Expert Reviews

It’s Not Just Food When It’s This Good! Food for the Soul at Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming

3/13/2024 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • From the moment I read the menu for Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming restaurant, I knew this would be at the top of my Disney dining bucket list! This is down-home cooking at its best. Arrive hungry. You do not want to miss an opportunity to sample the foods if you aren’t prepared to fill your belly. 2) As a party of two, I knew our eyes were too big for our stomachs, but the selections are that good that we didn’t want to pass anything up! My best recommendation would be to go with a group of at least four people so you can select several things from the menu and share them. Between the two of us, we ordered a couple appetizers: the Church Lady Deviled Eggs and the Ham and Jam Biscuits. With the deviled eggs, aside from the fact that they are delicious, the presentation is fabulous! […]

Tutto Italia – Dining in Epcot Review

5/18/2018 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • Italian food is comfort food for many families. Epcot is full of a large variety of international flavors but for those wishing a meal filled with delicious yet familiar options, Tutto Italia is a wonderful option to consider for your next Epcot lunch or dinner. The first question many people looking for an Italian Epcot meal is should I book at Via Napoli or Tutto Italia? Tutto Italia has a slightly more upscale feel and menu over Via Napoli. While Via Napoli is known best for its pizza, Tutto Italia, also holding true to authentic Italian cuisine, has a fuller range of dining options, from appetizers with calamari or a variety of salads, entrees with steak or vegetarian pasta, to every one of your favorite Italian desserts. >A formal restaurant setting with while table cloths greet you as you are seated. With a large number of indoor seats accompanied by […]

Resort Review: The Waldorf Astoria

3/27/2024 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • Need a little reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks? The Waldorf Astoria in Bonnet Creek offers just that. Tucked right inside Disney property, it boasts indulgent relaxation just minutes from the theme parks. My husband and I wanted a quick getaway for the weekend for a little “R and R.” We decided on the Waldorf Astoria and were so glad we did. While the grounds were beautiful, the thing that stood out most to us was the exceptional customer service, from the gentleman checking us in after midnight to the warm and friendly chefs at Oscar’s restaurant. Upon checking in, we were upgraded to a spacious suite with a living room, a gorgeous marble bathroom and a lanai that was perfect for enjoying that first cup of coffee in the morning. Although the décor seemed a bit dated, it gave us exactly what we were looking […]

Spotlight on the Boardwalk Resort

3/19/2024 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • As a Travel Specialist, I am often asked where I “like” to stay when I visit Walt Disney World?  One of my most preferred locations is Disney’s Boardwalk  Resort.  The atmosphere is very whimsical and intended to be reminiscent of visiting Atlantic city!  It opened in 1996, the year of my first Disney vacation!!  It is located on Crescent Lake, directly across from Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club.  Boardwalk offers entertainment, dining, and is a short walk to the world showcase in Epcot.  It is a bit of a longer walk to Hollywood studios or you have the option of taking a brief boat ride to both parks.  Disney Springs, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom transportation is via bus. The Boardwalk resort is a deluxe property and brings many additional amenities.  Deluxe resorts offer larger rooms (compared to a value or moderate resort), valet parking, outdoor nighttime movies, a club […]

Carthay Circle Restaurant Review

3/26/2018 • Disneyland, Reviews • In 1926, the Carthay Circle Theater opened in Los Angeles and quickly became one of the most famous movie palaces in the Golden Age of Hollywood. A decade later, on December 21, 1937, Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the world’s first full-length animated movie, premiered at this theater to a sold-out audience. This was the start of a new life for Walt Disney and the beginning of a dream that resulted in Disneyland’s opening in 1955. Disneyland will forever remember the Carthay Circle Theater and has featured this theater in California’s Adventure Park as its signature building. It’s no surprise then that inside this building is one of the best dining experiences you will find on the property. Featuring décor of the 20s and with pictures lining the walls of the famous stars that once graced the screens of the theater, you feel like you are walking into […]

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

3/20/2018 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • If you LOVE Magic Kingdom and plan to spend a lot of your time there, Disney's Contemporary Resort may be the perfect place to call "home" on your next Disney vacation.  Disney’s Contemporary Resort is one of the original Disney resorts that opened in 1971 along with Magic Kingdom and is located on the Resort Monorail system.  The monorail runs directly through this resort and makes a stop inside to load and unload passengers. In fact, it is so close to Magic Kingdom you can actually walk to the park.  This allows you to spend more of your vacation time at Magic Kingdom versus waiting for transportation to take you there.  It is also an excellent choice if you want a time-saving option to bring tired children back to take a nap or a swim in the middle of a hot Orlando afternoon. The Contemporary Resort has two sections of […]

What is Club Level at Disney?

3/16/2018 • Reviews, Tips, Walt Disney World • Disney Club Level rooms are available “exclusively” at Deluxe Disney Resorts. The following resorts offer the opportunity to stay in a Club Level room, those include Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’sWilderness Lodge, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. When staying in a room on Club Level, you will be pampered with additional amenities that you would not have access to when staying in a regular room. Many of the Club Level rooms are located to offer guests amazing views. Lounges also tend to have awesome views. My family loved the Club Level lounge at the Contemporary Resort. We were able to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks on the balcony of the Club Level lounge, while enjoying desserts and beverages. This was such a magical experience. Each night you will receive turn-down […]

Restaurant Review: Le Cellier Steakhouse

3/13/2024 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • If you are looking for a delicious steak while vacationing at Walt Disney World, please be sure to head north to the Canadian Pavilion for a visit to Le Cellier Steakhouse located in the World Showcase at Epcot. Lunch and dinner are served in this quaint wine cellar modeled after a Canadian chateau-style hotel.  My experience when dining here is you will be able to sit back, relax and feel pampered by your server.  I have always found my servers to be polite, friendly and ready to make dining here an experience to remember for me and my family.  The servers are natives of Canada and love to discuss their native country.  During each visit, I have been fortunate to engage in interesting conversations with the servers who enjoy sharing fascinating facts on what it is like to live in Canada. Baskets of rolls are served upon arrival.  I cannot […]

The Edison @ The Town Center, Walt Disney World

3/19/2024 • Reviews, Walt Disney World • Innovation and change are a constant throughout Walt Disney World.  The Edison, recently opened at Disney Springs is the bee’s knees!  It is surrounded by 3 others recently opened venues as well.  Each with their own unique offerings, but the focus of this review is the largest of the group! A larger-than-life clock tower greeted us as we entered the dining area. There was so much to take in as we were seated.  Even the uniforms of the cast members were reminiscent of a 1920’s Speakeasy!  We were greeted quickly once we sat down, and our server pointed out interesting areas throughout the venue to enjoy.  There were tables throughout the upper and lower area of the restaurant.  She quickly pointed out that in the evenings, the lower area tables are removed, and that area is used for dancing.  Although families are welcome for lunch and early evening to dine, […]

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! The Disneyland Resort – Disney’s California Adventure – Anaheim, California

1/15/2018 • Disneyland, Reviews • Continuing the success of the Marvel films (and my personal favorite), Guardians of the Galaxy  - Mission: Breakout! is a fantastic thrill ride that has been re-imagined in the former Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. The Guardians of the Galaxy have been kidnapped and it’s up to you to save them! Enter the fortress of Taneleer Tivan (otherwise known as the Collector) where he is currently exhibiting some of his finest pieces. Take some time to explore the cases and discover amazing relics – a warlock’s eye, Atlantis artifacts, Loki’s shackles, Figment (from Epcot’s Journey’s Into Imagination with Figment), and Cosmo the Spacedog. The newest possessions on display are none other than the Guardians of the Galaxy: Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Drax. You will find yourself in the Collector’s office where Rocket has escaped his cage and is now requiring your assistance to break the remaining Guardians out of […]