaction.

Satisfaction vs Accessibility at Highest-Cost Restaurants

• We’ve made it to the most expensive dining locations (on average) at WDW. One would hope that expensive meals would all be satisfying. But that’s unfortunately not the case. STK Orlando and the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show are both difficult to reserve and less-than-satisfactory.
• For your money, you’re probably better off spending time at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue for dining with entertainment, or California Grill if you want a fancy meal.
• Some interesting comparisons show up on this graph too. For example, Cinderella’s Royal Table is an “Easy Win”, while Akershus comes in as a “Meh”. But in reality, their satisfaction scores are less than 5% apart, and you have almost 15% better odds of getting a reservation at Akershus.
• Another interesting pair is Le Cellier and Yachtsman. Both are steakhouses, and both are relatively close to each other even though one is inside EPCOT and one is just outside of EPCOT.

What Does This Mean For You?

1. Disney Springs reservations are relatively more difficult to obtain than other locations. You may want to go to the restaurant’s website or OpenTable to try to find a reservation at those spots.
2. Want a good shot at a high-satisfaction meal that’s easy to reserve? Aim for resorts. This is especially good advice during the era of limited park hours when you can close out your day in the park and still have time to go to an enjoyable dinner in the evening.
3. Just because a reservation is hard to get doesn’t mean that you’ll be satisfied with your meal if you manage to get in. A little bit of research into overall satisfaction rates, as well as available menu options and prices, goes a long way.

Does visualizing how dining locations differ in satisfaction vs accessibility help you discover new information or make better decisions? Would you like to see other data on the axes of the graph? If there were an interactive tool that let you filter the results, would you use it? Let us know in the comments!

 

The post Disney Dining Satisfaction vs Accessibility appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

While there is plenty of delicious food INSIDE the Disney World theme parks, the restaurants at Disney World’s hotels are NOT to be overlooked!

Today, we’re taking you on a virtual trip to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and a restaurant you may have never even stopped at before — Three Bridges Bar & Grill. This beautiful, outdoor, covered dining spot is right in the center of the water and has some absolutely gorgeous views. We have long RAVED about their Warm Manchego and Oaxaca Cheese Dip (SO MUCH YUM) but today we’re trying a whole bunch of other items and bringing you our thoughts!

Atmosphere

As we mentioned, Three Bridges Bar & Grill is located at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at Villa del Lago, right in the center of the lake at the hotel. It is accessible via 3 (actual) bridges (hence the name) from various spots in the resort.

Three Bridges serves up Spanish-American food in a beautiful, relaxed setting.

There are all kinds of cool details around including these posters and maps…

…and there’s even a bit of DuckTales mixed into the space! (whoo-ho!)

You’ll also find some beautiful lanterns over by a fireplace area.

It is an open-air spot, but it is covered, so you can soak in all the views and breezes while still staying in the shade and having some covering in case it rains (as it typically does in Florida).

There’s a whole bunch of different seating options to choose from. You can take a seat at the bar (although bar seating is fairly limited)…

…grab a more standard table with chairs…

…or opt for some of the cozier seating areas with comfy chairs and lower tables. These are definitely made for lounging and relaxing!

There’s even an elevated area with a fire pit!

The seats along the water are absolutely fantastic as well. Really, there’s not a bad seat in the entire place!

One big selling point for this restaurant is its views of the water, and the hotel buildings nearby, particularly Disney’s Gran Destino Tower. Look at that view!!

Whether you go while the sun is still shining…

…or stop by at night, there are some spectacular views to be had here.

Right now, the restaurant is only open in the afternoons for dinner, generally from 4:30PM to midnight. The spot is also not presently accepting reservations. Instead, you have to join the walk-up waitlist on the My Disney Experience app if there’s availability. 

When we visited, we were told it would be about a 45 minute wait, but we only ended up waiting about 20 minutes. Of course, that could vary depending on when your trip is, what time you go to the restaurant, and other factors.

If you’re looking for a late night bite or some drinks later in the evening after a long park day, it is nice that this spot is open during those later hours, giving you another option to explore.

Once seated, you’ll find a paper with a QR code for you to scan to view the menu online. This is similar to what we’ve seen at various other spots in Disney World.

If you’re wondering about the utensils situation here, you’ll be provided cloth napkins and actual utensils at this sit-down restaurant. No paper or plastic here!

Alright, alright, enough about the atmosphere — let’s get eating!!

Eats

When it comes to drinks, there are quite a few options at Three Bridges. You can grab a specialty character drink, non-alcoholic beverages…

…featured cocktails…

…a variety of beers, hard ciders, and sparkling water…

…as well as different types of Sangria and wine.

At Three Bridges you can get a number of appetizers (again, you know our love for that Warm Manchego Cheese and Oaxaca Cheese Dip)…

…salads…

…entrees (you can check out our review of the Harissa Lamp Chops here)…

…and desserts (see our thoughts on the Warm Churros here).

There are also kids’ menu items available.

As we’ve mentioned above, we’ve had some of the items here before, but for this trip we were on a mission to try some of the newer items we hadn’t tried!

For our drink, we went with the La Fresa Limonada, priced at $14.  This is one of the restaurant’s featured cocktails and is made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Puerto de Indias Strawberry Gin, and Lemonade. From our understanding, it also has some strawberry puree in it. It came garnished with a lemon slice and half of a strawberry.

For starters, this drink is definitely VERY pretty. So if you’re looking for something colorful to put on Instagram, this is a great choice!

The drink was sweet and tart, pulling from both the strawberry and the lemonade. It wasn’t very strong in terms of the flavor of the alcohol. We tasted the vodka more than the gin. Honestly, we really didn’t taste the gin at all, but that could have been due to the strawberry flavoring of the liquor.

Overall, it was very refreshing and one that we’d order again (especially on a hot day!). It is a pretty sweet drink though, so it might not be one that you could drink multiple of in one sitting.

If you like strawberry lemonade, then this might be a good choice for you. Also, if you like fruity drinks that aren’t very strong, this could be great. If you’re looking for a strong gin taste though, you’ll probably want to opt for something else.

For our appetizers we got the House-Made Guacamole and Pan con Tomate.

First, let’s tackle the House-Made Guacamole! This house-made guac is served with Tortilla Chips and Tajín and is priced at $12.00.

OK, this is seriously some of the BEST guacamole we have EVER had! That’s some high praise!! (We did eat basically all the guac in EPCOT in one sitting soooo…we know our guac! )

The guacamole was very fresh, and had good chunks of avocado, lots of garlic, fresh lime juice, and fresh cilantro (heads up, if you’re in the anti-cilantro crew!).

It was also salted perfectly and the sprinkling of tajin on top was a wonderful addition.

It was incredibly flavorful and good in terms of portion size (if you’re willing to share it that is)!

The only thing we think could have really improved this dish is some unique, house-made chips. If you love guacamole, we have a feeling you’ll really enjoy this BUT you will need to be a cilantro fan as there is a good bit of cilantro in this.

Now, let’s move onto the Pan con Tomate (which literally translates from Spanish to English as “bread with tomato”). This dish is made with toasted bread, crushed tomato, garlic, and olive oil. It is priced at $10.00.

Just like the guacamole, this appetizer was fabulous!

It was very nice to look at with the bright color of the tomatoes, and it was very fresh! You can even see that olive oil soaking into the bread — yuuuummm!

The bread was still crunchy on the outside while being super soft and chewy in the center. The fresh, crushed tomatoes and garlic were delicious and didn’t make the bread as soggy as we thought they might, so that was great.

The seasoning was simple (mainly salt and pepper), but was pretty generous and it really helped the tomatoes shine.

This really was delicious as-is, but a sprinkling of cheese on top (maybe some Queso Fresco) would have made it even better! If you like bruschetta, then you’ll probably really enjoy this as it is similar. But, if you hate tomatoes (especially raw!), this is probably a skip! We LOVED it. So simple but so good!

Alright so we had 2 total winners when it came to appetizers, if you’re counting at home.

Next, it’s time for entrees. In the entrees category, we got the Steak Frites, Poke Bowl, and Coconut Curry Chicken.

We begin our journey with the Steak Frites. This is made with Char-grilled Sirloin, Smoked Paprika Fries and Chimichurri and is priced at $22.50.

The fries look like sweet potato fries but they are actually fries seasoned with paprika and we loved them! They were super flavorful. It is Steak Frites, so the meat got placed on top of the fries. That made the fries a little bit soggy (but soggy with meat juice!).

Some of the fries on the edges were still crispy and crunchy, but we wish that would have been the case for all of them since they tasted SO good. We would totally order these fries on their own as a side on a future visit though!

The steak had great char and delicious flavor, but it was unfortunately over cooked for our reporter’s liking. We ordered it medium, and it came out medium well to well done on the ends. The steak seemed to have lost some of its juiciness, possibly due to the overcook. We found the end pieces to be a bit dry, but the center was better.

It’s entirely likely we just (un)lucked out and got an overprepared steak and others won’t have the same experience, but worth noting.

The chimichurri sauce was delicious though and it helped to bring an added flavor to the steak.

Even though the steak was overcooked for our liking and the majority of the fries were soggy, the dish was still super flavorful! The chimichurri added a lot of flavor and really “saved” the meat, but if you’re not a chimichurri fan, then that might not be a great option for you.

Next, we move to the Poke Bowl! This dish is made with Basmati Rice, Coconut Milk-Lime Sauce, Vegetable Melee, Sriracha “Aïoli”, and Grilled Pineapple with your choice of House-cured Salmon or Ginger-shrimp. Even though the menu says it comes with salmon or shrimp, we were offered chicken or shrimp, and decided to go with chicken. It was priced at $15.00.

If you hopped on the poke bowl trend that blew up a few years back, you’re likely looking at that picture going “uhh…that’s not a poke bowl.” And you’d be correct. A true poke bowl is usually cubed raw fish, usually tuna, with lots of other goodies in a bowl. This is…not that, but was still a beautiful dish filled with lots of color. The flavors were delicious when mixed together. We especially loved the Sriracha sauce. We wish there was more of it though!

The sweetness of the pineapple was great, as it added another element of flavor. The pickled onions, edamame, and shredded carrots in the dish all really helped balance the flavors out.

We couldn’t really taste the coconut milk lime sauce, but we didn’t really miss it since the other flavors were so great. Just be aware that if that sauce is what drew you into this dish, you might not taste it that much.

The chicken was wonderfully juicy and all the rice soaked up the flavor from the chicken. Mixed in with the spiciness of the Sriracha sauce, it was great.

We’d definitely order this again — this dish was our favorite of the entrees! It was a shockingly fresh and healthy option that didn’t disappoint. If you don’t like spicy foods, then you will want to ask for the sriracha on the side though (and f you do like spice, order extra!).

And finally, we get to the Coconut Curry Chicken. This dish is served with Basmati Rice, Marinated Chickpeas and Cashews and is priced at $18.50.

The curry was strong and very aromatic! Overall, this dish had a great flavor and you could almost taste it before you even put it in your mouth from that killer smell!!

The chicken was very juicy — actually, this chicken was the juiciest of all the dishes. We felt like it was cooked really well. The chickpeas and cashews gave it a nice crunch and richness. The coconut flavor wasn’t a strong as we were hoping for, but it did give the sauce a slight sweetness.

The curry was the star of the dish though and honestly the only thing you really taste. It was definitely strong, and potentially too strong for some, so just keep that in mind. You REALLY need to love curry to enjoy this dish. Had the coconut flavor been stronger, it might have added more balance there.

Another thing to note — this was a huge portion! It’s easily sharable, especially if you get some apps to snack on first.

And with that, we arrive at the end of our meal!

Nosh or Not

So, should you eat at Three Bridges Bar & Grill? Here’s what we think.

You SHOULD eat at Three Bridges Bar & Grill if…

• You’re looking for some great outdoor dining.
• You want a relaxing atmosphere with gorgeous views and food that has some fresh flavors.
• You love tapas-style eating and Spanish-American flavors.

You should SKIP Three Bridges Bar & Grill if…

• You’re looking for a fancy dining location for a special occasion. This is nice, but definitely a more laid-back casual spot.
• You’ll be dining with a lot of kiddos or picky eaters. The menu is fairly limited.
• You’re wanting to plan ahead and have reservations set for a certain time — this spot is first-come, first-serve so when you walk up there’s a good chance you’ll have to wait at least a little bit.

Overall

Overall, the stars of the show here are the appetizers. The location and the atmosphere really lend themselves to that tapas-style dining. You can grab some chairs in those lounge-style seating areas, relax, order a few appetizers to share with your group, grab a drink, enjoy the view, and have a great time. The appetizers were all pretty good portions as well and absolutely delicious!

In terms of service, our server was very sweet and checked on us pretty often in the beginning, but didn’t stop by as much as the meal went on. We didn’t truly need anything, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

Overall, the views at this spot are fantastic and some of the food is great too. But, it can be hard to get to if you’re not staying at Coronado Springs. Right now, for hotel hopping, you must have a dining reservation in order to enter a Disney World hotel (if you don’t have a hotel reservation there). Since this spot doesn’t offer advanced dining reservations at the moment, you likely will not be able to enter the hotel by driving to it, as they will likely not let you through the hotel gates without a set reservation. Also this hotel is kind of out on its own, making it tough to get to compared to some other Disney resort that are within walking distance. So, that’s something to keep in mind.

But, overall, if you’re looking for a relaxing, outdoor place to grab some dishes and drinks, share them with friends, and unwind, this can be a wonderful spot!

Hey, friends! We’re back with another DFB Video covering all the latest Disney news!

We have got a TON of news to share this week! Halloween is gonna be different in Disney World. Disney made a real lightsaber and you can see it in person next year! We’ve also got some updates on Avengers Campus, more character dining in Disney World, and what’s changing in Florida with mask guidelines and temperature checks in the parks.

All the latest Disney news from the week is coming up right now, on DFB Guide!

 

By the way, have you subscribed yet? If you hit the button below, you can subscribe to the channel and never miss a single episode!

So check out the video and then let us know: Do you plan to visit Disney World for Halloween this year?

The post DFB Video: Latest Disney News: Halloween Party Canceled, More Character Dining, Star Wars Hotel News & MORE first appeared on the disney food blog.

In March of 2021, Disneyland made some major moves in the launch of DisneylandForward, a new initiative that could result in potential theme park expansions at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

If the proposed park expansions come to fruition and we actually see some of what Disney is proposing in their concept art, we’re ready to hand over every last penny in our pockets in order to visit!

What exactly was announced?

Let’s briefly recap exactly what DisneylandFoward is and is not.

The major news that broke in March was NOT a formal announcement of any sort of expansion.  This project, at the moment, involves Disney reaching out to the city of Anaheim asking for more flexibility in their zoning and land use agreements.

If approved, Disney can use the land they currently own for more projects like theme park expansions, new hotels, new shopping or dining, or new entertainment.

Click here to learn more about what DisneylandForward is exactly.

What could be included in this expansion?

If DisneylandForward is given the green light, Disney is already prepared with several ideas of what could be included in the potential theme park expansions.

The possible lands that would be included in the theme park expansions at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure include Tangled, Peter Pan, and Frozen (already coming to Tokyo Disney Resort), as well as Zootopia (currently coming to Shanghai Disneyland). Much of this is based on the concept art that Disney shared as part of their pitch for DisneylandForward.

A Zootopia-themed land like the one coming to Shanghai or a Tangled-themed land like the one coming to Tokyo is something that U.S. Disney fans could only dream about right now! A chance to visit the REAL Snuggly Duckling?! Visiting Zootopia?! This expansion would make these lands WAY more accessible (and FAR cheaper) if you only travel to the domestic parks!

There’s also an elusive third plot of land where the Toy Story Parking Lot is currently located. This area is likely not large enough to yield a third theme park, but could instead be used for a new resort hotel, or additional shopping and dining. 

No matter what is included, any sizable expansion to the Disneyland Resort is a PRETTY big deal. Disneyland’s total land area is more confined than that of Disney World, in that there is very little room to grow. The arrival of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge was the biggest expansion to come to the Disneyland Resort since, well, the grand opening of California Adventure!

Again, DisneylandForward as it currently stands is not an official announcement of what WILL come to Disneyland. Rather, Disney has pitched a series of possibilities should Anaheim allow for more flexibility in the current land zoning.

Click here for more answers to the biggest DisneylandForward questions!

When could we possibly see this (and thus give Disneyland all of our money)?

Now for some not-great-news: it may take a while before we see ANY of these lands come to fruition (if at all!).

DisneylandForward needs to go through what will likely be a very lengthy approval process — it could take years before any of this is given the green light from the city of Anaheim, and then it could take even longer before ground is broken. 

But look on the bright side — that gives us all PLENTY of time to save up money in our piggy banks so that if or when these theme park expansions do happen, we’ll be able to check it out for ourselves! We’ll keep a watchful eye on DisneylandForward and any developments coming out of the city of Anaheim!

Click here to read about the newest land coming to Disneyland, Avengers Campus!

When do you think we could see a possible Disneyland expansion? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disney Can Take ALL My Money If This Project Actually Happens first appeared on the disney food blog.