Our family is a creature of habit; we often get the same snacks each time we visit on our meal plan, so you are likely to see them all in this list (spoiler!).
Speaking of which, I was already re-thinking the list for I didn't include some items that are institutional logistics. The dining plan, fast passes, and extra magic hours aren't on here, though a case could be made for their inclusion. However, not being a tangible place or activity gets you put on a different list for a different time.
If you are unfamiliar with Starring Rolls, it is located near where the Sorceror's Hat was (RIP). Technically, it is at the end of Sunset Boulevard, which is the "street" that goes down to the Tower of Terror. It is sunk down a bit from the main street, and we often will cut through the outside eatery to get around a gaggle of other pedestrians to make it over to Toy Story Mania's line (Yes... let's rush to that hour long wait in line!).
Starring Rolls serves both snacks and quick-service lunch, but we have never eaten lunch there. Our family will share three of our snack credits to purchase three of their mammoth cupcakes. We always get the Butterfinger one, as well as typically the Red Velvet and Peanut Butter Chocolate ones. Apparently, we only take pictures of Hannah eating the cupcakes, but rest assured we all like them. Even me, and I'm not really a chocolate cupcake kind of guy.
I should mention that Starring Rolls has, in our opinion, the best snacks in all of WDW, though it might not be our favorites, and it certainly doesn't rank highest in what we consider our most nostalgic. Part of what it as well as other items from Hollywood Studios have going against it, is that we went to this park last out of the four on our initial visit. By that point, some of the wonder and mystique had worn off. This will be a trend throughout this list, as Hollywood Studios will constantly get the shaft (no thrill attractions eliminates three-fourths of what the park is known for).
If you are planning your own WDW vacation, don't just take our word for this can't-miss attraction. People everywhere agree that this is one of the best (in most cases THE BEST) deal for the snack credit in all of WDW.
#59 sees us move to a slow ride that has taken some time to build itself in nostalgia for us...
For number 57, we hit my personal-favorite snack in the entire World, the ice cream sandwiches at Dino-Bites in Animal Kingdom. Unlike the Starring Rolls Cafe however, Dino-Bites doesn't pretend to offer quick service entrees; it is all about the snacks there.
It goes without saying that the Dino-Bites are really big ice cream sandwiches and a relatively excellent deal when used as a snack credit (though you can get the same deal at the Plaza Ice Cream Shop in Magic Kingdom). However, it used to be an even better deal, because they were downright ginormous at one point in time, as seen by our first visit (no, our kids are not midgets or the victims of trick photography). With the amount of ice cream and cookie you got, it made this a must-do attraction within Animal Kingdom.
As mentioned in the post on Starring Rolls, we have our favorites when it comes to snacks, so it makes sense for our favorites to be on this list when other individuals probably do not think they rise to the level of beating out other notable attractions. One thing that was difficult for me to consider is how they ranked in terms of nostalgia.
The ice-cream sandwiches are my favorite snack. The cupcakes at Starring Rolls are typically considered the best snack, because you can only "gourmet" ice cream and cookie so much. But both get ranked lower than the snack option from Epcot and Magic Kingdom. What gives?
Part of this is the overall effect of the parks. I consider Magic Kingdom to be the park that truly screams WDW, and Epcot a distant but respectable second. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, while offering the better snack option, don't bring the same cachet when making one reminisce fondly about the World. Ergo, they rank lower on the list.
Animal Kingdom, as you noticed, has only four items in the entire 60 (not counting World-wide things like the maps). That's pretty low, compared to the 21 that Magic Kingdom has. Part of this is because the park is smaller (in number of attractions that is... in size, it is a lot bigger actually). Part is because it isn't quite as good. A big part is because it has a disproportional number of thrill attractions compared to total ones. Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo the Musical, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and Kali River Rapids are all ineligible for this list, and that doesn't leave you with much in the park.
Number 56 on our list is going to see us move outside the parks and look at a resort (hotel) for the first time, featuring an up-and-comer for our family.
We go to Magic Kingdom for the first time, though as you can see, it won't be the last. We actually will be spending over a third of our time on this list in that park, as it brings the most memorable sights and sounds from the World.
And we should say, smells as well. Our next entry is once again a snack item, but unlike the other three on our list, this one's biggest selling point is the smells wafting from it. They are the Magic Kingdom Snack Carts, and their periodic placement around the park help place those lovely aromas everywhere.
While the carts sell a variety of different items (ice cream bars, popcorn, cotton candy, frozen lemonade), our favorite item is the cinnamon-glazed almonds. These roasted nuts and the popcorn especially can be smelled from a long ways away, and are the perfect late-night snack. More cinnamon-sugar than nuts, I'd say, the nuts offer a great salty-sweet taste.
I mentioned we were creatures of habit when it came to our snack credits. Magic Kingdom is the one park that we don't always do the same thing when it comes to snacks, so the temptation is to put this snack much lower than the other three snacks. However, we are ranking the restaurants, not the snacks, and the carts bring something extra to this equation as well. The old-time carts couple with the fresh smells to bring that relaxed sense of small-town America in the middle of this bustling amusement park. Nostalgia.
We will stay in Magic Kingdom with our next attraction, featuring a slow-ride with a famous narration that has been around since the opening of the park.
We've talked quite a bit in our first 10 items on our list about snacks in Disney, so not much background needed here. Snacks don't rank as high as our favorite restaurants in terms of nostalgic longing for WDW, but when you have set ones that you hit every trip, those are going to make your list as well.
That is definitely the case for the "Crepe Stand" in Epcot. Its full name is Crepes des Chefs de France, from the restaurant around the walkway. They have a simple menu featuring sugar, strawberry, or chocolate crepes. They also have ice cream available, although the ice cream is extra and does not come with the snack credit. For those that haven't had a crepe before, it is essentially a very flat/thin pancake, folded over several times into the shape of a triangle.
The Crepe Stand ranks highest on our list out of the different snack locations, meaning it is the most nostalgic out of the group. This in spite of it being my least favorite out of the snacks (which is a bit like being the least favorite flavor of ice cream or your least favorite cruise destination). What makes the crepes special?
Part of it is Epcot is a more special place. It is the food capital of WDW, and as our representative snack in that place, crepes have a higher than normal level of nostalgia. It also has been our place since the beginning, and like the carts in Magic Kingdom, the kiosk itself is quaint and the aroma is enticing. Plus, they make the crepes right before your eyes.
Crepes, for us at least, also are a more unique food. Ice cream cookie sandwiches can be recreated, as can fancy cupcakes. Even the roasted almonds are a staple around the Christmas season. Crepes for us are a little less present in our ordinary lives, making the experience even more unique. So while the other snacks are great to eat and a special experience for us when we visit, crepes remain a special item for us all the time.
This is a good example of where people differ in their lists. I estimate there will be about 20 items that everyone would have, and 20 more items that many people will have. And then 20 items that are more unique to me and my family. Many of you will have Dole Whip on your list, something we have not been that fond of. Others will have the Mickey Bar or the Mickey Ice Cream Bar or the Butterfinger Bar (or whatever else there is). Or even something simple like the Cotton Candy. That's part of the magic... WDW is so big, there are many different corners of it for every taste.
That concludes our first 10. We start off our second ten with our first seasonal event... one that really racks up the electric bill for the Disney Corporation.
Next up on our list of greatest, most Disneyish, most mouse-tacular, most magical, most nostalgic items in all the land... a food court!
The Riverside Mill Food Court is located at Port Orleans Riverside (POR) resort, which with full disclosure, has an unfair jump on other resorts and their restaurants. Riverside was the very first resort we stayed at when going to WDW, and the first trip is always the most nostalgic. While POR has that going for it, there are many other qualities about it that make it special.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. This entry is solely about the food court; specifically the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant area itself. I'm separating out the rest of the resort, which includes the scenic view of the river and the giant water wheel silently turning on the side of the restaurant, since those attributes go to whether the resort is ranked on this list or not (spoiler, it is). So, while I mention some of the surrounding features of the restaurant here, that's only for the sake of someone who hasn't been to the food court. Indeed, if those features counted, this restaurant would be in the top 20.
Seriously, how could a food court produce this much passion for someone, when a food court is such a mundane thing? Does one get nostalgic about Guest Services or a bathroom at a park? Maybe I should have listed my favorite drinking fountain or street light. (Nuts... now that I think about it, there is a really cool walking garbage can in Tomorrowland that maybe should have made the list).
And furthermore, there are dozens of food courts in the World. Some, like the Sunshine Seasons Food Court, offer original food choices from items grown organically on the Living with the Land ride. What makes this one so special, other than it was our first food court?
Much like art, "nostalgia" is tough to explain at times, but there are many reasons why we like the court, and many reasons why we can justify it on this list. Let's start with this: The Riverside Mill Food Court is often considered the best food court in the World by reviewers. AllEars viewers have it rated higher than many (most!) sit-down restaurants, let alone other food courts. Check out this review from the Disney Food Blog; it actually does a great job illustrating the charm this restaurant brings (I was seriously thinking about doing some high level cut and paste from Emma Stewart's review).
People tend to like this food court because it has a great mixture of food options for everyone, including both basic and artisan pizzas, Southern homestyle cooking, gourmet soups, the basic burgers and fries, and nice panini sandwiches. Best of all is the desert bar, where you can get a Butterscotch bar for desert (the thing is downright huge), or many other popular options. Yes, this food isn't like dining at Victoria & Albert's or something like that, but if you could take this food court and transplant it to your local mall, you would do so in a heartbeat and then eat weekly at your mall, just because it is good food that will please everyone. Can't say that about Victoria & Albert's.
The atmosphere, though, makes this food court stand out. We have eaten at our hotel's food courts in many different locations. We've also stopped in food courts in some of the resorts we are visiting (like Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge). And, they tend to be either unbelievably busy or unbelievably desolated. A lot are hidden in the lower levels of their resorts without a view. And, in many cases, the hustle and bustle of the courts makes you feel like you are at the parks, fighting to reserve a table, while someone makes a fountain drink run.
Not so with Riverside Mill. There has always been enough room there, and yet, there has been enough people there to make it feel like we weren't in some closet. The Mill has the perfect amount of traffic at it. When you eat there, it makes you feel relaxed (there is that key word again).
I mentioned the Mill is an extension of the whole POR resort, and the themes of relaxation and Southern Charm are perfected at POR. The Mill combines the view from the river with the relaxed atmosphere and the Southern style food (if you want it) and the Southern style music to create a great ambience. No matter how long a day we have had at the parks, we always feel rejuvenated eating there and resting our weary feet.
So, why a food court at all on this list? Restaurants make up a large part of the WDW experience. Think of it this way, those that don't typically eat at WDW restaurants (day patrons as opposed to those staying on site) leave Disney World without the same sense of magic and wonder. They have to have a presence on this list. And, the Mill truly makes for one of our most magical stops. We eat there on every trip, even though we don't stay at the resort. How often would you go to a different resort to eat at the food court?
As we stated before, there will be about a third of the items on this list that are uniquely special to our family, and yes, this one is primarily special because it is our place. It was the restaurant of our first visit to the park, and will continue to be so. You will have your own, and while that may not be the Mill, your list should include your favorite food court as well.
We are going to stay at Riverside for our next entry and talk about another item we find magical, as we revisit our transportation category for #36.
Our next selection brings up many good questions for a nostalgic Disney list. How many things from Downtown Disney should be on the list, if any? And, should a separate non-Disney vendor truly have a spot on the list? I would say to the first, "not many", and to the second, "no".
Ghirardelli's (boy, that is weird to spell) is a bit different. It fits the "restaurant" category, but it is not on here as a restaurant. Yeah, the food (i.e. chocolate) it has is pretty tasty, but that is really irrelevant in the larger picture. I would definitely pick Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor over this one, and the Parlor isn't close to making this list.
It is on here for a very unique experience for our family... namely, the process of going and getting our free chocolate square sample.
Not pictured... any pictures with our family at the store (we want to be able to make multiple trips per visit incognito)
Ghirardelli happens to be a higher-end chain of chocolatiers, with stores in many locations. The process of handing out their one-square individually-packaged samples of chocolate is the same at all the locations I have been to (I'm pretty comfortable saying it is their company policy). So it isn't unique to Disney by any imagination.
However, it is very popular. Sneakily so, I would reckon. The place isn't that big to begin with, and it packs in people because of the handout. I'm not sure how much profit it brings in, but in terms of marketing, it is a huge success. So much so that some families, perhaps some that look suspiciously like the Abbeys, will go in several times to get multiple handouts.
Yes, this entry also brings up an ethical dilemma about how many handouts you can take ethically. But heck, we are on vacation, and we don't resort to changing our clothes to give off the appearance we are a different family visiting from Wisconsin (the cheesehead hats wouldn't fit on the overhead compartment of the plane).
So bottom line for our family is, every single time we are in Downtown Disney, we stop in Ghirardelli at least twice. Every time. We've got to make our stop at Ghirardelli. And even though that is a non-Disney vendor, that is enough to put this entry on this list. There is a big difference in our opinions between this place, and the Rainforest Cafe's or Starbucks that appear in WDW and would have no chance of showing up on this list.
I think most people would agree that Ghirardelli's is a fun quick stop and the chocolate is good. Many would disagree about it being that nostalgic of an event. But, that is the beauty of WDW. There are many crannies like this that each can have their own. Just like the Riverside Food Court. We mentioned Disney Rob before; it isn't a Disney trip until he has had his stop at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney. Which means, we apparently have never been on a Disney Trip. Gotta try that place at some point.
Interestingly enough, there are three of these "restaurant" locations that are special to us that others might scoff at. Our 3rd item will be coming up in a few entries and has many similarities to Ghirardelli's.
So, what about Downtown Disney, then? Downtown Disney is the shopping and entertainment area, and requires no paid admission. It is a "quasi-park", if you will. We are not big nightclub seekers, and while we loved La Nouba, that would definitely qualify as a thrill, so that doesn't appear on this list. The overall atmosphere is pretty good, actually, but it doesn't have "lands" or unique themed areas like the parks do, so it loses out there as well.
So, you won't see a lot of entries on this list. That doesn't make it bad; it just makes it less nostalgic. Though, the #1 Downtown Disney attraction does make it pretty high on this list.
Our next item on the list ends our first half of the entries. We return to the land of deluxe resorts we have not stayed at. This resort is either my favorite or 2nd favorite, if you were paying attention to earlier posts.
Our next item is, once again, stretching our "restaurant" category. It is almost like we aren't going to take any actual restaurants in this list.
Club Cool is not much of a restaurant, as they don't have any food to sell. What they do have is free samples of soda throughout the world. That, and a ton of Coca Cola paraphernalia for sale.
You basically help yourself to as many dixie cups as you would like, and then have at it. There will be up to 8 sodas total to try, although recently they have been down a soda or two. Here is their current lineup:
• Fanta Pineapple (Greece)
• Fanta Melon Frosty (Thailand)
• Vegitabeta (Japan) - Apricot and Passion Fruit flavored vitamin drink
• Bibo (South Africa) - Kiwi Mango drink
• Sparberry (Zimbabwe) - Raspberry Creme Soda
• Inca Cola (Peru) - Sweet cola, like bubble-gum
• Guarana Kuat (Brazil) - "Guarana" berry
• Beverly (Italy) - Greatest drink on Earth
The drinks have gotten a little wilder over the years; the original batch included some pretty mild tasty drinks from Mexico, Germany, China, and Israel.
Of course, Beverly is the drink that Club Cool is known for. Beverly is a very bitter drink, not one you would normally think of as refreshing. For our family, we always take the Beverly Challenge, drinking a full dixie cup for some incentive.
Needless to say, this item will fall into that "nostalgic to us" category more so than "nostalgic for everyone". We put it slightly above Ghirardelli given that there are a few more options, and its proximity to an actual park.
This ends this mid-level "squishy" area of hard-to-rank items. We will now hit some more traditional items that will be on most people's lists, including the next six from Magic Kingdom. Our next item is a dark slow ride, an original attraction from the park's opening, but one that has become much more popular with the release of a popular movie series... the rare situation where the ride came before the movie.
What is this? An actual restaurant? Yes, our very first "table-service" restaurant of the list comes at #21, and it is Whispering Canyons.
When it comes to family dining within WDW, it is hard to beat Whispering Canyons. This "frontierland"-style restaurant in the Wilderness Lodge features bottomless skillets of barbecue and other country food. There are bbq pork ribs, pulled pork, roasted chicken, western-style sausage, and chicken quesadillas. It also comes with all the fixin's, including corn on the cobb, cornbread, field greens, baked beans, and Yukon potatoes. Throw on top of that a scrumptious desert and the unlimited milkshakes (for meal plan folks), and you are guaranteed to walk away from the restaurant muttering "oh, I shouldn't have eaten so much!"
But as good as the food is, that's not why you go. You go for the antics of your waiter/waitress. The restaurant is synonymous for its ketchup gag, where there are no bottles of ketchup on the table, and you have to ask your server for it. At which point, she will have you get up with her and bellow "Please pass the ketchup!" Then you receive ALL of the ketchup bottles in the restaurant. Until the next table needs it.
There are many other antics, too. If you ask for a little more to drink, they will bring out a thimble-full, or if you say you are really thirsty, they bring out the half-gallon mason jar. And if you somehow drink all of the jar (or pour it into other people's glasses), they will give you a FastPass to the bathroom.
They have a special fork (3 feet tall) for those that drop theirs. If you are caught stealing ketchup from someone else's table or taking a cell phone call, you get sent to "jail". And, they have a variety of ways to embarrass people on their birthdays.
It should be noted that while the antics are pretty famous, they aren't always guaranteed. We have had luck the times we have visited, but many others have said they've had waitresses who weren't really that into it, even when prompted. Plus, there are some servers who ad lib things you haven't experienced before as well. In other words, you don't know what you are in for before you get there.
Whispering Canyons is one of those great memory-makers, even more so than many of the thrill rides. After a visit at the restaurant, you will have many of the "Remember that time when the waiter did..." anecdotes to reminisce about. For this reason, it ranks higher than a lot of other items that are traditional more synonymous with WDW. For us, the Whispering Canyons experience is more memorable, and therefore more nostalgic.
We are now in the top 20, and our next item is another special one for our family. We go to Hollywood Studios for our top interactive/memorabilia entry, and it happens to be an interactive that tests out your artistic talents.
We hit the top item in Hollywood Studios, and while it isn't a park that screams nostalgia necessarily, this one really delivers. 50s Prime Time Cafe also represents the top table service restaurant on this list as well (and second overall). So, you know you have a great entry on our list.
Much like Whispering Canyons, it features a very underrated menu, honing in on "American Family" classics. This includes items like pot roast, fried chicken, and meatloaf. And while you might not think so, the meatloaf is very popular. It makes you wonder why other restaurants don't have it on their menu, actually. We happen to love the American-style menu, so our table-service choice at Hollywood Studios is pretty much a no-brainer.
They top of the entrees with milkshakes (included on the dining plan) as well as desserts (also included). And, these feature two of our family favorites. Our kids love the Peanut Butter-and-Jelly milkshake, and several of our family members love the Smores dessert. Again, why don't more restaurants serve Smores for dessert?
But also like Whispering Canyons, you don't just go for the food. You go for the ambience. And, the show. The restaurant is set within your "mother's kitchen", as tables are set up in kitchen-like areas throughout the restaurant. There are TV sets spread throughout showing clips from classic 50s television shows (I have to admit my ignorance, as I didn't recognize any of the shows, but Grandma reassures me they are classics). And, the wait staff is one of your family members (Aunt So-and-So or Uncle Such-and-Such).
Depending on the waiter or waitress that you get, you can get a spirited discussion on family activities, as well as friendly reminders (Keep your elbows off the tables, kiddo). And that is just the start of the antics. We've seen waiters have a straw-wrapper blowing contest with kids, as well as take the seat of someone who has been in the bathroom for too long (and won't move until the show's over). On one occasion, we had one sneak in through the fake window that separates different rooms in the kitchen.
Much like some earlier attractions we have seen, 50s Prime Time Cafe's nostalgia works two ways. It is a special Disney experience, something unique to WDW (and one we do on every trip). Plus it hearkens back to a nostalgic time of simpler life (the Leave it to Beaver 50s). That double-nostalgia helps propel it to the top table service entry.
At this point, a good question would be how does this stack up against some of the other "special" items we have had recently. While its #16 ranking is pretty high overall, it does sit a bit lower compared to the other top items. Part of this is the higher potential a ride, seasonal event, or "park ambience" have over a restaurant. It also is telling that the top two table service restaurants are more known for their show than their food. The show is obviously the main part of the Disney nostalgia.
The other aspect of Disney nostalgia that this brings up is the sense of those themes WDW emphasizes. Whether it be the wild frontier, the spirit of adventure, the fantasy of magic, the progress towards the future, the worldwide community, or the becoming one with the environment, WDW strives to reinforce those themes heavily in everything that they do. Because of this, it is hard for table service restaurants to crack this list. They may be very delicious, but they don't reinforce those themes as much as other places do. 50s Prime Time Cafe is different here, with its reminiscing of the simpler times from the past. But, even here, there are other items that do it better.
We are up to #15, which features an iconic slow ride from Epcot. Much like the Kilimanjaro Safaris, this ride is almost synonymous with the Epcot park itself, having a prominent location in the middle of FutureWorld and offering both famous animatronics and top quality interactivity.
So, before we discuss the top resort in all of WDW, let's review some of the prominent themes that we have seen within our list:
• Progress Towards Tomorrow (Contemporary Resort, Monorail, Spaceship Earth, Golf Ball, Carousel of Progress)
• One Worldwide Community (All the Epcot lands, It's a Small World, the Boardwalk)
• Becoming One with the World (Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Tree of Life, Living with the Land) • The Great Wilderness (Frontierland, Wilderness Lodge, Whispering Canyons) • Classic Disney Magic (Fantasyland, Philharmagic, Animation Academy, Art of Animation)
• Adventure (Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Polynesian Resort)
• Small Town USA (50s Prime Time Cafe, Grand Floridian) • Southern Charm on the Bayou (Port Orleans)
You will note that the last two seem a bit skimpy at this point. That will change over the last items on this list.
Disney's effort to match a resort with each of its particular themes has worked very well. Individuals flock to Disney for different reasons, and they can find a resort that fits their needs. Our top resort on our list fills the theme of Southern Charm, set in the bayou region of the Sassagoula (Mississippi) River.
We mentioned earlier that Port Orleans holds a special part in our history, being the first place we stayed at. It features a food court that made this list on its own (!) as well as a common mode of transportation that goes directly to the resort. Both of which are but small pieces of the overall experience that is the Port Orleans Riverside resort.
POR is a moderate resort, the only non-deluxe resort on this list. Admittedly, the deluxe resorts are out of our price range (but still fun to visit). Port Orleans Riverside, however, is a perfect place to stay for your first visit.
There are many features within the resort that reinforce the laid-back atmosphere and southern charm of New Orleans. The interior architecture is very beautiful; it is worth it take some extra time in the atrium to soak it in. The meandering river that crawls through the compound gives the whole resort a slow-down feeling, as it is teeming with relaxing paddleboats. In addition, horse-drawn carriage rides or quadricycles for the whole family make for slow relaxing trips on the meandering pathways around POR. Even the bus stops are meandering (all four of them spread out). If you are in a hurry to get on and off the bus, you might not want to stay at this park.
The resort features Alligator Bayou, which includes lodge-style accommodations. It also includes Magnolia Bend Mansions, for a more plantation-style setting. The grounds are complete with many Louisiana-native trees and Spanish moss. And, the most memorable symbol from the resort is the gigantic mill wheel adjacent to the food court.
One of the most underrated parts of the resort is Fulton's General Store. I'll admit there is nothing terribly unique about the store. Like other resort stores, it has a fairly good collection of things from all the parks (we have often bought our kitchen utensils here instead of Downtown Disney). Still, there is something fun about stopping in the store right before midnight having just come back from a long day at the parks, and getting a chance to peruse the shop in peace.
We could go on about the features of the resort (and you will want to watch the video below to see them all in their glory), but cutting to the chase, this is an item that won't appear on many other people's lists. And, that's okay. Everyone can have their favorite resort. I'll take this one.
This was our first stop in WDW after the Magic Express. This was our first exposure to the charm and hospitality of the cast members. This was our first glimpse of the superior theming that was involved. And, being first goes a long way to being nostalgic.
However, there's something about that Southern Charm that this resort brings. Maybe it is the opposite of what you expect from an amusement park, but that's part of the appeal. The piped in banjo music, the sound of frogs and mayflies from the river, all the slow-moving ceiling fans... it is truly a relaxing experience. And, that speaks volumes for me. I love coming to WDW because it is relaxing, as ironic as the busiest place on Earth can be.
We visit the resort every time we visit, that is how special it is (though we often opt for cheaper digs now). Thinking about it now, I could have seen this entry going as high as #2 overall on the list, that's how great it is.
The rest of our items are at Magic Kingdom. Our next item is our top restaurant on the list, a favorite of (most) of our family members, and one that brings the charm as well.
It's time to hearken back to small town USA with our top restaurant from WDW. Casey's Corner, the quick-service restaurant at the end of Main Street on the corner provides hot dogs, cracker jack, and all the best baseball-game fare.
On our very first trip to Magic Kingdom, we happened to get to the park a bit before 3:00 pm. Having gone without lunch, we were pretty famished. Of course, the sights and sounds of Magic Kingdom were very intoxicating, and we couldn't wait to get started seeing things. But, we were pretty hungry. And, finding a place that pleases children ages 4, 7, and 9 is pretty difficult to do.
And then, like a beacon in the dark (except it was only slightly overcast), we found Casey's Corner.
Imagine our surprise when we ordered our food and were overwhelmed with ginormous hot dogs or corn dog baskets, a ton of fries, a whole cracker-jack box, and what felt like a gallon of pop. Oh, and cotton candy.
Admittedly, we were not used to the excess of Disney restaurants. It didn't take long for us.
If you haven't been to Casey's Corner, there isn't much seating. There actually used to be even less, though they recently took out their "bleachers" where you could sit and watch old black-and-white clips form different sports-related cartoons. We actually are pretty bummed they took it out; that was a big part of the charm of the location.
Regardless, I think there was only one other family eating at this time. It's not as though it was the quietest time of the year either... it was only two days before Christmas. Regardless, we were able to eat our feast and soak in the decor, hearing the piano player outside playing ragtime music, all in more peace that we have ever had at a Disney restaurant since.
There are two big pieces of decor still left now that the screen with the cartoons has been removed. The restaurant is still themed for baseball, featuring pictures, scoreboards, and other memorabilia from Ernest Lawrence Thayer's "Casey at the Bat" poem. And as mentioned, there is a ragtime piano player who plays periodically outside. Both of which help build that small town feel for your dining experience.
Casey's Corner ranking relies primarily on it being the "first day attraction", namely the first stop that we had within Magic Kingdom. You probably have your own restaurant that holds a special place in your heart, that you stop at every time you revisit.
Our next item represents the 2nd best day ever at the park, and features our top seasonal event.
