Introducing Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy
Enchanting New Names for New Disney Cruise Line® Ships
We want you to be among the first to know that our two new cruise ships now have names - Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Bob Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, announced the official names today at the 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Oakland, Calif. Like the Disney Magic® and Disney Wonder® Cruise Ships before them, the names of the two newest ships in our fleet were chosen with care to celebrate Disney's unique heritage - creating incredible worlds of fantasy where your Clients' dreams really do come true.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Dining at Disneyland, Paris
From The Pen of a Foodie
For our family, dining while at Disney is an enjoyable and anticipated event. We have experienced some of the finest culinary treats Disney’s chefs have to offer; Palo aboard the Disney Magic and Wonder, California Grill at Walt Disney World, and the Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian. We also have a great deal of character dining experience; Chef Mickeys, Goofy’s Kitchen, several incarnations of the character breakfast aboard the Disney Magic, and Storyteller’s Café. In short, we are no strangers to Disney Dining!
If there is a weak spot in the repertoire of Disneyland, Paris’ delights it would have to be here. We sampled two inside the park restaurants; Café Agrabah, and Walts, an American Restaurant, and two Disney Village restaurants; Café Mickey, and Rainforest Café. Café Mickey offers a character dining experience.
Walt’s was good. Not great, but definitely good. The atmosphere and décor was enough to bring me in; the restaurant, much like the park itself, is beautiful, detailed and whimsical. We dined here for lunch and had the two course price fixed menu; starter and main course, and added dessert and café. The presentation was definitely appealing, but the flavors (I had the Caesar Salad starter with Chicken in a Marsala Cream Sauce for an entrée) were lacking in the depth and complexity necessary for this foodie to offer a rave review. Desert, however, was truly delicious; Apple Crumble with Salted Butterscotch Ice Cream. This combo really worked, and the café, adorned with a chocolate Mickey, was superb. All-in-all I’d give the experience itself a 9/10 and would do it again. I’d give the food a 7/10. Price for two; 76 euro, which certainly isn’t a value except for true Disney fans.
Café Agrabah was not to my liking; admittedly I don’t usually care for Mediterranean flavors, but this all-you-can-eat buffet’s menu appealed to my vegetarian (who will occasionally eat chicken) son so we gave it a shot. Again, as with most other aspects of Disneyland Park, Paris, Café Agrabah was beautifully detailed; I felt as though I had just stepped into the movie, Aladdin. Several salad choices, meats flavored with warm spices, and dessert of crepes and chocolate mousse round out the selections here. All-in-all I’d give the experience a 7.5/10 and the food a 5/10; I probably would not dine here again. Price for lunch for 2; 54 euro, not a value…even for a true Disney fan!
Rainforest Café in the Disney Village; we love Rainforest and have dined in many of their locations and never miss the opportunity when in Anaheim and Orlando. Truthfully, Rainforest’s food is good, definitely not great, but dependably good. The atmosphere and theming work well in Disney locations and the restaurant is family friendly and fun! In the Disney Village in Paris, the theming and atmosphere remain consistent with its American cousins, but the food isn’t up to standard. The Rasta Pasta, which is one of my favorites, was almost flavorless and the potato skin appetizer was hard, not merely crispy and crunchy. All-in-all I’d give the experience an 8/10 and the food a 5/10; I would not plan to dine here again. Price for dinner for 2; 62 euro, not a value but certainly the going rate for Rainforest Café anywhere.
Café Mickey in the Disney Village was the only character dining experience we had while in Paris. The restaurant is very cute, bright and cheery in Mickey colors! The characters come to your table while you dine. Some of the greatest entertainment Disney has to offer is the opportunity to watch children interact with Disney characters for the very first time and so the environment was certainly enjoyable. The food, however, was not on par with Disney standard. Again we enjoyed a price fixed menu which included starter, entrée, and dessert. The roasted mushroom appetizer was delicious and it was huge; 6 mushrooms with pesto and half a head of roasted garlic with grilled bread, in hindsight I wish I had finished it instead of “saving room” for my entrée and dessert. My dinner was a steak and fries. (steak frit) The steak was bland and the fries were not light and fluffy. Dessert (café with a sampling of 3 tiny desserts) was utterly tasteless. All-in-all I’d give the experience a 6/10; while certainly fun to be a part of, the character aspect just doesn’t compare in quality to other character dining experiences I’ve had. The food rates a 4.5/10 and I will not be dining here in the future. Price for dinner for 2; 69 euro. Not a value.
To be fair, Café Agrabah may be better than my review would indicate; as I stated, I do not care for Mediterranean spices and other diners were raving…so this might be worth a try if you find yourself in the neighbourhood! My son, while not raving, certainly enjoyed his lunch!
Walt’s, although expensive, is on my list of places to which I will return while in Disneyland, Paris. A very nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the park itself and a great place for a little romance!
For our family, dining while at Disney is an enjoyable and anticipated event. We have experienced some of the finest culinary treats Disney’s chefs have to offer; Palo aboard the Disney Magic and Wonder, California Grill at Walt Disney World, and the Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian. We also have a great deal of character dining experience; Chef Mickeys, Goofy’s Kitchen, several incarnations of the character breakfast aboard the Disney Magic, and Storyteller’s Café. In short, we are no strangers to Disney Dining!
If there is a weak spot in the repertoire of Disneyland, Paris’ delights it would have to be here. We sampled two inside the park restaurants; Café Agrabah, and Walts, an American Restaurant, and two Disney Village restaurants; Café Mickey, and Rainforest Café. Café Mickey offers a character dining experience.
Walt’s was good. Not great, but definitely good. The atmosphere and décor was enough to bring me in; the restaurant, much like the park itself, is beautiful, detailed and whimsical. We dined here for lunch and had the two course price fixed menu; starter and main course, and added dessert and café. The presentation was definitely appealing, but the flavors (I had the Caesar Salad starter with Chicken in a Marsala Cream Sauce for an entrée) were lacking in the depth and complexity necessary for this foodie to offer a rave review. Desert, however, was truly delicious; Apple Crumble with Salted Butterscotch Ice Cream. This combo really worked, and the café, adorned with a chocolate Mickey, was superb. All-in-all I’d give the experience itself a 9/10 and would do it again. I’d give the food a 7/10. Price for two; 76 euro, which certainly isn’t a value except for true Disney fans.
Café Agrabah was not to my liking; admittedly I don’t usually care for Mediterranean flavors, but this all-you-can-eat buffet’s menu appealed to my vegetarian (who will occasionally eat chicken) son so we gave it a shot. Again, as with most other aspects of Disneyland Park, Paris, Café Agrabah was beautifully detailed; I felt as though I had just stepped into the movie, Aladdin. Several salad choices, meats flavored with warm spices, and dessert of crepes and chocolate mousse round out the selections here. All-in-all I’d give the experience a 7.5/10 and the food a 5/10; I probably would not dine here again. Price for lunch for 2; 54 euro, not a value…even for a true Disney fan!
Rainforest Café in the Disney Village; we love Rainforest and have dined in many of their locations and never miss the opportunity when in Anaheim and Orlando. Truthfully, Rainforest’s food is good, definitely not great, but dependably good. The atmosphere and theming work well in Disney locations and the restaurant is family friendly and fun! In the Disney Village in Paris, the theming and atmosphere remain consistent with its American cousins, but the food isn’t up to standard. The Rasta Pasta, which is one of my favorites, was almost flavorless and the potato skin appetizer was hard, not merely crispy and crunchy. All-in-all I’d give the experience an 8/10 and the food a 5/10; I would not plan to dine here again. Price for dinner for 2; 62 euro, not a value but certainly the going rate for Rainforest Café anywhere.
Café Mickey in the Disney Village was the only character dining experience we had while in Paris. The restaurant is very cute, bright and cheery in Mickey colors! The characters come to your table while you dine. Some of the greatest entertainment Disney has to offer is the opportunity to watch children interact with Disney characters for the very first time and so the environment was certainly enjoyable. The food, however, was not on par with Disney standard. Again we enjoyed a price fixed menu which included starter, entrée, and dessert. The roasted mushroom appetizer was delicious and it was huge; 6 mushrooms with pesto and half a head of roasted garlic with grilled bread, in hindsight I wish I had finished it instead of “saving room” for my entrée and dessert. My dinner was a steak and fries. (steak frit) The steak was bland and the fries were not light and fluffy. Dessert (café with a sampling of 3 tiny desserts) was utterly tasteless. All-in-all I’d give the experience a 6/10; while certainly fun to be a part of, the character aspect just doesn’t compare in quality to other character dining experiences I’ve had. The food rates a 4.5/10 and I will not be dining here in the future. Price for dinner for 2; 69 euro. Not a value.
To be fair, Café Agrabah may be better than my review would indicate; as I stated, I do not care for Mediterranean spices and other diners were raving…so this might be worth a try if you find yourself in the neighbourhood! My son, while not raving, certainly enjoyed his lunch!
Walt’s, although expensive, is on my list of places to which I will return while in Disneyland, Paris. A very nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the park itself and a great place for a little romance!
Disneyland, Paris
Disneyland, Paris
To those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise to you that my first full day in the “City of Light” was spent at Disney. The Paris Metro and RER trains are a true marvel; 35 minutes after leaving our hotel room we were standing at the entrance to Disneyland Park!
This is a beautiful park, probably the most visually appealing park in the vast Disney Empire! A company that prides itself on attention to detail, they truly outdid themselves here. Main Street evokes all the whimsy of yesteryear small town America, and at first impression my son remarked that we might as well be in California…until the castle came into view.
The castle that is the center piece of Disneyland, Paris is breathtaking in its beauty and detail. I suppose one could argue that being in Europe it had to be stunning, after all Europeans know what real castles look like, but this castle is a Disney masterpiece. After we spent 10 minutes taking photos, (coming soon to the video section at the sidebar) we went inside. Not a façade like its California counterpart, we visited the castle's interior and met the resident dragon!
Pirates of the Caribbean, the perennial theme park favorite, is delightful here. Unlike the abbreviated version at WDW, this incarnation of Pirates did not disappoint! Still without the movie updates, this experience provided a bit of nostalgia I sincerely appreciated!
Phantom Manor, aka The Haunted Mansion in the states, was another attraction equal to both California and Orlando in presentation and appeal. Something I especially like about this attraction, no matter which location it is in; they are all different yet all evoke Disney magic and storytelling at its finest!
Space Mountain, according to my son the roller coaster expert, is, without a doubt, the best roller coaster he has ever been on—and he’s been on a fair few. I cannot offer my personal endorsement, however, as I *chickened out* of this experience.
The exterior of the attractions, especially Toad Hall, Pirates, Phantom Manor, and Small World is intricate in detail and thus pulls you into the emotional aspects of a Disney experience. I feel this pull most strongly at the California Park but I must admit that in Paris it cannot be ignored; the park is very, very well done.
Next post: Dining at Disneyland, Paris
To those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise to you that my first full day in the “City of Light” was spent at Disney. The Paris Metro and RER trains are a true marvel; 35 minutes after leaving our hotel room we were standing at the entrance to Disneyland Park!
This is a beautiful park, probably the most visually appealing park in the vast Disney Empire! A company that prides itself on attention to detail, they truly outdid themselves here. Main Street evokes all the whimsy of yesteryear small town America, and at first impression my son remarked that we might as well be in California…until the castle came into view.
The castle that is the center piece of Disneyland, Paris is breathtaking in its beauty and detail. I suppose one could argue that being in Europe it had to be stunning, after all Europeans know what real castles look like, but this castle is a Disney masterpiece. After we spent 10 minutes taking photos, (coming soon to the video section at the sidebar) we went inside. Not a façade like its California counterpart, we visited the castle's interior and met the resident dragon!
Pirates of the Caribbean, the perennial theme park favorite, is delightful here. Unlike the abbreviated version at WDW, this incarnation of Pirates did not disappoint! Still without the movie updates, this experience provided a bit of nostalgia I sincerely appreciated!
Phantom Manor, aka The Haunted Mansion in the states, was another attraction equal to both California and Orlando in presentation and appeal. Something I especially like about this attraction, no matter which location it is in; they are all different yet all evoke Disney magic and storytelling at its finest!
Space Mountain, according to my son the roller coaster expert, is, without a doubt, the best roller coaster he has ever been on—and he’s been on a fair few. I cannot offer my personal endorsement, however, as I *chickened out* of this experience.
The exterior of the attractions, especially Toad Hall, Pirates, Phantom Manor, and Small World is intricate in detail and thus pulls you into the emotional aspects of a Disney experience. I feel this pull most strongly at the California Park but I must admit that in Paris it cannot be ignored; the park is very, very well done.
Next post: Dining at Disneyland, Paris
Time, Changes, and Introductions
Dear Blog,
Time has gotten away from me. Since last I took the time to update you, much has happened; we took a fabulous Disney Cruise, spent four days at Walt Disney World, and experienced Disneyland, Paris for the first time! Rachael and I are currently planning our first Girls Only cruise in celebration of her 12th birthday; we sail on May 17th! There is so much to tell…
So as to give the illusion of continuity (and less time away from you) I will be playing catch up. Tim has graciously offered to take care of posting a trip report from our latest cruise line adventure and he is currently in the process of writing.
Although Paris was our most recent escapade, and should be the last post I make at this time, I’m going to begin there.
Paris opened a new door for our agency as it was not merely a Disney Destination; make no mistake, we spent plenty of time at Disney, but we also took in Paris…a truly magnificent city.
Time has gotten away from me. Since last I took the time to update you, much has happened; we took a fabulous Disney Cruise, spent four days at Walt Disney World, and experienced Disneyland, Paris for the first time! Rachael and I are currently planning our first Girls Only cruise in celebration of her 12th birthday; we sail on May 17th! There is so much to tell…
So as to give the illusion of continuity (and less time away from you) I will be playing catch up. Tim has graciously offered to take care of posting a trip report from our latest cruise line adventure and he is currently in the process of writing.
Although Paris was our most recent escapade, and should be the last post I make at this time, I’m going to begin there.
Paris opened a new door for our agency as it was not merely a Disney Destination; make no mistake, we spent plenty of time at Disney, but we also took in Paris…a truly magnificent city.
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