Eat in the Wild at Animal Kingdom

Only at Walt Disney World can you get up close and personal with animals like zebras and lions at Animal Kingdom through attractions like the Kilimanjaro Safari and Habitat Habit! and the savannah at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. And soon, through a new dining option offered at the park, guests will have the opportunity to eat among the animals for a wild dining experience with an ambience no other restaurant can provide.

With Picnic in the Park, guests can turn any meal at Animal Kingdom into an adventure – and there’s no planning or sandwich-making required. All guests have to do is pre-order their picnic at a guest relations office or the Tusker House Restaurant in the Harambe Village in the Africa area. Guests can then come back to pick up their picnic at a time of their choosing (so long as it’s no earlier than two hours after the order is placed) at the Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery next to the Tusker House. Once they do, it’s time to chow down as guests can take their picnic to one of 14 designated picnic spots around the park.

Guests can choose from various picnic options, including rotisserie chicken or ham and sandwiches like Turkey Focaccia, Chicken Wrap, Ham Grinder, or Tuna Pita. The feast also comes complete with various side options, like chips, coleslaw, corn, green beans, mac & cheese, orza pasta, and various kinds of potatoes and salad dishes. Rounding off the wild meal are desserts like brownies, cookies, cornbread, crisped rice treats, and fruits.

Each picnic comes in a reusable bag with plates, utensils, and a map marked with the picnic locations, and guests can order their picnics for a minimum of three people and a maximum of six. Picnic orders have to be placed between the hours of the park opening and 1:30 pm; if you’re on a Disney dining plan, a Picnic in the Park can be used as a Quick Service Meal.

Since Animal Kingdom doesn’t have as many eateries as other parks in Walt Disney World, picnicking is a much needed and unique new option, in addition to being affordable – a picnic for three costs between $24.99 and $29.99, and a picnic for six costs between $48.99 and $56.99. And afterwards, guests can digest at a comfortable and fun indoor Animal Kingdom show like It’s Tough to Be a Bug! or Finding Nemo The Musical.

To go on an animal adventure and dine within the exotic environments of Animal Kingdom, check out Walt Disney World tickets today at DWTickets.com. Picnicking in the Park will definitely add a whole new level of fun to your Animal Kingdom visit, not to mention give you an extra burst of energy for seeing and experiencing the park.

New Downtown Disney T-Rex Café is Dino-Mite

Downtown Disney, known to visitors from all over for its amazing restaurants and shops, now has a new reason to attract visitors, especially families. The T-Rex Cafe, which opened on October 14th, is more than just a restaurant; it is a complete attraction, with retail, dining, and fun activities for adults and kids alike.

T-Rex, which is owned by Rainforest Cafe owners Landry Restaurants, creates an interactive prehistoric environment, with décor centered on water, fire, and ice. The restaurant has been designed to make visitors say, “Wow,” with an exact life-size replica of a 140-foot long Argentinosaurus outside and a 5,000 gallon shark tank and robotic octopus on the inside. Kids will love the large animatronic dinosaurs ensconced in the walls along with real fossils, and the cascading waterfalls and bubbling geysers make it a nice setting for adults, too. The Geo-Tech and Ice Cave rooms are also particularly neat, with their flaming walls and glowing, color-changing ceilings.

Kids will be able to have fun before or after dinner with the restaurant’s many activities. In the fun and educational Paleo Zone, little ones can learn on interactive screens and play in multiple exploration areas. They can excavate in the "dirt" in the Discovery Dig area, or explore the mine and pan for precious stones, minerals, or fossils in Discovery Creek. T-Rex is a great place for children to act out their curious natures and have fun exploring and learning. And if nothing else, it’s also a great way to get them to burn off the sugar from dessert.

And though it might be easy to forget, T-Rex is, after all, a restaurant. So how is the food, you ask? T-Rex offers a surprisingly wide selection of American fare, including appetizers, soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, meat entrees, and dessert. Think T.G.I. Fridays, but with catchy dinosaur-themed names. The restaurant actually has a wood-burning pizza oven in its “Kitchen of Fire,” and guests have the option of designing their own custom pizza. The Mammoth Mushroom Raviolis are also quite nice, cooked in a lobster cream sauce with Roma tomatoes and fresh spinach. The most creative options on the menu, though, are the seafood and sandwiches, with unique offerings like the Tarragon Chicken Salad sandwich, which includes a Rotisserie chicken pulled and tossed with tarragon, celery, onions, toasted almonds, and mayo on a toasted hoagie roll. And herbivores need not worry – there are some vegetarian options available. There is also a separate menu for children.

T-Rex also features a wide array of souvenirs, apparel, toys, and other dinosaur-related merchandise. Children will especially enjoy building their own stuffed dinosaur friend with the first-ever Build-A-Dino, by the makers of the Build-A-Bear Workshop. It’s not all fun and games just for children, however. T-Rex features a full-service “Shark Bar.”

The 600-seat restaurant has been widely anticipated since its construction began in October 2007. With Walt Disney World’s recent closure of six Pleasure Island nightclubs and their family-oriented replacements nearly two years away, T-Rex is fulfilling a need for dining space in Pleasure Island.

So be sure to stop by T-Rex and have your own prehistoric adventure. And while you’re there, don’t forget to actually eat!

Take in a Dinner Show for a Special Holiday Treat

Christmas seems to get more demanding each year, and it can be really difficult to find that something special to do for the holidays; something to rival the year before and leave a big enough impression to start a new family tradition. Well, your quest for the ultimate Yuletide celebration ends right here at DWTickets.com!

Of course Orlando offers decorated theme parks, character Christmas parties and gigantic holiday parades, and you can get discount tickets for all of the major Orlando attractions at DWTickets.com. As you click around our Web site, though, make sure you check out all of the dinner shows that are available through DWTickets.com…at the cheap prices we are famous for! A dinner show is a super fun and uniquely entertaining way to get the family or a big group of friends together to celebrate the season. And with the discount prices here at DWTickets.com, everyone can afford it!

At Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, they have invited everyone to join in their celebration of “Christmas at Dixie.” This is a great dinner show any time of year, with live animals, great stunts and surprisingly yummy food. At holiday time, the Stampede takes on the atmosphere of a real down home Christmas. The entire place is decked out in grand southern country style, and the show brings out the true meaning and feeling of Christmas with a live enactment of the Story of the Nativity. For any Christmas lover, this is truly a touching and heart-warmingly entertaining way to look at the elements of the traditional Christmas story. If you have ever seen one, you will surely agree that nothing in the world says Christmas like a live nativity show, and the size and scope of “Christmas at Dixie” definitely does not disappoint. And that’s just one of the many options for seasonally spectacular dinner shows.

DWTickets.com gives you the best deals on all of Orlando’s top dinner theaters. At Medieval Times, they are getting ready to unveil their new live production that has been over two years in the making. It opens in mid-December, and you can get your cheap tickets right here at DWTickets.com! During the holidays and all year round, we are your number one source for cheap tickets and great leisure time ideas! Click on DWTickets.com often and get your friends and family out for some entertaining eats!

Dining at Disney World

Coming down to Disney World for the rides and attractions is one thing, but you have to know where to eat. Dining at Disney World is a top priority, not only for the guests, but for the Walt Disney World resort as well. If you are looking for someplace cheap to eat like fast-food, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe inside the Magic Kingdom park is a pretty cool place. There is always lots of seating available, tasty sandwiches and salads as well as hamburgers and chicken are available, and it won't be that expensive. Tusker House at Disney's Animal Kingdom has healthy and nutritious meals for the foodie, and is right in the middle of it all. At Epcot, Sunshine Seasons is a restaurant with different cuisines at every counter, so you have a grand variety of meals to choose from.

If you are looking for something a little more quiet for you and your spouse at night, try California Grill on the top floor of Disney's Contemporary Resort. Not only is the food amazing, with a sushi bar and panoramic views, but you can even see the Magic Kingdom fireworks show at night. Victoria and Albert's is as elegant as it gets over at Disney World, stationed at the posh Grand Floridian Hotel. Jiko is a fancy South African restaurant with an extensive wine list and a very intriguing atmosphere.

OK - so you have the cheap fast-food options, and the elegant romantic restaurants to take your significant others to. Disney World is a lot more than rides and lines - there are also world-class dining options available, and now you know exactly where to go. Enjoy your trip to Disney World and check out these amazing restaurants, all within the beautiful Walt Disney World resort.