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    Home » US Travel » Orlando

    Weekend Getaway to Orlando

    Published: Apr 21, 2015 · Modified: Nov 28, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    weekend getaway to Orlando
    Woo hoo! Our weekend getaway to Orlando!

    It's time for a new series!

    We've just wrapped up the Winter in Las Vegas Series detailing our annual visit to Las Vegas. Right at the beginning of April, when the snow was just starting to melt in Boston and temperatures were still plenty cold, Bryan and I took a quick extended weekend trip to Disney World. It had been ten years (!) since we had last gone (time flies, because it really doesn't feel that long ago), so we were due for a visit.

    In fact, I'd been wanting to visit Disney World for some time now.

    A couple years ago I became interested in revisiting Disney World when I heard about a new restaurant called Be Our Guest that opened in the Magical Kingdom. Disney had built a brand new castle modeled off of Beauty and the Beast, and inside was a traditional French restaurant. The interior looked just like the Beast's home in the movie, down to the West Wing, Grand Ballroom, and more. Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, so I really wanted to visit after seeing photos of the main dining room.
    weekend getaway Orlando
    I called ahead to secure a dinner reservation months in advance (they fill up, quickly, especially dinners). Unfortunately, something came up and we had to cancel our Orlando trip (and my coveted reservation) two years ago.

    Fast forward to last month.

    When Bryan told me about a business trip in Orlando,  I jumped at the chance to go with him. The first thing I did was try to get that Be Our Guest reservation. Though at first I could only get an 8AM breakfast reservation on a Monday (yes, I was calling kind of late), a Sunday evening cancellation appeared a few days later, and I grabbed it!
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    It was a short trip, but it was really fun. We're both Disney fans, so we knew we would enjoy hitting the various parks bright and early every morning. The food however, was an unknown. I had no idea what food would be like in Disney World. Would it be the typical mediocre stuff you get at an amusement park, or would it be better?

    I'm happy to report that food in and around Disney World is surprisingly good, with some excellent options scattered around. Here's a peek at some of the great food we enjoyed!

    weekend getaway to Orlando
    The Epcot Center World Showcase is one of the most fun places to get food. I won't go into too much detail here, but in one afternoon you can visit many countries and enjoy authentic food from all over the world.
    weekend getaway to Orlando
    Stop in France for artisanal ice cream inside a toasted brioche bun (sooooo good).
    wpid17989-DSC1389.jpg  weekend getaway to Orlando
    Or swing by Germany for beer and Mexico for an Al Pastor taco. In fact, most countries in the World Showcase offer local beers, and the selection is pretty diverse and fun!
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    Walk for another 5-10 minutes to Italy and you'll find seriously authentic (and excellent!) Neapolitan pizza fired in an ultra hot wood-burning oven.
    weekend getaway Orlando
    There's Greek, Turkish, Moroccan, and other Mediterranean influences . .  .
    weekend getaway Orlando
    Leave Epcot, and you can still pretend that you are in Hollywood in the early 1930's dining at an iconic Hollywood restaurant frequented by the stars.
    wpid17948-DSC1276.jpg  wpid17928-DSC1256.jpg
    At night, there are some surprisingly great dining options in the area, like this swanky seafood restaurant inside the Dolphin Resort on Disney Property.
    weekend getaway to Orlando
    The South African restaurant right outside Animal Kingdom boasts the largest South African wine list in the nation as well as really excellent South African food.
    weekend getaway to Orlando
    Trying all these different dips was one of my favorite parts of the meal.
    weekend getaway to Orlando
    All in all, Bryan and I were pleasantly surprised by the variety of food options in and around the parks. We were expecting to be stuck eating mediocre fast food lunches and ho-hum dinners.  Instead, food was surprisingly interesting and enjoyable, especially from the restaurants around the Disney resorts and the different "countries" at Epcot Center.

    Stay tuned the next couple of weeks as I share with you some more detailed posts from some of our favorite and most interesting meals at Disney!
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    Disclaimer: For this weekend getaway to Orlando, I received one-day park hopper media passes to visit the park. I also did not pay for the meal at the restaurant inside the Dolphin Resort. I paid for everything else, including my flights, hotel, and all other meals and park tickets.

    More Orlando

    • My Favorite Dishes from Orlando + the Orlando Zagat Guide!
    • Be Our Guest Disneyworld
    • Blue Zoo Orlando by Todd English - Disney Dolphin Resort
    • Jiko the Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Epcot World Showcase Disney World - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      April 28, 2015 at 12:54 pm

      […] is the first post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando […]

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    2. L'artisan des Glaces Epcot Center says:
      April 29, 2015 at 3:40 pm

      […] is the second post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series. Other posts include Eating Around the World at Epcot World […]

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    3. Via Napoli Disney World says:
      May 5, 2015 at 10:57 am

      […] is the third post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series. Other posts include Eating Around the World at Epcot World Showcase and L’Artisan […]

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    4. Jiko The Cooking Place - Disney Animal Kingdom says:
      May 7, 2015 at 11:33 am

      […] is the fourth post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series. Other posts include Eating Around the World at Epcot World Showcase, L’Artisan des […]

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    5. Bluezoo by Todd English - Blue Zoo Orlando says:
      May 18, 2015 at 11:10 pm

      […] is the fifth post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series. Other posts include Eating Around the World at Epcot World Showcase, L’Artisan des […]

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    6. Be Our Guest Disneyworld - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      May 21, 2015 at 11:04 pm

      […] is the sixth and final post in the Weekend Getaway to Orlando series. Other posts include Eating Around the World at Epcot World Showcase, L’Artisan des […]

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    7. Happy New Year! A Look Back at 2015 - Part I - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 5, 2016 at 1:21 am

      […] World In April, I followed Bryan on one of his work trips to Orlando. We spent a weekend at Disney World (I hadn’t been there in over 10 years!). I was pleasantly surprised to find that […]

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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