FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

2. Theming

Be Our Guest hall of armor suits
Image: Disney

There really is only one other US park that comes close to Disney in the area of theme park dining—their top competition, Universal Studios. While both Mythos and Three Broomsticks are excellent examples of themed dining up to par with anything Disney offers, the House of Mouse still has other parks, including Universal, trounced in the area of themed dining.

Theming is one of the areas that set Disney parks apart from the very beginning. When amusement parks were known for being dirty and disjointed, Disney parks strived to be clean, charming, and coherent. Across Disney’s history, they’ve done an incredible job integrating dining in a manner that elevates the theming of its lands and parks. At Walt Disney World and Disneyland, the magic isn’t just something to experience in a ride or by taking a photograph—it should be tasted as well.

Whether you’re wandering through countries in World Showcase or taking in the ethereal sites of Fantasyland, you can be certain that Disney will have integrated a means to enjoy theming through dining. Whether you’re looking to taste the whimsical at Gaston’s Tavern, the nostalgic at the Sci Fi Dine in Theater, or international flavors at Teppan Edo, Tutto Italia, or the Rose and Crown, you can be sure that dining at Disney remains an experience for the imagination as much as the taste buds.

3. Creativity

Felucian Garden Spread at Docking Bay 7
Image: Disney

Speaking of theming, you have to give it to Disney in a related area—they are absurdly creative in their dining concepts. I mean, think of being the guy who sat in a meeting and said, “We’re going to make a REAL Star Wars cantina, and Rex from Star Tours will be the DJ!”. The creativity level for Disney restaurants is positively bonkers.

Across Walt Disney World alone, guests can eat at an old-school drive in theater, share quips over fried lionfish with Jungle Cruise skippers, taste space noodles on Pandora, or enjoy African and Indian delights while watching giraffes and ostriches graze on a savannah. Just when we think we’ve seen everything Disney can do in dining, they come up with something new and more immersive, from bubbling galactic brews clouded with mist to somehow convincing us that Ronto meat is surprisingly delicious. Just like Walt, it seems Disney creative teams are never satisfied with just-good-enough—they’re always looking for new ways to blow guest minds with creative dining concepts.

4. Character dining

Ariel with little girl dressed as princess at Akershus Royal Dining Hall
Image: Disney

Dining with theme park characters can either be a charming or mortifying experience… It takes a careful tightrope act between playfulness and reading guest personalities to keep character meals from becoming an awkward experience. Fortunately, Disney has character dining down to a science that is basically unheard of in other parks.

It would be just fine if Disney had a few halfway decent character dining experiences for families with kids to enjoy—Chef Mickeys, the Garden Grill, and Crystal Palace all come to mind. They’re great character experiences, but the food isn’t exactly memorable. Many kids are picky eaters, so why bother with anything more complicated?

Not good enough for the mouse.

A number of Disney’s character dining experiences can actually be rated among the top restaurants in Walt Disney World. Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House is a great example of this. The food is so excellent that I often recommend it to people who would normally never try a character dining experience. Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge is another great choice—while we have mixed feelings about this restaurant’s transformation from classy steakhouse into a Snow White character dining experience, guests can’t seem to rave enough about the food. The variety of character meals Disney offers is insane too—some of these restaurants couldn’t be more different, like Ohana’s playful Hawaiian skewered-meat-feast to a genteel Victorian breakfast with Mary Poppins at 1900 Park Fare. The variety is excellent.

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...