Daily Archives: September 14, 2012

Cheers! Walt Disney World to serve wine, beer

Wine and beer will be on the menu this November when Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., opens its newest dining venue, the French-themed Be Our Guest restaurant. The restaurant, shown here in an artist's rendering, is based on Disney's

Be our guest, be our guest, put our sommelier to the test?

Starting this November, visitors to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando may be tempted to rework the popular song from "Beauty and the Beast" when the park opens its newest dining venue, the French-themed Be Our Guest restaurant. For the first time in the park’s 41-year history, daily visitors will be able to order a glass or bottle of wine (or beer) with their dinner.

“You cannot walk into a French restaurant and not get a glass of wine or beer," Maribeth Bisienere, vice president of food and beverage for Walt Disney Parks, told the Orlando Sentinel. "It made more sense to do it than not to do it."

The decision represents a significant shift for Disney, although the company has long offered alcohol at other parks, including Animal Kingdom, Epcot and at the private Club 33 at Disneyland in Anaheim.

Related: Where a dad at Disney gets a brew: An oasis of craft beer

“The Magic Kingdom has always been considered more of a family-oriented park,” said John Gerner, managing director at Leisure Business Advisors LLC. “It’s the park that’s always tried to follow Walt’s wishes the most closely.”

Which, perhaps, explains the reaction among the park’s most ardent fans. “Our fans are split about 50-50,” said Disney expert Deb Wills of AllEars.net. “There are some people who are purists who want to keep the park alcohol-free. The rest are excited about it.”

Wills counts herself among the latter, citing the fact that alcohol will only be served at one venue and only at dinner. She also suggests that the park’s food-service reputation could use a boost.

“The Magic Kingdom has always been one of the worst parks to have dinner in unless you want characters or all-you-can-eat food,” she told TODAY.com. “A lot of people tend to leave the park, go to one of the [adjacent] resorts for dinner and then come back.”

As part of the park’s Fantasyland expansion, the new restaurant could change that, although it also raises the specter of sauvignon-soused diners staggering away from the table back into more public areas.

Cheers! Disney’s Magic Kingdom to serve wine

Wine and beer will be on the menu this November when Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., opens its newest dining venue, the French-themed Be Our Guest restaurant. The restaurant, shown here in an artist's rendering, is based on Disney's

Be our guest, be our guest, put our sommelier to the test?

Starting this November, visitors to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando may be tempted to rework the popular song from "Beauty and the Beast" when the park opens its newest dining venue, the French-themed Be Our Guest restaurant. For the first time in the park’s 41-year history, daily visitors will be able to order a glass or bottle of wine (or beer) with their dinner.

“You cannot walk into a French restaurant and not get a glass of wine or beer," Maribeth Bisienere, vice president of food and beverage for Walt Disney Parks, told the Orlando Sentinel. "It made more sense to do it than not to do it."

The decision represents a significant shift for Disney, although the company has long offered alcohol at other parks, including Animal Kingdom, Epcot and at the private Club 33 at Disneyland in Anaheim.

Related: Where a dad at Disney gets a brew: An oasis of craft beer

“The Magic Kingdom has always been considered more of a family-oriented park,” said John Gerner, managing director at Leisure Business Advisors LLC. “It’s the park that’s always tried to follow Walt’s wishes the most closely.”

Which, perhaps, explains the reaction among the park’s most ardent fans. “Our fans are split about 50-50,” said Disney expert Deb Wills of AllEars.net. “There are some people who are purists who want to keep the park alcohol-free. The rest are excited about it.”

Wills counts herself among the latter, citing the fact that alcohol will only be served at one venue and only at dinner. She also suggests that the park’s food-service reputation could use a boost.

“The Magic Kingdom has always been one of the worst parks to have dinner in unless you want characters or all-you-can-eat food,” she told TODAY.com. “A lot of people tend to leave the park, go to one of the [adjacent] resorts for dinner and then come back.”

As part of the park’s Fantasyland expansion, the new restaurant could change that, although it also raises the specter of sauvignon-soused diners staggering away from the table back into more public areas.

Top 10 free hotel breakfasts

Courtesy of Marriott International

What's better than breakfast? Free breakfast.

There’s no question that mid-range hotels, including extended stay suites, are doing more to lure in family travelers, particularly on the weekends. Indoor pools, Wi-Fi access and in-room refrigerators are the norm. Most chain hotels offer free breakfast, too. But when it comes to getting the family off to a great start, which hotels offer the best free breakfasts?


“We put a lot of emphasis on breakfast. There’s just something special and fun about having a treat for breakfast that you don’t normally have at home,” says Diane Mayer, Residence Inn vice president and global brand manager. “Food plays a big role in your energy level, too. One of my favorite quotes comes from a leisure traveler who said ‘You’re only as happy as your crankiest kid.’ ”

“My kids are used to waking up and eating right away,” says Lissa Poirot, executive editor of Family Vacation Critic, an online family travel resource. “Having a breakfast buffet means I can slip downstairs and grab something to hold them over until we’re all ready to eat.” She also suggests looking for hotels with concierge levels, which offer complimentary snacks, drinks, hors d’oeuvres and sometimes meals.

Here are 10 hotels, including three independently owned properties, with the best free breakfast spreads sure to please everyone in your crew.

Hyatt Place
The new a.m. Kitchen Skillet includes breakfast sandwiches, waffles, French toast, pancakes and steel-cut oatmeal. You’ll also find more upscale options like cinnamon-glazed French toast, even a Santa Fe bagel sandwich with ham, eggs, spinach and chipotle mayo.

Embassy Suites
You’ll find free, cooked-to-order breakfast options, like omelets and scrambled eggs made on the spot. Menu items vary, but look for kid favorites like pancakes, bacon, muffins, juices and cereals.

Hampton Inn
The first mid-priced hotel brand to offer a free continental breakfast keeps families top of mind with waffles, oatmeal, eggs, sausage and fresh fruits. On the Run breakfast bags packed with fruit, a muffin, box of mints and a cereal bar are also available weekdays.

Homewood Suites
The Suite Start Hot Breakfast features favorites like scrambled eggs, bacon and sweet rolls. Look for fresh homemade salsa and guacamole along with sautéed vegetables and hash browns. Quiches and make-your-own-waffles are also kid favorites.

Residence Inn
Enjoy waffles, even flavored varieties like strawberry and chocolate waffles, with quite a topping bar. Breakfast burritos, sausage and egg biscuits and eggs Florentine rotate throughout the week.

Country Inns Suites
You’ll find waffles, build-your-own breakfast burritos and omelets, as well as standard continental options. Got a family on the go? Head to the grab-and-go station for a drink, fruit and a granola bar as you head out the door.

Element Hotels
Starwood’s eco-wise brand offers a daily complimentary healthy RISE breakfast to help families start their days right. Look for hot wraps, smoothies, granola, fresh fruit, gourmet coffee and pastries.

Hotel Hershey – Hershey, Penn.
Select family packages come with free breakfast from the buffet or the menu. You’ll find omelets, Belgian waffles and pastries at the buffet. Or look to the menu for three egg frittatas with broccoli, chorizo and cheddar cheese, even chocolate-chip brioche French toast.  

Rochester Hotel – Durango, Colo.
Gourmet breakfast includes a daily hot entrée, like asparagus and Swiss scrambled eggs, as well as fresh fruit, homemade granola, yogurt and cereals. Homemade muffins, scones and coffeecakes round out the selections.

Inn on the Alameda – Santa Fe, N.M.
The signature Breakfast of Enchantment features baked goods from several local bakeries. Gluten-free and vegan travelers can enjoy organic farm-to-table gluten-free frittatas, gluten-free breads and vegan cookies, even non-dairy milks and yogurts. 

More in TODAY Travel

 

 

Stowaway cat slips TSA, flies in suitcase

A 14-month-old cat slipped detection by its owner and the Transportation Security Agency and traveled nearly 1,000 miles before being discovered — in Orlando, Fla.

The sneaky feline, Bob-bob, apparently found his way into his owner's suitcase, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Ethel Maze of Circleville, Ohio, told the paper she was doing last-minute packing early Monday for her annual trip to Disney World, and didn't notice the stowaway.

Neither did TSA. "We're just wondering how he got through the X-rays without being seen," Maze told the Sentinel.


"Our machines are very sensitive to picking up explosives and other threats to aviation," TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz told the Sentinel.

Maze, who runs the Maze Residential Care Home, was traveling with a group of 18 disabled veterans and volunteers.

One of the group members, Mike Groleau, said he thought he saw the bag move, the Sentinel reported, but after a long night of packing, he loaded it with the other luggage. Ten hours later at a Disney-area hotel, Maze unzipped her bag and "Bob-bob" was there.

The cat was a little shaken but still purring.

In the past, TSA has caught travelers intentionally hiding creatures in the strangest of places. In one incident, a man hid small snakes and turtles in his pants, while in another incident, a woman taped birds, wrapped in socks, to her leg and chest.

Related: Travelers arrested after hiding small primates in underwear at Delhi airport

Bob-bob's journey is impressive, but it doesn't compare to Ni Hao. The Chinese kitten was discovered as a stowaway in July, after traveling across the Pacific Ocean from Shanghai to Los Angeles in a shipping container, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.

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