From: olivia@leland.Stanford.EDU (Olivia Williamson)
Subject: REC.ARTS.DISNEY/LIVE!  Thursday 12/17 - Buffet Dinners
Reply-To: rad_live@gsb.stanford.edu
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 06:27:24 GMT



BUFFET DINNERS

You may find yourself saying, 
 "where am I going to take the family for dinner?"  
And you may find yourself in an large, expensive restaurant.
And you may ask yourself, "How did I get here?"
And you may find yourself ordering hamburgers for the screaming kids.
And you may ask yourself, "My God, what have I done?"

Choosing a dinner restaurant is sometimes challenging at Walt
Disney World.  It's not for lack of choices--there are many 
"dining adventures" at (ahem) many different price points.  

What's worst is that, having chosen Akershus in the Norway pavilion,
you may find your kids throwing lutefisk and singing:
  I will not eat it in this house,
  I will not eat it from the Mouse!

A sure way to assure that everyone in your family has enough of what 
THEY want to eat is to take the gang to a traditional dinner buffet.
Walt Disney World offers several options for dinner buffets.  We will
be listing them here, and giving some review information on the most
popular of them.

"1900 Park Fare", in the Grand Floridian hotel, offers the most extensive 
and sumptuous buffet on the property.  The Grand Floridian is one of the 
most exclusive resorts on the Property, and has some of the finest chefs 
of any resort in the world.  1900 Park's quality standards are therefore 
very high--all of their items could easily be served ala-carte.  All of 
the categories (appetizer, entree, dessert)  are all very well 
represented, with many selections in each category.  

You'll always find all major types of salads represented--lettuce, 
spinach, pasta, and fruit.  There is a wide variety of entrees besides 
the nightly Prime Rib, including an entree of chicken, fish, pork or veal, 
and a specialty entree such as stir-fry beef.  Desserts are made at the 
hotel, and include several fresh cakes, fruit tarts, and specialties such 
as petite fours and bread pudding.  With all of this fancy food, the kids 
don't go unnoticed--just for them, there are more entree options: 
mini hamburgers and hot dogs, pasta shells, spaghetti with several choices 
of sauces, and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Of course, of course, and what is dinner, without a little..."
Entertainment?  I forgot to mention that 1900 Park is a 
CHARACTER BUFFET.  Ch-ch-ch-Chip and Dale, Rescue Rangers, make regular 
visits throughout the evening, and in the hour I have spent there at dinner 
I've had at least two visits from the Rescue Rangers, including time for 
a photo and all the autographs I could get!  Between visits, the calliope "
Big Bertha" and an antique upright player piano play various 
selections (carnival and Disney most of the year, Christmas music during
this winter season).

1900 Park receives my highest recommendation, and even if you don't like
dinner buffets, I'd say that this one is different enough that you 
should make the trip to enjoy this experience.  The only buffet that
comes close in my memory is the Sunday brunch buffet at the Mirage 
Hotel in Las Vegas.  

1900 Park Fare is a bit more expensive than typical buffets, but less
than the major sit-down restaurants.  Prices are $17.75 for adults and
$9.75 for children.  

For a less expensive but more limited dinner buffet, visit the 
Contemporary Cafe in the Contemporary Resort.  They offer an "
international theme" buffet with different international specialty dishes 
each night.  The selection is more limited than 1900 Park--only green 
salad, two entrees, and carved prime rib and turkey.  Desserts are 
also prepared fresh on-site.  

There is no entertainment at the Contemporary Cafe.  To reach the 
Contemporary Cafe, take elevator or escalator to the "Americas level", 
the third floor that contains the souvenir shops.  The Contemporary Cafe 
is tucked into the end of the building farthest from the Magic Kingdom.


Theme nights are Mexican on Monday and Thursday, Italian on Tuesday 
and Saturday, Oriental on Wednesday, American on Friday, and German 
on Sunday.  Prices are $13.95 for adults (12 years+), $7.95 ages 7-11, and 
$4.95 ages 3-6.  Serving times are from 5:30pm to 9:30pm.

For a different sort of buffet, Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort offers 
a nightly New England Clambake at the Beach Club's "Cape May Cafe."  
This buffet offers various steamed shellfish, plus items for the kids in 
case they don't care for shellfish.  For those of you who really like 
lobster, there is also an all-you-can-eat lobster clambake for an 
additional charge.

The Clambake is $16.95, $8.95 ages 7-11, and free for ages 6 and under.
The Lobster Clambake is $29.45 for adults, and $21.45 ages 3-11.

At selected busy periods, certain hotels also offer dinner buffets, 
including the Grosvenor Resort and the Buena Vista Palace.  Because they 
are seasonal, we were unable to obtain reliable information on menus, 
pricing, and availability.  Consult individual hotels for information.
The Empress Lilly Steamboat restaurant near Pleasure Island also has 
a new buffet dinner that is being tested at this time.

A further alternative to dinner buffets are the new "Food Courts" at 
the Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, and Dixie Landings Resorts.  The 
Caribbean Beach resort's Italian kitchen offers an all-you-can-eat 
italian dinner with selections including spaghetti, linguini, and 
tortellini, with seafood, meat, or marinara sauce, chicken marinara, 
and breadsticks.  The Italian Buffet is approx. $8 and does not 
include beverage or dessert.  

In summary, I would recommend that you give 1900 Park a try if budget 
allows; if you have a lot of kids, the Contemporary Cafe is perfectly good 
and the $5 can make a difference.  As with mall food courts, you may find 
that the a-la-carte items can quickly run up quite a large bill for a 
family, so judge carefully the cost.

To reach the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary Resorts by car, go 
through the rightmost toll plaza gate of the Magic Kingdom/TTC parking 
lot, and take the isolated extreme right lane.  The Contemporary is 
approx. 1 mile straight down this road.  To get to the Grand Floridian,
turn left at the first (and only) signal, pass the TTC, and turn right
following the signs onto Floridian Way.  Self-parking is approx. 3/4 mi.
north on the left side.  Remember your parking space number as there
are over a thousand identical parking spaces in this lot. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Short Takes:

- If you want to try the Italian all-you-can-eat described in another
  of today's postings, stop at the Carribbean Beach Resort's Customs 
  House for a vehicle pass before heading to "Old Port Royale", where
  their food court is based.  Possibly due to a crime incident there
  a few weeks ago, security and access control have been improved in 
  this area of the Property.

- The Company cites progress into a "new vacation experience" titled
  The Disney Institute.  This vacation will be focused on the arts,
  fitness, and learning, and is quoted to begin classes at the Village
  Resort in 1994.

- - - - - - - - - - end of post - - - - - - - - - -
LIVE! is independently, non-comercially developed and edited,
represents independent editorial views, and is not related 
to The Walt Disney Company or any other organization.
Consult a qualified travel specialist to plan your vacation.