Oldies but Goodies Archives - Chip and Co

Category Archives: Oldies but Goodies

From the Disney World Vault: King Stefan’s Banquet Hall

Monday, March 11, 2013 MickeyMom 2 Comments

King Stefan’s Banquet Hall
Image courtesy of Imaginerding

Any Chip and Co fans born after 1990 are going to have no idea what I’m talking about. So I’m going to get you all ready for the Double Jeopardy Question. When Disney World opened in 1971, the restaurant in Cinderella Castle was… If you guessed Cinderella’s Royal Table you would be wrong. The answer is…

King Stefan’s Banquet Hall

Yes, the restaurant featured in Cinderella Castle was named after Sleeping Beauty’s father. It only took until 1997 for Disney to get sick of answering all the questions and change the name to Cinderella’s Royal Table. Apparently the Disney Imaginers wanted to give the restaurant a regal name to match the dozens of Coat of Arms on the wall. Since Cinderella’s father isn’t named in the movie, they decided on King Stefan. Hence 25 years of confusing tourists and Cast Members.

The menu was known for its Beef and Barley Soup and Fried Brie. The Fairy Godmothers Vegetarian Plate was a gnocchi and vegetable combination, a favorite among diners. The Kid’s menu resembles a fast food chain “crown” and joins other King Stefan’s Banquet Hall collectibles on Ebay. Check here for recipes of old favorites from the original Royal Table.

As my first Disney visit was as an adult, I never knew King Stefan’s Banquet Hall. Please share your stories, menu items and collectibles with Chip and Co in the comment section below.

Photo credit Imaginerding.com

Rare 1971 Walt Disney World Aerial Pics (disneyandmore.blogspot.com)
‘Limited Time Magic’ Gets Wickedly Beautiful with Beautifully Disney (chipandco.com)

A Birthday Tribute to Our Friend, Ken!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 Brenda 4 Comments

Disney lovers are a special breed of people. We speak a different language and we understand one another. We know the thrill of planning a trip, the anticipation of waiting for it, and the sheer joy of being home again. The Disney community is a tightly knit group. We have respect, regard and a genuine concern for each other. Our group at Chip & Company is one example of such a group of Disney lovers who truly enjoy sharing all we know with everyone out there in order to try to make your Disney experience better, share our memories with your memories, and reach out whenever help is needed.

If you have been a fan of Chip & Company for a while, you know that we lost a treasured friend and a great writer this year. Today is his birthday so I hope you will indulge us an opportunity to share Ken Brown with all of you – especially those of you who never had an opportunity to know him.

Ken was with Chip right from the beginning. He was one of the original writers and Chip has said that when no one else even knew about C&C, Ken was his #1 fan. He was not only a contributor here, though, he was also a very supportive friend and confidant. Ken wrote a special series called Disney for Seniors, but he liked to call it “Oldies but Goodies” for fun. I hope you will take a little time to read his posts as he was an awesome writer with a fabulous sense of humor and he posted very valuable, well-presented information about Disney.

The Carousel Of Progress – A True Walt Original

Thursday, August 23, 2012 Catie 7 Comments

There are a lot of truly amazing attractions at Walt Disney World. One of the most amazing and possibly also the most overlooked is the Carousel of Progress located at the Magic Kingdom

This attraction was one of several that Walt showcased at the1964 New York World’s Fair, others that debuted/were inspired by attractions here were It’s A Small World, the PeopleMover, and the Hall Of Presidents – all of which are now classic WDW attractions. The Carousel itself was originally moved from the Fair to Disneyland, and then in 1975 it was relocated to Walt Disney World, where it has remained since then, delighting audiences daily

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! DCA’s “News”est Hit!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 Tara 1 Comment

You would think that getting news out in this day and age would be all digital – but leave it to the folks at Disney and Disney’s California Adventure to do things “old school” and create a hit!

The “Buena Vista Bugle” newspaper debuted this last summer at DCA as part of the theme parks makeover with the Buena Vista Street launch and provides information to guests the way it would have been delivered to them in the 1920s and 1930s…in good old-fashioned print. In addition to show times and park information, the 4-page newspaper also articles written in the voice of the characters of Buena Vista Street. The newspaper, now in its third edition has also featured fun Disney news like the wedding engagement of Ariel and Eric, a lightning strike at the Hollywood Tower Hotel and the opening of the Carthay Circle Theater!

It’s not 100% “old school”…there is one hi tech addition – a QR Code to download DCA’s official twitter account is featured at the bottom corner of the paper.

Want to get your hands on one but not going to be in the California Area anytime soon? Check out eBay…there are a bunch of listings for them!

Disney California Adventure’s Grand Reopening Nothing Short of Magical (chipandco.com)
Disney California Adventure: A look back and forward (orlandosentinel.com)

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! DCAs Newsest Hit!

Planning Your Visit Day By Day

Saturday, December 31, 2011 Ken 3 Comments

When we, as Oldies, visit Walt Disney World we approach it a little bit differently from our younger friends. For example, after getting up at 4:00 AM and catching an early flight we then spend a good portion of the day getting to our happy place. After a long day of travel and getting to our resort hotel, I don’t know about the rest of my Senior friends but I’m ready to rest for a bit. For that reason our arrival day is always an easy one. We generally get checked in and have dinner after which we walk the resort. Occasionally, if we are staying at Port Orleans, we will take the boat to Downtown Disney and then take it right back again. It’s a great way to unwind so you can get to bed and sleep well to be ready for your first day. Many of our younger friends head for a park or go to one of the entertainment areas for some clubbing, not us!!!

In talking to other Oldies we have found that most of them spend 7-9 days on site not counting travel days. This calls for pre-planning your day to day park visits before you arrive. Pre-planning your park visits also allows you to make Advance Dining Reservations (ADR’s) based on where you will be each day (that’s a lot better than planning your park days based on which ADR’s you have). I always use one of the subscription websites that produce charts indicating what crowds will be like each day in each park for planning purposes. Both Touring Plans.com and Tour Guide Mike do a good job of this but my preference is and has been Tour Guide Mike. The accuracy at that sight is always spot on and I rely heavily on their recommendations.

Just a few quick hints, make sure you allow enough park time in your favorite park. Ours is Epcot and on a 9 day visit we spend at least 2 1/2 to 3 days there. We then divide the majority of the rest of the visit between the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with just a short half day visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our favorite attractions. The most important thing that we Oldies can do is to plan a rest day somewhere towards the middle of your stay. On this day you can sleep in, spend a bit of time by the pool, visit some other resorts (to plan for future visits), play some golf, do some shopping, etc. You should just do something that gets you away from the pace and intensity of the parks. As much as we all love the theme parks, they can be exhausting. Please don’t ignore this, it will make your entire visit much more fun!!!

This is nothing more than a few suggestions to make sure you get the most out of your visit without exhausting yourself and perhaps endangering your health. Nothing is worth making yourself sick trying to enjoy yourself too much. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken