Tag Archives: Disney World

Jul 28 2017

Dining In Pandora – The World Of Avatar At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If waiting in the long lines for Flight Of Passage or Na’vi River Journey in Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom gets you hungry, you’re in luck! Disney has created two additional dining and drinking spots for guests to enjoy while touring the new land. Here’s everything you need to know about Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu courtesy of Disney:

Not only can you explore like a Na’vi and talk like a Na’vi – you can eat like a Na’vi, too, on Pandora – The World of Avatar.

Dining Na’vi-style is at the heart of Satu’li Canteen, the fast-casual restaurant in the new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The canteen calls out the friendship and cultural kinship that exists between the humans on Pandora and the indigenous Na’vi.

“The setting of Pandora – The World of Avatar is long after the Na’vi and the humans have reconciled their conflict, and we are invited as guests to visit Pandora,” said Stefan Hellwig, executive creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Satu’li (Sa-too-lee) Canteen is the land’s restaurant, with a design inspired by bases set up on Pandora by the Resources Development Administration (RDA) in the blockbuster “AVATAR” film. Once the main mess hall of the RDA base in the Valley of Mo’ara, the canteen is now owned and operated by the Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) tour company and has been redesigned into a beautiful museum-like dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The interior has been transformed with colorful Na’vi items filling the walls and hanging from the ceiling – hand-woven tapestries, natural Pandoran elements and cooking tools decorate the interior.

Surprising Twist on Familiar Flavors

Satu’li Canteen combines creativity and approachable flavors in a menu inspired by the healthful bounty on Pandora, with wholesome grains, fresh vegetables and hearty proteins. An on-stage grill is a prominent feature in the colorful dining room, “bringing all five senses into play,” said Ed Wronski, director, culinary development for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.

Fast-casual Satu’li Canteen offers bowls that allow diners to customize their meal. Diners start with a base of quinoa and vegetable salad; red and sweet potato hash; mixed whole-grain and rice or romaine and kale salad. Next is either wood-grilled chicken, slow-roasted beef, sustainable fish or chili-spiced fried tofu. And the bowl is finished with charred onion chimichurri, black bean vinaigrette or creamy herb dressing.

“This is one of our first fast-casual restaurants that gives guests the ability to customize their meal,” said Wronski. “We played with the theme of Avatar, and ended up with the bowl concept that is healthful, lighter and with plant-based ingredients to tie back to the World of Avatar.” The guiding principle, he said, was to “balance creativity with dishes that are approachable.”

The menu also offers steamed “pods” – bao buns with either cheeseburger ingredients or vegetable curry served with root vegetable chips and crunchy vegetable slaw.

For little ones, there’s an option of grilled chicken or beef, fish or tofu with greens or rice; a hot dog wrapped in Parker House dough; cheese quesadilla, or a steamed “pod” (cheeseburger bao bun).

Dessert is Blueberry Cheesecake with Passion Fruit Curd or Chocolate Cake with a Crunchy Cookie Layer, Banana Cream and Goji Berries.

Satu’li Canteen offers draft beers, including Avatar Private Label Green Ale and Avatar Private Label Amber Ale; Pandoran blend sangria; wine on tap, including Banshee Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast); Banshee Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast), and a non-alcoholic blend of tropical juices served in a souvenir cup with a removable, playable pan flute.

Satu’li Canteen is also the first Disney restaurant to offer Mobile Order, a new convenient option to order and pay for meals on-the-go using the My Disney Experience app. The service also enables guests to bypass the queue to order when they arrive at the restaurant. Using the app, guests can select menu items, customize their orders and pre-pay for their meals. When they arrive at the restaurant they will tap an “I’m here” button in the app, which will notify the kitchen to prepare the meal. When their meals are ready, guests will be alerted through the app to pick up them up at a designated window. Additional fast-casual and quick-service restaurants will begin to offer Mobile Order later this year. Disney Dining Plan is accepted but Mobile Order only accepts credit cards.

Satu’li Canteen offers 330 seats with an additional 190 seats outside.

Pongu Pongu Kiosk

 Adjacent to Satu’li Canteen is Pongu Pongu, Pandora’s specialty beverage kiosk. “Pongu Pongu” means “party party” and this kiosk, as the story goes, was built by a human who befriended the local Na’vi clan and built a place to gather and socialize. The name came from all the “wild and memorable times” Na’vi and humans had together there.

The signature drink is the Frozen Nectar (frozen limeade with layered flavors of Granny Smith Apple and Desert Pear topped with bursting mango boba balls) that glows with bioluminescent colors reminiscent of Pandora’s flora. There’s also a Screaming Banshee Margarita and Avatar Private Label Ale. Drinks can be purchased in a tiki-inspired mug with an Avatar “juju” light-up cube.

For sweet snacking, Lumpia (loom-pee-ah), a pineapple-cream cheese spring roll, is also on the menu.

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Jul 27 2017

Avatar Flight Of Passage At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

On May 27, 2017, the long-awaited Avatar Flight of Passage attraction, affectionately referred to as “Soarin’ on Steroids,” opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. While the lines continue to be massive, it is absolutely worth the wait, as this experience is widely regarded as the best in all of Walt Disney World. Here’s everything you need to know about the new attraction courtesy of Disney:

Imagine straddling the back of a wing-flapping banshee, darting and swirling through the canyon updrafts, free as the wind. Below you: the otherworldly planet of Pandora – grand in its vastness, surreal in its bioluminescence.

Hold on tight! You can ride this beast. You can sense its banshee breath. That’s because you’re high-flying in an immersive new adventure, Avatar Flight of Passage, now open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

A shining star of the theme park’s all-new land, Pandora – The World of Avatar, this 3-D expedition transports travelers on a sweeping, simulated flight over Pandora’s colorful landscape. Guests soar around floating mountains, plunge through ancient caverns and skim across roaring oceans, culminating in a realistic encounter with the fiercest king of the air, the Great Leonopteryx that boasts a 45-foot wingspan.

“In Flight of Passage, the sensation of flying is really visceral, really believable,” said Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “Not only do you have the more obvious aspects of flying – the swooping and curving – but we’ve put in crosswind, air density and banking.”

Three Experiences Folded Into One

The journey begins in the queue as guests begin an uphill trek around a massive root structure, over a land bridge above waterfalls to an authentic totem garden. Meandering passageways lead to a cave-like structure where the great–winged banshees, or Ikran as the Na’vis call them, are celebrated in paintings and majestic totems. Next, guests enter an old, once abandoned RDA facility with a laboratory partially restored. Here, there are scientific experiments in progress with references to habitat restoration, the ecosystem, water purification and the connection of all living things.

Next stop is the genetic matching room where explorers are scanned and genetic material is sampled to connect them to personal avatars in preparation for a flight experience. Once matched, adventurers board link chairs, don flight visors and prepare for the flight.

Next stop: a mystical world like no other.

Flying on the back of a banshee represents an important rite of passage for the Na’vi and as visitors to the alien world, guests have a chance to be tested and guided through the wondrous journey. After entering a state-of-the-art theater, each guest straddles a single-seat simulator (like a motorcycle) that delivers a realistic sensation of riding a living creature. Guests experience the swift and graceful movements of flight and even feel the banshee breathing beneath them. The multi-sensory experience uses cutting-edge technology and intricate special effects like never before.

This heart-pounding adventure transports explorers through the alien world of Pandora, offering lifelike encounters – splashing whale-like creatures, blowing wind, roaring banshees, and a threatening encounter with a flying predator. The exhilarating 4-minute flight through the sci-fi world of bioluminescence and floating mountains is orchestrated to a complex musical score recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.

“All of the mechanics behind it, all of the engineering, all the stuff that goes into the imagery is amazing,” said James Cameron, whose blockbuster film AVATAR inspired Disney’s new land. “You know, riding the Ikran is a thrill. You’re going to plunge. You’re going to dive. You’re going to swoop. It’s like dreaming with your eyes open.”

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Jul 26 2017

Na’vi River Journey At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Finally in May after literally years of waiting, the highly anticipated Pandora – The World of Avatar area opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and along with it Na’vi River Journey. I was fortunate enough to be there opening weekend with a Fastpass+ booked for this attraction. Having never seen the film, I had no idea what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. It may not be the most thrilling of attractions, but Na’vi River Journey is certainly peaceful, beautiful, and a perfect escape from the heat and crowds of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here’s everything you need to know about the new attraction courtesy of Disney:

Set sail on a river journey unlike any other. On a moon that is light years from Earth.

You are not alone, either. This riverscape pulses with sensational sights and sounds that fill your senses. And, at journey’s end, a very special surprise.

Aboard the reed boats of the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey, adventurers float through an alien world beyond their imagination. That wonderment begins in the very heart of Pandora – The World of Avatar, the all-new land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

As guests approach the iconic floating mountains and waterfalls on Pandora, a towering totem beckons. Paying homage to the mystical Shaman of Songs, the massive totem was delicately woven by the Na’vi, the indigenous people of Pandora, and celebrates the shaman’s deep connection to the life force of Pandora.

The totem also invites guests to venture further into grottos that lead to the mystical river – and an eventual encounter with the shaman.

At the water’s edge, guests board those reed boats. Barely have the boats cut the first ripples of water when a Na’vi warrior appears. With a nod, he grants passage to the human voyagers, and soon an amazing scene unfolds. A spectacular bioluminescent rainforest surrounds guests. By day or night, boats pass through this darkened world, pushing deep into a jungle alive with exotic glowing plants and traversed by Pandoran creatures.

Keen observers will notice that the animals and Na’vi are moving in the same direction as they make their way to see the shaman. Music is heard, which means the shaman is not far off.

“Na’vi River Journey is a very sweet, lyrical adventure through a spectacular visual environment that just becomes more and more spectacular as you go on,” explains Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “The bioluminescent activity of the plants around you unfolds in richer and richer scenes in really just a very uplifting, wonderful kind of journey.”

The journey builds to an encounter with the remarkable Shaman of Songs. Like most Na’vi, she is nearly 10 feet tall.

Music is central in Na’vi culture. Guests observe the shaman in the midst of a musical ceremony, playing an instrument and singing. This mystical journey culminates in an encounter with the Na’vi Shaman of Songs, who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music.

Disney technology put fluid energy into every movement and gesture, Rohde said.

“The shaman is even more extraordinary than we expected,” said Rohde. “Her facial expressions, little movements in the cheek, tiny movements in the eyelid – each one of these carries an emotion she’s capable of conveying.”

It is part of Disney’s attention to detail that makes Pandora a world of adventure, he added.

“There is a real edge to our Pandora,” he said, “just like the rest of Animal Kingdom. When guests get here and really look around, they will see there’s this edge, this little adventurous edge on the land. Na’vi River Journey helps complement that edge.”

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Have you experienced the Na’vi River Journey yet?
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Jul 25 2017

Enchanting Extras At Walt Disney World

As a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World, I often get the “you’re going there AGAIN?!” question accompanied with the perplexed eye roll and head shake. If you are a Disney fan like me, you already get it, you know why we go back time and again, but if you’re new to Disney, here’s one of the multitude of reasons so many of us “Disney Freaks” (as we are sometimes affectionately referred to) continue to return again and again…there is always something new and exciting to experience. Better than any other theme park destination, the Disney company knows how to create entertaining guest experiences to draw us in and keep us coming back for more. Here’s everything you need to know about a few of these “Enchanting Extras” courtesy of Disney:

Cinderella CastleWhether it’s celebrating a special occasion, trying a new exhilarating activity, or treating the family to a well-deserved splurge, the Enchanting Extras Collection lets Walt Disney World Resort guests discover even more magic to add to their vacation.

The Enchanting Extras Collection helps guests enhance their vacation experience with options that vary from relaxing spa treatments to delightful dessert parties and beyond, immersing guests in more magic and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Guests can select from more than 70 distinctly Disney experiences within these eight areas of interest:

Adventures in Dining

With a plethora of culinary adventures in store for guests, these experiences will make guests feel like a gourmet chef, or learn what it’s like to be an Imagineer at Disney, or even enjoy a private dinner–the choice is theirs! During the Savor the Savanna: Evening Safari Experience, guests enjoy a private safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and explore the tastes of Africa with premium eats and beverages.

Epcot Flower & Garden FestivalLimited-Time Events

There are stellar seasonal events and experiences offered at Walt Disney World Resort, bringing unique fun to guests year round. Guests can choose from a host of limited-time events throughout the year, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the fall, or the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival in the Spring.

Make-Believe & More

Just for kids, these enchanted experiences are fairy tales come true. From magical makeover experiences such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and The Pirates League, to Children’s Activity Centers at the resort hotels, there are plenty of ways for kids to have an extra special time.

Nature Experiences

Animal and nature lovers can choose from multiple encounters that bring them closer to exotic wildlife, including experiences such as Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In this guest adventure, expert guides lead small groups of adventurers on excursions where they can spend extended time observing and learning about the animals while on foot and while over-landing in customized safari vehicles.

Disney World Saratoga Springs GrandstandRest & Recreation

Whether guests are seeking a rejuvenating treatment at one of the Senses Spa locations at the resort hotels, or want to hit the green with a rousing round of miniature golf at one of the multiple courses at Walt Disney World, there are a myriad of ways to relax and unwind.

Wishes PartySpectacular Sweet Spots

Guests can sweeten any vacation experience with exclusive dessert party options. One party, Frozen Ever After Dessert Party, offers not only a specially created Frozen dessert menu and beverages, but fantastic views of IllumiNations at Epcot as well.

Special Occasions

There’s no better place to celebrate special milestones and make new memories than at Walt Disney World Resort, and these experiences take these moments to the next level. If guests are staying at one of the many resort hotels, Disney magic-makers can even create special surprises called ‘In-room Celebrations’ with floral arrangements, birthday, anniversary, holiday gifts, and much more.

Unique Access Tours

Guests can take a peek behind the scenes and see how Disney magic comes to life at the Walt Disney World theme parks and resorts with special tours like the World Showcase DestiNations Discovered tour, providing an insider’s look at the countries that helped shape the creation of Epcot, or the Ultimate Day of Thrills VIP tour, which gives guests an action-packed experience through multiple parks.

Beyond traditional theme park-going, these options are among a whole world of choices guests can choose from. Guests can book any of these experiences by clicking here or by calling 407-939-7529.

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If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you tried an Enchanting Extra at Walt Disney World?
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Jul 24 2017

Big Changes For Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

With so many Disney resort hotels to chose from Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is often overlooked. Frequently referred to as a “convention resort,” many guests, especially those with young children, haven’t even given this place a second thought when deciding where to stay. But with the new and exciting changes on the way to Coronado Springs, it may soon be one of the top picks when booking a Disney resort hotel. Here’s everything that has been confirmed so far courtesy of Disney:

Walt Disney World Resort continues to invest in the guest experience of its resort hotels and will soon be offering enhanced dining options, added event areas and more guest rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Work has begun on a new 15-story tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort that will bring an additional 500 rooms with suites and concierge level services. The new tower, overlooking Lago Dorado, the resort’s centerpiece lake, will offer a rooftop dining experience with panoramic views of popular nighttime fireworks from nearby Disney theme parks.

“For many of our guests, magical memories begin at one of our 27-themed resorts each and every day,” said Josh D’Amaro, senior vice president of Walt Disney World Resort Operations. “At Walt Disney World Resort, we continue to expand our portfolio and invest in new resort developments that allow even more guests to be immersed in all that a Disney resort has to offer.”

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort will also reimagine its current resort rooms and transform its landscape with floating gardens and an island oasis connected by a series of bridges to other areas of the resort. The transformation will stay true to the resort theme, reflecting the vibrant spirit of adventure that lived within the Spanish explorers of North America.

The addition of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort tower will bring the number Walt Disney World Resort rooms to nearly 30,000 within its 27 resort hotels.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort?
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