WDW Daily News

I just returned from another whirlwind weekend at WDW and I could not believe how much was going on!  The Princess Half Marathon was the big “on property” happening, not to mention the Daytona 500 to the north and the huge Downtown Food and Wine Festival at Lake Eola. Had I known about the festival, I may have made plans to attend but my agenda was pretty full with my birthday celebrations and other commitments I had made around that with friends.  I did catch the highlights thanks to the local news coverage and will keep it in mind for next year.

But on the topic of food, this brings me to the subject of my article today.  I usually spend the bulk of my time at Epcot and World Showcase when I am in town.  They are both large in area and can accommodate crowds better.  And with me being a major “foodie” anyway, it’s just a natural fit for me to be there.

Monday morning I decided to spend the few hours I had before heading back to the airport at World Showcase.  I planned to have lunch, see some of the country specific entertainment and basically kill some time.

As I make my way around, I like to check out the menus from each restaurant and kiosk to see if there are new offerings, price changes, etc.  I stopped in Japan for a beverage and as I sat along the promenade I could smell the funnel cake stand from the American Adventure pavilion.  Not that I wanted one, but I thought I would make my way over there to see the preparations for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival.

Toy Story’s Woody is back and situated outside the BBQ stand.  The craft beer location was stocking up for a busy day and the steam was billowing out of the funnel cake kiosk.  I made my way across the plaza and took a look at the Liberty Dining Hall menu.  It was at that moment I got the inspiration for this article.

The American Pavilion dictated the very landscape of World Showcase.  The elevation rises as you walk around the promenade on either side as you approach the show building just to accommodate the underground rail system for the American Adventure sets and props. The pavilion itself is the largest and houses one of the most technical and complex mechanical shows on Disney property.

Originally it was to be at the “entrance” to World Showcase in an elevated state that you walked under to gain access to the rest of the countries.  Fortunately it was moved to the opposite side of the lagoon to welcome all from across the water.  It really is a magnificent building with a ton of trivia attached to it but that’s for another article.

My reflection is this:  The host country, largest in scale and complexity, the American example, if you will and the menu is to say the least sad.  All of these other countries have these wonderful culinary offerings and we have hot dogs and hamburgers.  Sure, those are quintessential American offerings, but is that the message we want our millions of foreign visitors to take home with them?  Even if they were to repeat the menu at the Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom it would be a better example of some good old fashioned American fare.  How about some chicken rotisseries?  A show kitchen doing steaks and ribs might be nice.  But chicken fingers and fries?  Been there, done that!

I’m sure with the installation and maintenance of a very expensive production, food services were an afterthought back in the early 80’s.  But considering  the other many, many, many construction walls and changes across property, I would love to see a new, great restaurant be offered, a true, American Culinary Adventure.   Come on Coke, where’s that smile?

During this past week, a new parade, the Festival of Fantasy, debuted at Magic Kingdom, and I was lucky enough to see it!  This parade is a huge improvement over the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade that recently retired.  The music, costumes, and floats in the Festival of Fantasy parade show creativity as well as a strong attention to detail.  Each float tells a different story, and the floats also have many moving parts that contribute to the overall kinetic feeling of this entertainment offering.  For example, the Tangled float looks like a huge ship, and Flynn Rider swings back and forth on the float during the entire parade.  One of the most impressive sections of the parade is the giant steampunk dragon that breaths fire.  It is an artistic masterpiece, and the fact that it breathes fire is amazing and quite exciting. The Peter Pan float is also well done; it is very tall, and the cannons that are attached to the pirate ship actually fire every few minutes.

            Not only are the floats intricate, the costumes are also bright and colorful. Every float includes the major characters related to the movie or franchise represented, but between each section, there are various dancers to represent more minor characters or just background from these movies.  Every costume looks like it was made specifically to reflect as much sunlight as possible.  I enjoyed the dancing sections between the floats much more during this parade than I have during previous parades. 

            With regard to the performers in the Festival of Fantasy, all I can say is, “Wow!” These folks looked excited and happy from the moment the parade started until the moment the parade ended.  No one ever looked tired or miserable or uncomfortable.  Everyone performed in a way that can only be described as magical.  This is important, because even though all of the floats are beautiful and interactive, the characters and performers really drive the action of this parade.  I truly enjoyed the high energy of every part of the entire spectacle.  I have only seen the parade once, but I want to see it many more times so that I can really examine all of the details.  This new entertainment option is such an excellent addition to the Magic Kingdom, and it really helps to celebrate the focus on New Fantasyland as it nears its completion.  This parade also matches the grand scope and scale of the Magic Kingdom in Florida.  If you are at Walt Disney World in the near future, make sure to see the Festival of Fantasy; you will not be disappointed.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!