Walt Disney World in 15 photos

We've been back from Walt Disney World for two weeks and it already feels like a distant memory. Time goes much slower in the real world than it does in Disney World!

As always, we had an amazing time. We managed to fit lots of new things into this trip as well as all our old favourites, including these ten new things I identified in my last blog post. I can't even begin to describe how much I love going back and how much I miss it when I'm not there.

Don't be alarmed by the title of this blog post... I obviously took more than 15 photos during our time away. In fact, it's probably not much of an exaggeration to suggest that I took ten times that amount.

However, I decided that summarising our two weeks with one of my favourite photos from each day would be a good post to ease myself back in to the blogging routine.

Day 1 - The welcome view from our balcony when we finally got to Saratoga Springs

Day 2 - We spent our first full day at the Magic Kingdom. It's one of our traditions!

Day 3 - We love the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

Day 4 - View from California Grill's observation deck. Our first signature meal of the holiday!

Day 5 - A beautifully sunny day at Animal Kingdom

Day 6 - My love for the Move it! Shake it! Street Party knows no bounds

Day 7 - Our first experience of Pandora - The World of Avatar at night

Day 8 - A sunny morning at Hollywood Studios

Day 9 - Breakfast at Be Our Guest to start off a scorching day 

Day 10 - Cocktails and a beautiful sunset in Disney Springs

Day 11 - Another trip to Epcot to admire the Flower and Garden topiaries

Day 12 - A stroll along the Boardwalk followed by a meal at the Yachtsman Steakhouse 

Day 13 - The day with the crazy tropical weather, starting with a boiling hot morning at Typhoon Lagoon

Day 14 - Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom on our last night

Day 15 - One last wander around Disney Springs before catching the Magical Express to the airport

So there you have it... Walt Disney World in 15 photos. It took me a shameful amount of time and three different stints on the laptop to decide on these 15 photos, by the way.

Keep a look out for more holiday blog posts over the next few weeks!

Our Advance Dining Reservations for 2018

The holiday countdown is well and truly on... there are just 20 days to go until we're back in Walt Disney World.

As I've said many times before, one of the best things about Disney holidays is that they can be planned to absolute perfection. You can book all your restaurants in advance, as well as up to three rides, attractions and experiences per day.

The Disney Dining Plan has been included with our booking again this year which means we need to be fairly strategic about where we're eating and when. This adds an extra planning element which is entirely focused on food, so obviously this means I'm in my element! If you're interested in finding out more about the Disney Dining Plan, I've blogged about all its different elements on the links below: 

Signature restaurants

Table service credits

Quick service credits
Snack credits 

It's worth noting that an alcoholic drink is now included with your table service credits which has never been the case on our previous visits. This is a pretty exciting upgrade as alcoholic drinks are expensive, particularly at the signature restaurants. I'm sure I'll sample a few different cocktails over the course of the holiday just to make the most of it!

Although we haven't quite booked all our restaurants yet as we like to leave a few days free for spontaneity's sake, we have done loads of planning which has included setting up a dedicated Trello board (please don't laugh at me).

I thought I'd blog about the new restaurants we've booked for this year's holiday as it's getting closer and closer, as well as a little look at some old favourites which I'm very excited about re-visiting.

California Grill 

We've wanted to try California Grill for a few years but we've never managed to get a booking at a suitable time. We made sure we made it our very first reservation this year to get the best possible slot, and I can't wait to be seated at the top of the Contemporary in a few weeks' time! 

Frontera Cocina 

This restaurant is situated in Disney Springs, and it's one which I don't know very much about. However, the menu and the photos on TripAdvisor look fantastic so I'm very happy to give it a try.

Planet Hollywood Observatory 

I've been to the Disneyland Paris version of Planet Hollywood, but I've never been to the one in Walt Disney World. This restaurant has recently had a big makeover and I've heard amazing things about its massive burgers and desserts. 

Sanaa

Sanaa is one of the restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I've never been to this particular resort so I'm excited about exploring the surroundings as well as having lunch at Sanaa. Again, we've heard good things about this African-themed restaurant and it's nice to fit in a different cuisine amongst all the burgers and steaks. 

Be our Guest

We went to Be our Guest for dinner a few years ago but we've never been there for breakfast, so I'm taking the liberty of including it on my 'new restaurants' list. Breakfast is actually a quick service option rather than table service, and it's excellent value if you're on the Disney Dining Plan. We've booked this breakfast on a Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours morning. We're planning to blitz all our favourite rides then relax at the restaurant for an hour! 

Although we always love trying new restaurants whenever we visit Walt Disney World, there are a few places we absolutely have to book every time.

These three are my absolute favourites... 

The Plaza Restaurant

We didn't eat at The Plaza last year and I really missed it, so this year we've booked it for lunch on our first full day. We always spend our first day at the Magic Kingdom and I love winding down for an hour over lunch at The Plaza. 

Via Napoli 

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Via Napoli serves the best pizza I've ever eaten outside of Italy. 

The Yachtsman Steakhouse

I first ate at the Yachtsman a couple of years ago and I don't think I'll ever want to give it a miss. I love the location and the atmosphere, and the food is pretty spectacular too. 

What do you think of our restaurant choices? Do you have any last-minute recommendations for us? 

Using our table service credits at Walt Disney World

I've already blogged about snacks and quick-service dining since coming back from Walt Disney World last month, so you've probably guessed that it's time for me to focus on the Disney Dining Plan's table service credits!

We had 14 table service credits each over the course of our two weeks in Florida. Most restaurants in Walt Disney World take one credit per person per meal, but there are a few 'signature restaurants' which are more expensive and worth two credits per person per meal. These restaurants are clearly marked on the website, and your server will also make you aware of this before you order to make sure you don't have an unwelcome surprise at the end of your meal.

With each table service credit (or two at a signature restaurant), you receive a refillable soft drink, main meal and dessert. It's important to remember that the standard 18-20% service charge isn't included in the Disney Dining Plan, and you'll also need to pay for any alcoholic drinks, starters or sides.

I'm going to blog about the restaurants where we used one credit each for today's post, and I'll be blogging about the signature restaurants we visited next week. There were way too many photos to include them all in one post!

Tony's Town Square Restaurant

Our first table service meal on our first full day at the Magic Kingdom. This was MASSIVE but really tasty! I'm disappointed that I apparently forgot to take a picture of my dessert... I must have been too excited about being back in the most magical place on earth. 

Rainforest Cafe 

Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs isn't somewhere we eat every time we visit Walt Disney World as it isn't one of our absolute favourites, but we always enjoy it when we do eat there. We treated ourselves to cocktails too as they have such a fantastic selection. 

Yak & Yeti 

Yak & Yeti is a table service restaurant in Animal Kingdom - a new restaurant for this year and one of my favourite meals of the holiday! I'm honestly still dreaming about this amazing meal and would highly recommend this restaurant. 

Tutto Italia

Another first for this holiday - Tutto Italia in Epcot's Italy pavilion. A lovely quiet meal in authentic Italian surroundings, and I particularly enjoyed my panna cotta dessert. 

Via Napoli 

Via Napoli is also in Epcot's Italy pavilion and is one of the restaurants I absolutely have to visit every time. I still maintain that they serve the best pizza I've ever had, and the pistachio ice cream is out of this world!

Nine Dragons

Nine Dragons is situated in Epcot's China pavilion and is always a holiday staple for us. I order the Canton Pepper Beef every time as it's too good to miss out on!

Teppan Edo 

Another new restaurant for this trip, situated in Epcot's beautiful Japan pavilion. Eating at Teppan Edo was such an amazing experience! Guests sit in groups of 8 around a table, and each table has its own stove and its own chef. Your food is cooked in front of you using the simplest of ingredients, and it all tastes spectacular. 

Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen 

Yet another new restaurant for this trip. Although this wasn't one of our favourite meals of the holiday, it was still delicious. We skipped dessert on this occasion as we wanted an ice cream from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor instead... perils of eating a table service lunch at the Magic Kingdom. 

What's your favourite table service restaurant in Walt Disney World? Keep a look out for my next blog post on our favourite signature restaurants! 

Quick-service dining at Walt Disney World

If you've read last week's snacktastic post, you'll already know that the Disney Dining Plan was tagged on to our holiday booking this year and we took full advantage of all the delights it offered us.

We had 14 quick-service credits each to use up over the two weeks. A quick-service restaurant is usually a cafeteria-style or counter-service venue where you order or take the food items that you want, pay for your food then sit down to eat your meal. A quick-service meal for two can range from roughly $20 to $40.

14 quick-service credits for a fortnight might sound very manageable if you've never seen the size of the average quick-service portion... they're pretty big, even for me. Bearing in mind that we also had 14 table service credits to use during the two weeks, we had to do some serious meal planning! Luckily, food is always one of our highlights on every holiday which means we love meal planning and talking about where we're going to eat next.

Here's a photographic summary of the quick-service restaurants where we used our credits this year...

D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs is one of our favourite quick-service restaurants which is why we ate here three times! You get a burger and a drink with your quick-service credit and we used snack credits for the chips. 

You really can't go wrong with an Earl of Sandwich and we ate here three times too. Although we should technically only have a sandwich/wrap and a drink with our credit according to DDP rules, Earl of Sandwich also throws in a snack (such as a fruit pot or a packet of crisps). 

Orange chicken from the Lotus Blossom Cafe in Epcot's China pavilion. Amazing quality! 

Quick-service credits are always useful when you want to eat a quick breakfast at your resort. Here's the amazing bacon and egg croissant from The Artist's Palette at Saratoga Springs! 

My standard breakfast at The Artist's Palette on our first and last day... I promise you that Mickey-shaped waffles taste better than normal-shaped waffles. 

Pepperoni flatbread from The Artist's Palette for lunch.

Our first meal at PizzeRizzo in Hollywood Studios. PizzeRizzo replaced Pizza Planet in 2016 but the pizzas in both restaurants are suspiciously similar!

We also ate at the Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom but I didn't take a photo as we ate our meal outside and it was dark... I'm far too much of a perfectionist when it comes to my beloved food photos. 

In spite of our careful planning and excessive eating, we had two quick-service credits left at the end of the holiday. When this happens, you're given the option to exchange each quick-service credit for three snack credits. This enabled us to choose six big bags of Disney sweets to take home with us, free of charge. 

What's your favourite quick-service restaurant in Walt Disney World? I'll be blogging about table service restaurants next time so keep a look out for that! 

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa - a review

We stayed in Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for the first time in September. We really really loved it... so much so that we're staying there again next April/May for our 2017 Disney holiday!

Saratoga Springs is located in the Disney Springs resort area and is in a great central location. Launched in 2004, it's a relatively new resort compared to the others we've stayed in. The resort is inspired by New York's Saratoga Springs and has five distinct areas - The Springs, The Paddock, The Carousel, the Grandstand and Congress Park. Saratoga Springs is classed as a 'deluxe' Disney resort which means it has certain perks, such as a balcony and more amenities for your room. 

We stayed in the Congress Park area which was only five minutes' walk away from The Carriage House (the lobby and main concourse). This proved to be very useful for our refillable mug top-ups! However, for me, the huge plus of staying at Congress Park was the convenient walkway to Disney Springs. We always spend a lot of time in this bustling area of Walt Disney World and being able to walk there in ten minutes saved us so much time and effort in terms of waiting for transport. It meant we could pop over to Disney Springs whenever we had a couple of hours to spare, and it also provided us with lots of lovely views as we walked! 

We stayed in a 'studio' at Saratoga Springs which is suitable for up to four people. We were situated on the first floor (or second floor in American terms) and were really pleased with the size and quality of our room. It contained a queen-sized bed, a double sofa bed, the aforementioned balcony with a little table and two chairs, and a kitchenette area with a sink, fridge, toaster, microwave and coffee machine. There was plenty of storage room for our suitcases, clothes and shopping and it continued to feel spacious for the whole length of our stay! Our room was cleaned every day and we were very impressed (as always) with the attentive and friendly nature of all employees at the resort.

We wandered around the other resort areas a few times during our stay - this really is a huge resort. There are five bus stops scattered throughout Saratoga Springs for your free park transportation, one for each area, so it's worth considering this when you decide where you'd prefer to stay. The Grandstand is the first area where the buses pick up and drop off, and the Springs is the final area. You can also catch the boat or the bus to Disney Springs if you'd prefer not to walk, which might be useful if you're staying a little further from the walkway. All five areas are full of pretty buildings and situated in beautiful surroundings with various views, fountains and backdrops so you can't really go wrong with your choice! 

On the food front, Saratoga Springs offers a table service option and a counter service option - The Turf Club Bar and Grill and The Artist's Palette, respectively. Although we didn't eat at the Turf Club during our stay, we made good use of the Artist's Palette for breakfast and lunch on a couple of days and had some lovely quick meals there. You can also buy lots of snacks at the adjoining gift shop if you need to use up your Disney Dining Plan tokens on your last day! 

Saratoga Springs offers a main pool and numerous quiet pools around the resort. The main pool boasts the On The Rocks pool bar for all your drinks and snacks so you could happily spend a good portion of your day there, and it's also within throwing distance of the main building. The quiet pools in the Paddock and Grandstand areas also have their own pool bars which is very convenient for guests staying in those areas, and a few of the quiet pools are open for 24 hours.

I can't comment on the spa or the golfing facilities as we didn't use these during our stay, but it's always good to know that those options are there if they're important to you and what you want out of your holiday. 

I really can't wait to go back to Saratoga Springs next April. Like every other Disney resort we've ever stayed in, the customer service is second to none and you're made to feel welcome from the second you arrive until you leave on the Magical Express. 

Have you ever stayed at Saratoga Springs? As I'm sure you can tell by now, I'd highly recommend it!