5. Splitsville Luxury Lanes

Live the white trash dream! You can enjoy bowling in your dining room! Okay, it’s that but…classier. This two-story bowling alley represents the height of high-tech bowling thanks to its backlit bowling pins and lanes, and its mystique is further enhanced by the clever layout of the facility. Rather than group all the lanes together as is the case with most bowling alleys, there are only a few in each section, creating a more intimate setting. Combined with the frequent live music on display and the overall energy of this part of Downtown Disney, Splitsville Luxury Lanes delivers a shocking amount of fun, even by Orlando theme park standards.

6. Pinocchio Village Haus

On the surface, this thematic quick service restaurant is nothing special. It offers the usual fare of fried foods ingrained in the Walt Disney World quick service ecosystem. Most Disney fans still relish it due to convivial nature, but if you are one of the lucky few, you can elevate your dining experience. A certain portion of the seats available at Pinocchio Village Haus offer heart-warming, inimitable views of It’s a Small World. Eating at one of the best tables at the restaurant provides an entire different and unique experience as you watch the boats below meander through one of Disney’s signature theme park attractions.

7. Be Our Guest

This establishment has earned the title of most popular eatery in Walt Disney World, no small feat. The explanation is that as one of the cornerstones of the updated Fantasyland, it provides Disney fans the unprecedented opportunity to dine in Beast’s Castle. This massive interior can service roughly 550 guests simultaneously, which makes its constant sellouts all the more incredible. And while people universally adore the food, that is not the primary selling point.

The intricate architecture and precise duplications of aspects of the movie, Beauty and the Beast, are the main attraction here. From the moment people enter the building, they see all of the statues, paintings and suits of armor one would expect in a real castle. The medieval themes are perfectly structured, and all three of the dining areas are breathtaking in their attention to detail.

Having eaten in all three, I must confess that the others feel like a bit of a letdown in comparison to The Grand Ballroom. It is a majestic room and probably claims the largest seating capacity anywhere in Walt Disney World. The accoutrements are all spectacular, but my favorite is unquestionably the electric blue snow effect outside the windows. It deftly enhances the illusion of being on a snowclad mountaintop.

In only a couple of years, Be Our Guest has already earned a reputation as one of the highlights of any visit to Walt Disney World. I fully agree with this belief.

8. Cinderella’s Royal Table

If I need to explain this one to you, you’ve never visited Walt Disney World, nor have you have never watched the original or the 2015 update of the fairytale. For that matter, you must not have read the fairytale, either. Seriously, how have you never heard about Cinderella’s Royal Table, at least by reputation?

I’m getting a bit off track here. Let’s focus on the obvious. Cinderella’s Royal Table embodies the premise of this article. Independent of the quality of the food offered, which happens to be impeccable, the restaurant itself as well as the building it inhabits are the anchor of Magic Kingdom itself, THE most visited theme park in the world.

Explaining the appeal of such an establishment is a bit like explaining the greatness of Michael Jordan. You know it when you see it. Disney has built their entire store structure upon the glory of princesses as an archetype. Cinderella’s Royal Table is the functional epicenter of that universe. Your child will feel like they have died and gone to princess heaven the moment they enter the building. In fact, many adults experience the same sensation. It is the crown jewel of Walt Disney World restaurants.