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Tag Archives: Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Planning an “Off Day” at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
So many people travel to Walt Disney World and never experience any of the fun Fort Wilderness has to offer. Since 1971, the Campsites at Fort Wilderness Resort have been accommodating guests on over 700 acres of wooded trails. This camping resort offers campsites for tents, pop ups and RVs and has cabins for those who don’t want to “rough it!” But, there are so many other things to do here than “camp!” Below, you will find a listing of the restaurant options, things to do around the resort and even seasonal activities. If you are needing to plan a day off during your WDW vacation, I highly suggest taking a bus or boat to Fort Wilderness and spending the day having fun with your family!
Restaurants:
- Trail’s End Restaurant- Enjoy a buffet for breakfast or dinner and an a la carte lunch. This restaurant features pioneer style food (fried chicken, ribs, roasted meats, veggies, salad bar, soup, cobbler, and ice cream) in a rustic log cabin style decor.
- Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue- This is a dinner show featuring western dancing, singing, skits and vaudeville comedy in Pioneer Hall. You can also enjoy an all you can eat feast of American favorites: friend chicken, ribs, vegetables. baked beans, corn bread and strawberry shortcake. Reservations are suggested and pre payment is required.
- Mickey’s Backyard BBQ- Enjoy an outdoor picnic with Mickey Mouse and friends in the covered open air Pavilion at Fort Wilderness. Participate in line dancing, singing to a country-western band and playing kid friendly games. Enjoy a buffet of BBQ ribs, smoked chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon and more. Due to inclement weather, this may be cancelled.
- Crockett’s Tavern- This is an outpost lounge serving pizza, nachos and more from a full service bar.
Fort Wilderness – The Perfect Resort For Families!
Once you have made the decision to vacation at Walt Disney World, The Place Where Dreams Come True, then along come other decisions that you need to make, one of them being, “where will we sleep?”
WDW offers a large variety of Resort Hotels, in all price ranges, and they are all great places to stay. If you have kids, a standard hotel room might work for you and your family, but you also might find that there is another option – WDW’s Fort Wilderness Campground and Resort. Why is this Resort the best choice for you and your family? Well,there are many reasons:
“Signature” Restaurants – Are They Worth It? Part 3
In the final part of this 3-part series (Check out Part 1 and Part 2!), I’m taking a look at the rest of Walt Disney World’s 2-Table Service Credit Dining Options to answer the question, Are They Worth It?
The Restaurants I am reveiwing this week aren’t *technically* Signature Restaurants, BUT they are unique, special experiences that are more expensive than your regular sit down restaurants, and they all will cost you 2 Table Service Credits on the Disney Dining Plan. One nice thing about these is that unlike other Signature Restaurants, with the 2-credit character meal and dinner shows, gratuities are included, which makes things even easier on you when it comes time to pay!
So, Here We Go:
Cinderella’s Royal Table – Dine in none other than Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom, where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner and be treated like royalty! Cinderalla greets you as you enter the castle, and yout get to pose for a picture with her. Bonus – the picture package is included with the meal! Breakfast is an all you care to eat assortment of standard Disney breakfast items including pastries, eggs, meats, and french toast, while lunch and dinner include a prix fixe menu of options like prime rib, fish, and steak. While you eat, the princesses work the room for pictures and autographs. Reservations for this can be really hard to get, so I recommend that you are flexible when it comes to what time you want to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table
Survey Says? If you have a Disney Princess fan in your party, I say book it! It’s a unique experience, I did it once and probably wouldn’t do it again, but it is fun and the food is high quality, plus once you go you can say you have been IN Cinderella’s Castle (which is pretty cool!)
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ – One of two Dinner Entertainment options at Fort Wilderness, this is your chance to party with Mickey, Minnie and friends as you dine on delicious (all you can eat!) picnic favorites like ribs, hamburgers and hot dogs, and corn on the cob. Enjoy live country western music, line dancing, and fun for kids, and you may even get a chance to dance with the Mouse himself! One difference to make note of for this character experience is that the characters don’t come around to all the tables, but rather they interact with guests on the dance floor. The BBQ is seasonal, and runs Thursday and Saturday nights from March – December, and is held outdoors
Survey Says? If you are a big fan of picnic food and fun, then you should look into joining the fun at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ! It’s a great time, but don’t expect the character interaction you would normally get at other character meals (since they don’t come around to all the tables)
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show – Disney’s Polynesian Resort is the perfect setting for this luau-themed dinner show, which offers up all you care to eat fare like Polynesian-style rice, roast chicken, and best of all (at least for those of us over 21!) – unlimited beer and wine are included! The entertainment includes fire and knife dancers as well as music and dance, and the chance for your little ones to learn how to hula dance (I did it when I was little, it was a lot of fun!).
Survery Says: This is my favorite of the dinner show experiences, I love the food and the atmosphere, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue – Head over to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for this rousing Wild West themed show, which features comedy, song, dance, and even some audience participation! While you are laughing and clapping along to the music, enjoy all you can eat fried chicken, ribs, baked beans, strawberry shortcake, and once again – all you can drink beer/wine/sangria for those guests over 21.
Survey Says: This really is a fun, entertaining show, when I was a kid I didn’t much care for it, but it has grown on me in my adult years (perhaps it’s the free sangria that has helped with that?), the jokes are funny and it’s over the top for sure, but it’s a good time, and a great way to spend an evening
Hopefully these posts have inspired you to book some Advance Dining Reservations or ADR’s for some Signature or Dinner Show Dining Experiences. These are some of the best food, drink, and entertainment options available at Walt Disney World, so I highly recommend you check some of them out on your next trip to WDW
Related articles
- Signature Restaurants – Are They Worth It? Part 2 (chipandco.com)
- How Soon Should You Start Disney Planning? (chipandco.com)
Eats and Entertainment – Dinner shows at WDW
Walt Disney World has so much to offer, including some of the finest cuisine in the country. So how does WDW make the best food even better? Easy, just add entertainment!
Dinner shows have been a WDW staple since the first Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review opened in 1974. Read on to learn more and you can make the decision if the combo of live entertainment and great eats is right for you!
The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue: Performed 3 times a night (5pm, 7:15pm, and 9:30 pm) at Pioneer Hall in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, this Wild West themed show is full of laughs and good times. The actors dance and whoop it up with the best of them, and even get the audience involved and bring them up on stage to join in on the antics. There is nothing classy about this show, so if you’re looking for a quiet, civilized dinner, you better go elsewhere! The food is served family style (meaning they will bring you as much as you want!) and consists of bread and salad, followed by ribs, friend chicken, mashed potatoes and baked beans, and finished off with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Simple and delicious food (the fried chicken is especially mouth-watering!), and the entertainment truly is funny and engaging. Prices range from $59-$68 a person for adults ($30-35 for children), and the more you pay the better your seats are and the closer you are to the stage and all the action! If you’re using the Disney Dining Plan (which I strongly recommend!), the Hoop Dee Doo costs 2 Table Service credits (and in my opinion is totally worth it!). Oh, and one more VERY important thing, they serve unlimited “adult” beverages too (Draft Bud Light, Chardonnay, Rose, Sangria, and Merlot), which is definitely a plus!
The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show: This tropical luau themed show is performed at 5:15pm and 8pm nightly, and features hula dancers and a fire-knife performer! The outdoor setting is beautiful and magical, and the performers tell the story of a young native girl and her traditions and people. The food is delicious polynesian themed dishes like pork ribs, roast chicken, rice, and vegetables, with a special volcano dessert! As with the Hoop Dee Doo, the admission price includes soft drinks as well as unlimited beer and wine. Prices are $59-$68 apiece for adults, with child admission ranging from $30-$35, and the higher price will get you seats closer to the stage and all the action! For those on the Disney Dining Plan, this show also costs 2 Table Service credits per person. I personally prefer the earlier seating for this show, because once the show is done, I like to walk around the Polynesian along the paths and pretend I really am in someplace tropical and exotic! This show has always been a favorite of mine, and I remember as a kid learning to do the luau with the dancers, and it is a memorable experience for this of all ages!
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ Dinner Show: This one is relatively new to WDW, and is a dance party with live entertainment and…characters! So basically, a character meal with dancing, and delicious food! The buffet style meal includes chicken, ribs, hot dogs, corn on the cob, cornbread, baked beans, watermelon, cake, and all you care to drink beer/wine/soft drinks. Like the other 2 shows, the cost of the BBQ on the Disney Dining Plan is 2 Table Service credits, out of pocket you will pay $55 for an adult and $32 for a child. Unlike the other 2 shows, there is no better/preferred seating, there is 1 price for all seats. The characters (Mickey, Minnie and friends) come out to dance and interact with everyone, but one big difference here versus other character meals is that the characters do NOT visit every table, if you want an autograph or photo you have to approach the characters, which might work better for some people than others. Overall, it’s a good time, with great food, and who wouldn’t love to square dance with Mickey as their partner?
One thing I want to note is that reservations are HIGHLY recommended should you decide to partake in any of the dinner shows, so plan ahead and book one of these shows and you’ll be set for a night of great food, great entertainment, and great fun!
Related articles
- How to get onstage at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical (meetthemagic.com)
- Disney Dining Review: Mickey’s Backyard BBQ (mydreamsofdisney.com)
Disney World Quick Tips – Signature Restaurants And Maximizing The Dining Plan
We are huge fans of the Signature restaurants at Walt Disney World. The free dining offer available for at least the first 9 months of 2011 (with some blackouts) is an opportunity to take advantage of these restaurants at an absolutely minimal cost.
You can upgrade the free dining offer from the Disney Dining Plan to the Deluxe Dining Plan for $33 per adult per day. That may seem like a lot but let’s look at the differences between the plans:
DELUXE PLAN -
Three Table Service Credits per night for each person
Two Snack Credits per night for each person
One complimentary Refillable Mug per person
Table Service meals include Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage
STANDARD PLAN-
One Table Service Credit per person per night
One Quick Service Credit per person per night
One Snack Credit per night per person
Complimentary Refillable Mug not included
Table Service meals include Entree, Dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage (Kids 3-9 get appetizer also)
Even on the surface, $33/day is a bargain if you enjoy food. When you start to look a bit deeper you can see that if you use the plan wisely and take advantage of the Signature Restaurants (two Table Service Credits per meal) the extra money you spend is an unbeatable value.
Here are some options to consider:
- Eat breakfast Out Of Pocket and use the extra Table Service (TS) credit at one of the Signature Restaurants.
- Use a TS credit for breakfast and use snack credits for a quick meal in the parks and the extra TS credit for a Signature Restaurant.
- You can do the above interchangeably or any other way you like since the credits are yours to use as you please. You can even use TS credits for a Quick Service meal if you choose.
Upgrading is also useful if you plan on attending any of the Dinner Shows. They are also 2 TS meals and the only real restriction is at the Hoop De Doo Review where you can only use the credits for Category 2 or 3 seating except at the 9:30 PM show where they can be used for Category 1 seating. One more thing to remember about the dinner shows, these are the only Dining Plan meals where gratuities are included.
If you truly enjoy fine dining and exceptional food I encourage you to consider the ideas presented here. As I mentioned, upgrading Free Dining to Deluxe Dining is an opportunity to try meals at restaurants you might not ordinarily consider. Because it’s Disney, things are always subject to change so you might want to take advantage of this while you can. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
