The Walt Disney World Resort is home to an endless array of dining options from food carts to signature dining experiences, many of which can be found in the hustle and bustle of its four theme parks.
…Ale & Compass Dining Review
Contributor
Jiko and Boma Culinary Tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Trips to Walt Disney World are expensive, so it is great to find an often overlooked, free activity for foodies like me that is available all year ’round, the Jiko & Boma Culinary Tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is easily one of our favourite resorts. It’s remarkably stunning and tranquil. We often hear that staying there is like a vacation within your vacation. As of now, the Culinary Tour of Jiko – The Cooking Place and Boma-Flavors of Africa is still available. Guests are encouraged to meet in the lobby near Jiko – The Cooking Place prior to the 4:15 p.m. start time.
This review is presented by a loyal Mouse Travel Matters reader and is written in the first person. We have yet to experience it. Next time.
This tour gives guests the opportunity to walk around, to learn more about the restaurants, the cultural symbolism incorporated into the theming, and sample a few of the things offered during dinner service. This tour does not give information on ingredients, offer recipes, or the chance to talk to the chefs. The tour takes just over 30 minutes and is a welcome respite from the Florida sun.
[thrive_text_block color=”teal” headline=””] NOTE: If you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, check the Recreation Calendar that you are given in your Welcome Packet at check-in to confirm the start time. [/thrive_text_block]
There were 14 people attending the tour and 2 hosts, one at each restaurant. We started at Jiko, which means The Cooking Place. Our guide described the decor – The birds on the ceiling are called prosperity birds, the ceiling in the restaurant is blue representing the sky. The multicolour tiles in the pillars represent the multi-cultures and all the countries in Africa.
The African wine collection is one of the largest African wine collections in the world outside of Africa.
The pillars had gold coloured rings that represented status symbols. The pillars had different numbers of rings to represent different statuses of people. The more rings an African woman has around her neck, the higher her status. We were shown the ovens, representing traditional cooking hearths, and were treated to a flatbread service with various dips that were bursting with flavour.
We then transferred to Boma where we passed a replica of the Victoria Falls before we entered the safe area ‘Boma’ which protected us from the animals. In one part of the Boma is the Kings table. The King’s table is colourful and has a sample of an African woman’s cloth fabric within the tabletop.
The rest of the tabletops within the restaurant are a plain dark brown wood colour. The is another special table that is actually in the shape of Africa. We toured the buffet and learned about some of the food. A few buffet items were pointed out to us before we tried Spicy Peanut soup. I don’t do well with spice and had no trouble enjoying it. We also got to try the delicious Zebra domes dessert.
Making Zebra domes is a 3-day process and contains the Amarula fruit which they say makes the elephants tipsy. The desert is cold and smooth, not too sweet.
The whole tour was less than 30 minutes and went so quickly I would like to do it again.
When the restaurant was opened guests were welcomed with drummers and music. We went upstairs for a Smoked Turkey cocktail and Magical Star Cocktail before wandering around the beautiful, unique resort and appreciating the savanna.
Things To Know Before The Tour
The free Boma and Jiko culinary tour is offered daily. Registration is not needed, which makes this a perfect way to weave in some spontaneous fun during a relaxing afternoon. Tour time is currently 4:15 p.m., though this is subject to change so reviewing the Animal Kingdom Lodge Activities Guide is highly recommended. Those wanting to do tour meet at the entrance of the Boma restaurant.
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In-Park Fireworks Dessert Party Review
Fireworks Dessert Party
Disney World currently has 4 dessert parties to choose from, one in each park. The most recent one I attended was the Star Wars Dessert Party in Hollywood Studios.
The dessert party usually starts one hour before the fireworks, but we checked-in about 45 minutes early. That allowed us to get a table without any issues. If you show up too late, then you may have trouble finding a table that is close to the food/drink tables.
They have both sweet and savoury selections, along with beverages including alcohol options for guests 21 and older. There is more than enough food to fill your belly and everything is delicious.
The party is in the Star Wars Launch Bay, so you are free to go and meet characters at any point during the evening. About 30 minutes before the fireworks start, cast members will escort you out to a special viewing area for the Star Wars fireworks. In my opinion, this perk alone makes the party worth it. You get a really great point of view and they rope it off so that no one is standing immediately in front of that area.
You’ll also leave the party with a souvenir. When I attended, they were giving out the Tie Fighter popcorn buckets, but I believe they change the souvenirs from time to time.
All in all, it was a really fun experience and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you are a Star Wars fan!
Know Before You Go
Tusker House Restaurant Review
Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House buffet is one of the best-kept secrets around when it comes to Disney dining and Character Meals. The food is amazing and interesting, and the characters are high-quality (Donald, Mickey and friends).
If you are looking for a character meal in a unique setting with terrific food, I highly recommend this restaurant.
- Book Online
- Service: Table-Service, Buffet
- Type of Food: American and African
- Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Africa
- Disney Dining Plan: Yes, one table-service credit
- Tables in Wonderland: Yes
Menu:
Official Disney Breakfast Menu
Official Disney Lunch Menu
Official Disney Dinner Menu
Allergy-Friendly
S
Character Breakfast review
The Tusker House restaurant originally opened April 22, 1998 (Earth Day) in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (which was also Opening Day of the park itself).
It was originally a counter service restaurant, but in 2007 it closed for refurbishment and then reopened with two major changes: it became a buffet restaurant and included “Donald’s Safari Breakfast” character dining.
Since late 2014, however, the Tusker House has offered character dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only is Donald Duck there, but also Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy — all dressed in safari clothes. So if your family is eager to meet “Mickey and Friends,” this is a great way to do it. In fact, Tusker House has often been considered a great alternative to Chef Mickey’s. (Having been to both, I would say that the food at Tusker House is definitely better, no contest.)
The entire restaurant is set up to look like a weathered Harambe Village marketplace in Africa, including details like visible power lines and random signs (including one that says, “Please No Smoking, as the Building is Quite Old”).
The Tusker House is one of the better values for sit-down restaurants at Disney World. Breakfast $30 ($18 for a child age 9 or younger), lunch $38 ($23 for a child), and dinner $42 ($25 for a child). It also counts as one table service credit on the Disney Dining Plan or Deluxe Dining Plan, and all meals are eligible for the 20% Tables in Wonderland discount. It requires a credit card to reserve but does not require pre-payment in full.
Because Tusker House is a good value when you’re paying out-of-pocket, that means that it’s a poor value for you to use as a Dining Plan credit. Just something to consider.
The food at Tusker House is a nice mix of “traditional” food and African flavours, so there’s something to offer both adventurous and non-adventurous eaters of any age.
For example, for breakfast, they offer scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, fruit, and Mickey waffles. But they also offer Beef Bobotie, a South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping.
At dinner and lunch, there is spit-roasted chicken and pork, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. But there is also tabouli and hummus dips, fruit chutney, and basmati rice and curry chicken.
A unique beverage that is poured as soon as your server greets you is something called “Jungle Juice.” It is equal parts orange juice, passion fruit juice, and guava juice, and it is good. In fact, you might need to be careful to not fill up on it too much. It’s naturally very sweet and thick.
If you want a beverage in addition to the complimentary Jungle Juice, you can also order lemonade, Sparkling No-Jito, Dasani Water or Perrier, lava smoothies, coconut elixir, or the “Tinker Bell and Friends or Buzz Lightyear Punch” that is available at many Disney restaurants.
Alcoholic choices include draft beer or African bottled water, Sugar Cane Mojitos, and African Margaritas. They also offer something called “Lost on Safari,” which contains Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, and “Pangani Punch” — a combination of orange, pineapple, cranberry and strawberry juice. Yum!
Desserts include brownies, banana bread pudding (which I was crazy about!), and strawberry cake).
My favourite dishes that I made note of at the time were the Coconut Sweet Potato Casserole, Sweet Plantains, and the afore-mentioned Banana-Cinnamon Banana Pudding. (Yeah, I like sweet things.)
As far as what foods to skip … well, honestly, we’ve eaten there for both breakfast and lunch, and there wasn’t a single thing that anyone in my family disliked or thought was disappointing. I personally would recommend skipping the more “boring” items, like Mickey waffles and bacon, that you can get anywhere, but of course, that’s a matter of preference and how adventurous an eater you are. I should add that I do not have much tolerance for very spicy food, and there was nothing I tried that was too spicy for me.
There were two possible downsides that struck me about Tusker House. One is that, since the atmosphere is made to resemble an African village marketplace, the environment could be considered … Dull? Dark? Let’s put it this way: it’s not a colourful, bright, cheery place as far as far as Disney restaurants go.
The other downside was our experience with the timing of the characters. It might have been a fluke, but we were almost finished eating and still hadn’t had any of the four characters come to our table. This wasn’t a huge problem, especially since we were not on a tight schedule, but it would have been more enjoyable if we had met with a character or two throughout our meal instead of wondering when they were going to finally show up.
One thing worth noting: when Daisy Duck came to our table, our oldest daughter was in the restroom, so I asked if she could skip our table and come back in a moment. What ended up happening was that, when we were ready to leave, a cast member took us off to the side in the lobby and had us wait until Daisy had a moment to come to visit us.
Again, that could have been a problem if we were in a big hurry, but it’s good to know that cast members have ways of accommodating you like that at character meals.
Don’t forget to check out our handy Advanced Dining calendar, to remind you exactly which date you are able to make your reservations, and a quick list of all available restaurants at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris.
View the full list of Disney Dining Plan participating restaurants.
This post was written by…
Jen of Three Kids Three Cats and a Husband.
Your Thoughts...
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Garden Grill Restaurant Review
Located in Epcot’s Future World, Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill restaurant is one of the only places you’ll find Mickey Mouse in Epcot — and certainly the only place you’ll find Chip, Dale, and Pluto! These four characters provide the ample entertainment at this family-style restaurant!
The food is served on platters here, so it’s an all-you-can-eat feast with your family. Since the earliest days of EPCOT Center, this restaurant has had many different styles, but has always featured a rotating circle of tables. Throughout your meal, you’ll see several of the different scenes from the Living with the Land ride below!
- Service: Table-Service
- Type of Food: American
- Location: Epcot, Future World, The Land Pavilion
- Disney Dining Plan: Yes, 1 Table Service Credit
- Tables in Wonderland: Yes
Menu:
Official Disney Breakfast Menu
Official Disney Lunch Menu
Official Disney Dinner Menu
Allergy Friendly Dining Menu
The menu here is all-you-care-to-eat. The rotating menu for lunch and dinner can include grilled steak, roast turkey, and sustainable fish of the day (at dinner only). Platters are served family-style to your table, so there’s no getting up to go to a buffet. Also included are salad (featuring ingredients grown within the Land Pavilion), rolls, veggies, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. Breakfast features all sorts of traditional fare including eggs and Mickey Waffles, along with the signature dish: Chip’s Sticky Bun Bake.
Character Dining Review
Character dining can be a big part of a Walt Disney World Resort visit. It adds an extra element of fun when you can dine with the mouse himself.
Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast at Garden Grill at Epcot’s The Land is one of the most underrated character meals on property in my opinion. I’ve been a consistent, multiple times a year Walt Disney World visitor for the last 12 years and I recently only ate there for the first time.
I had a day alone with my toddler and decided it was time to give Garden Grill a try. She got to enjoy character dining, and I got to enjoy the fact I didn’t have to drag her to a buffet line alone. We decided on breakfast here because, to be honest for character dining that’s my go-to option for two reasons. One breakfast is typically cheaper, and two because the food is generally better especially in a buffet-style setting.
Garden Grill is a family-style dining experience. This means the food is brought to you on platters with enough to serve the entire family. However, you can ask for more of anything as it is still all you care to eat. Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale are there to visit your table as well.
We arrived at the table to a cute hidden Mickey set up, with the bowls and plates. Then the server arrived with the first part of the meal. A warm gooey cinnamon bun, and fresh fruit. My toddler went to town on the cinnamon bun, and I have to admit I was surprised at how good it was.
She also took our drink order at that time. Coffee, tea, juice, and soda is included in the cost. I was so happy because they also have POG juice made famous at Ohana. It’s one of my favorite things on Disney property and you can even get it as a Mimosa there too!
A skillet of goodies then came out with a variety of breakfast goodies. Mickey Waffles, Potato Barrels, Bacon, Sausage, Eggs and Warm Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce for the waffles.
Everything was so hot and fresh. Mickey waffles as always were delicious, but the Hazelnut Sauce made them so much better! I’m a sucker for tater tots so those were good too, and we even asked for more of those. We like our carbs I guess.
Have I mentioned the restaurant rotates? It’s Two levels but I love that it’s one table rows all the way around each level. It makes the restaurant feel much less crowded and less chaotic than other character dining locations.
We loved this location. The character interactions were great and not rushed, and a few even came around a second time. The food was some of the best I’ve had at All You Care to Eat style breakfast. Give this location a try, and add it to your Epcot Park Day.
Chip N Dale’s Harvest Feast at Garden Grill accepts Disney Dining Plan and Tables in Wonderland discounts.
Don’t forget to check out our handy Advanced Dining calendar, to remind you exactly which date you are able to make your reservations, and a quick list of all available restaurants at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris. View the full list of Disney Dining Plan participating restaurants.
This post was written by…
Megan of Magically Megan
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Epcot vs Reality | Morocco Edition
Walking around the World Showcase in EPCOT is like taking a trip around the world in an afternoon. Each pavilion is a whole different experience. I have visited all of them but there are some that just simply pull you in and you have to keep coming back. I personally have never been to the country of Morocco; it is a dream that I have but the family has been able to visit and they told me all about the amazing the culture, architecture, and markets.
Until I can visit, I love going to the Morocco Pavilion in EPCOT. It is one of the few pavilions that I think is true to the culture. It is also the only pavilion that was set up by the government of the country that it represents. So let’s talk about what makes the Morocco pavilion so wonderful.
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Pavilion and Shopping
I like that I can take the watercraft directly from Future World. And because it is one of the least favored pavilions, it is usually quieter and easier to find a nice spot to eat, get a drink, and relax. The food is spectacular and there are several great shops where you can find all sorts of nick nacks including your very own magic lamp, carpet, or belly dancing costume.
These stores don’t carry the usual Disney fare and you will find many things typical to Moroccan markets. You almost feel like you are walking around in a bold Mediterranean market. There are several shops in this pavilion and they all have things that you would love to buy. My favorites are the genie lamps and the belly dancer costumes, there are many chotchkies and clothes to choose from as well. If you are in the mood to shop, you won’t be disappointed. As you walk around the world showcase you will also find a henna artist that will tattoo you as you take in the sights from around the world showcase as well as listen to the music.
As you follow the corridors you get a great idea of what it was like to live in an old home with a great courtyard. This style of home is common in Morocco. The courtyards have inward facing windows to provide privacy from the hectic outdoor life. The tower is a replica of a 12th Century mosque and the detail all the way down to the tiles used in the mosaic designs is breathtaking. Even the plant life is local to the county. The tiles come directly from Morocco and a special designer was sent to make sure that the designs were laid out properly. You will eventually wander into an old museum with little bits of Moroccan history.
The Tower of Terror, located at Disney Studios, was painted in the same shades of pink as the tower in Morocco, as it can be seen from behind the pavillion. The reason for this is that they were trying to recreate a Casablanca feel for the story so they tied in the colors as well as some of the plants that are used in the Morocco area to continue the authentic Moroccan feel throughout the parks.
Food
Tangierine Cafe is an amazing quick service restaurant. The food is fresh and delicious. You can try something different and not be disappointed. Cafe’s are quite popular in Morocco life; it is not uncommon to find people socializing and having afternoon treats and mint tea. At the Tangierine Cafe, you can walk through and pick from several choices and the prices are very reasonable for Disney.
My son loves their hummus so we always make sure to get that. Dishes here include Falafel wraps, Shawarma chicken and lamb, and even vegetarian dishes. We usually get different dishes and try a little bit of everything. After we have our meal we walk back to the coffee bar and find some great desserts. We love the baklava but there are tons of choices to choose from.
You can also choose a table service restaurant, Restaurant Marrakesh, which has great reviews. I have never dined there but it is something I hope to do and the outdoor menu looks quite amazing.
Music
They have the most amazing band that often plays, Mo Rockin. Their show times are posted so make sure to stick around for the next show. The music is authentic to the Moroccan region and it will always make you want to dance.
And speaking of dancing, they have a wonderful Belly Dancer. I often find myself walking away with a little shimmy in my steps. Mo Rockin is always around to create a wonderful ambiance, which is one of the reasons that this pavilion stands out and feels unique.
So, is the Pavilion accurate to the Moroccan culture? This is what Wikipedia had to say,”
The Morocco Pavilion, designed to look like a Moroccan city with a realistic Minaret, features the only pavilion in which the country’s government aided in the design. Guests to the pavilion gain insight on the lifestyle and culture of the Moroccan people through the Gallery of Arts and History. Restaurant Marrakesh, along with the Tangierine Cafe, serves Moroccan fare. Six shops adorn the pavilion, selling patrons everything from rugs to leather goods, and traditional Moroccan clothing.”
As I had mentioned, I have never been to Morocco personally, however, I feel like I am able to visit and experience just a little bit of Morocco through the Epcot Pavillion. There are things that could be a little different, but for me, it is a great experience and one that you should have too. Take time to walk around and rest and take in the surroundings. This is by far one of the most unique pavilions that the World Showcase has to offer.
World Showcase can be completely immersive and an experience for the mind and soul. Most of the pavilions will transport you to their country, some more than others. This is what makes EPCOT amazing. You enter a future world and then walk back in time to see the past of some of the worlds most intriguing countries and areas.
Watch this video to see the Pavillion and to experience some of its wonders before your next trip.
This post was written by…
Alex of Coffee with PixieDust
Your Thoughts...
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Eating a delectable raspberry and lime macaroon while sitting outside a bistro in France, gazing at the fountains and storefronts, or snacking on fresh hand-rolled sushi in Japan while gazing at the koi ponds, it’s incredibly easy to forget you are actually in sunny Central Florida.
The World Showcase at Walt Disney World’s Epcot is actually home to 11 different respective countries. Each prides itself on a full-fledged experience that makes you genuinely feel as if you’ve been transported around the world.
While people often tell me that Epcot is their LEAST favorite of the Disney franchise, I absolutely scoff! It is, in fact, my favorite! We finally took the kids to all 4 Disney parks, and when I asked the kids afterward which was their favorite, they replied to Epcot as well!
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THE best investment you can make during an Epcot trip is the purchase of the Passport kit they offer to kids. It comes with an eerily authentic looking passport, Stamps (stickers) and a pin. It was around $13 I believe but it doubles as a souvenir and kept my kids quite busy, so I was pleased to spend that amount. It is also available on Amazon for those that prefer to have everything on hand in advance of their vacation.
Immediately, my kids were (10 and 5 at the time) were thrilled. Then I explained to my kids that we would be ‘Traveling’ through 11 countries in the world showcase and that they would need to get their passport signed in each one!
The signing locations are called KidCot Fun Spots, and also offer free little crafts in each area. The crafts are all based around Duffy, which as Disney legend has it, is Mickey’s teddy bear made especially for his travels by Minnie Mouse herself! You can get an actual cardboard cut-out of him to color and personalize in each world. Some countries even offer coloring pages at times and one has a mask you can make and take!
The Kidcot Fun Stop is not always front and center when you enter a country! You have to go and actually look for it, which I love. It forces you to see parts of the country you may have originally overlooked! The amount of detail Disney has put into each country is breathtaking! You feel immersed into the atmosphere, and it’s easy to forget that you’re still in Florida!
Disney takes real care to employ cast members that are actually from each county in their respective areas in the showcase, which makes for an even more authentic experience.
My kids were thrilled to find that not only did the cast member stamp their passport in each country, but they also wrote a little something in on their country’s page. Some were even personalized with the spelling of their name in characters, like in Japan and China.
This is also a great teaching moment. I talked with my kids about international travel and how, just like we were doing at Epcot, you also must stand in line and get your passport stamped to gain entry into other countries.
Upon request, they will also teach your kids a word or two in their country, usually hello or greetings or some form of salutation!
To me, this is a mark of authenticity and harkens back to when we traveled to Trinidad years ago, I still have the paper tucked into my actual passport where the customs agent wrote down a list of indigenous food to try and places to visit- and I ate and went to them all!
Where to Find Kidcot Fun Stops
- Mexico Pavilion (near Animales Fantasticos)
- Norway Pavilion (at The Puffin’s Roost)
- China Pavilion (near the exit of Reflections of China)
- Germany Pavilion (at Volkunst)
- Italy Pavilion (outside, near La Bottega Italiana)
- American Adventure Pavilion (outside, near Heritage Manor Gifts)
- Japan Pavilion (in the Bijutsu-kan Gallery)
- Morocco Pavilion (at the Marketplace in the Medina)
- France Pavilion (at Souvenirs de France)
- United Kingdom Pavilion (at The Toy Soldier)
- Canada Pavilion (at the exit of O Canada!)
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This post was written by…
Miranda of Crave Craft Love
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Your Thoughts...
Please share your thoughts in the comments or reach out on social media...We would love to hear from you.
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Disney Culture. Around The World, Visiting Every Disney Property
A few months ago, I ran into Natalie and her family on Facebook. She had recently completed her goal of visiting every Disney property in just over 1 year. I knew that she was the person to talk to if I wanted to accomplish my own personal goal, of visiting every Disney Property within my kids’ childhood. Natalie was gracious enough to take a few minutes away from her travels to answer a few questions for me, and to help us all start our own goal of visiting each Disney location.
When did you decide that you wanted to do all 6 Disney locations in 1 year?
We are huge Disney fans and already had Walt Disney World booked for Christmas and Aulani in January. We decided to keep those reservations and add on the rest of the parks since we wanted to visit those countries as well. It wasn’t really to accomplish it all in a certain time-frame, but we were in a position to visit all these countries during our travels so we made it a point to go to each park.
When did you start planning for this? Was this the end goal or was it a happy accident
It was a happy accident and it all happened very fast! We were originally planning to move closer to the girls’ school. When we couldn’t find anything we wanted we decided to change our plan and travel instead. We put our house on the market, it sold in one day with multiple offers, and then we were on the road in two months!
What makes each park different?
While the overall magic of the parks are there, each park definitely has its differences. Size is the main one. With Walt Disney World being the size of a small city to the quaint single parks like Hong Kong… They each have their charms and will appeal to different guests.
Food in the Asian parks are overall healthier and better balanced than in the US parks. We had so much good food, comparable to restaurants within those cities! Theming is also better and more fun!
What stood out to you most about each park?
Disneyland – It was great to be there for the 60th-anniversary celebrations. It is the closest park to us and I grew up going to that park. It will always hold special memories.
Disneyland Paris – Paris was our first stop for our full-time travels. Both girls wanted to spend their birthdays in Paris so it was perfect timing. My oldest turned 7 in the park and the Cast Members were so good to her. She had such a great day. The Ratatouille ride was so much fun! We went on it a lot during our trip.
Walt Disney World – My hubby proposed to me during Wishes in Cinderella’s Royal Table many moons ago so it will always be special. This trip was the first time both girls went to Cinderella’s Royal Table and we got a picture of all of us standing in the spot where he proposed. We celebrated Christmas there and it was so magical.
Tokyo Disney Resort – Japanese culture is so polite, that even though the park was crowded it was so enjoyable. The food and merchandise here is so unique and amazing! I could shop and eat here all day. Disney Sea is one of a kind, you truly need a few days to really appreciate the details that went into the design. Also, the characters for meet and greets are rare compared to the ones we see in North America.
Shanghai Disney Resort – Pirates and Tron are AMAZING!! I could go on an on about how well done these rides are. They are so technologically advanced compared to any other Disney ride. Those two rides alone make the trip worth it.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort – The park is small but has two of the best rides out of all the parks – Mystic Manor and Grizzly Gulch. We were so lucky during our visit that we had virtually no lines and were able to walk onto everything. This was such a nice change! Disney dim sum at The Crystal Lotus in The Hong Kong Disneyland hotel is so good!
[thrive_text_block color=”blue” headline=””] We recently discovered this guide to Hong Kong Disneyland. [/thrive_text_block]
What advice would you have for someone trying to follow in your footsteps?
There are no guarantees in life. We are all taught to wait until we retire to travel… wait until the kids are grown up. Well, we decided we wanted to do it now. We don’t have a crystal ball to see when we can actually retire or what our health would be like. We live in the most expensive city in Canada. We had the opportunity to sell at a good time and we decided to go for it. We were tired of being house poor when there is a whole world out there that we could enjoy with our children!
Would you do it again; were some cultures a little harder to adjust to than others?
Haha, we already have tickets purchased for Disneyland and Disneyworld. Our DVC reservation has already been made for our Disneyworld trip in April! We are obsessed!
We would definitely visit all the parks again. The parks are always expanding and changing, there will always be something new to experience. As my youngest gets older, she’ll finally be able to join us on more thrill rides. I can’t wait until we can all ride together and we get those awesome ride pics with our Photopass!
I, fortunately, can speak some French and Cantonese so that was handy in the parks, but it is not necessary at all… All signage will have English on it and hand gestures can go a long way. Overall I found Cast Members to be very helpful and attentive. We had great experiences with everyone from the hotels to the parks. They made many magical moments for my girls and it made their trip truly special.
How was the food/souvenirs/local people?
The merchandise in Tokyo is the most unique. The other parks have some merchandise that is park specific but the rest is still part of the Disney Parks umbrella. Tokyo has so much of their own merchandise that no one else has!! It was hard not to buy everything.
I would say the hardest culture to adjust to was Shanghai. Unfortunately, the rumours are true – line cutting is a big thing, there are scalpers selling fast passes and knockoff souvenirs in the parks! Later in the week, we noticed an increase in security but it did not curb the number of people approaching me in line or getting off the resort bus. My patience and manners were definitely tested here.
In terms of being a digital nomad, how has that affected your plans? How did you divide your time between the city and parks
We have been on the road full time for almost 9 months. We spend a lot of time exploring each country we visit, not just to visit the parks. When we visit the city itself we stay elsewhere like an Airbnb or serviced apartment. When we get to the parks we stay onsite.
We stayed in Paris for 2 weeks before visiting the park for a week. We were in Japan for 5 weeks before visiting the parks for 8 days. We are in Shanghai for an additional 3 days after 4 days in the park before exploring more of China… Depending on your goals, you could do just the parks in each country, but you would be missing out on such a wonderful cultural experience!
Please describe how the conversation first got started – to sell everything and travel the world.
My husband is an industrial electrician. His job was in another province on shifts (2 weeks on, 1 week off). We decided since he was away for two-thirds of the year that I would stay home with the girls. I ran a successful cake decorating business from home, before that I worked in IT for a telecommunications company.
We lived in an area with a very hot real estate market. Our original plan was to sell our home, pay off our debts and downsize to a smaller house closer to our daughters’ school. This would eliminate the 3 hours of commuting I usually do to take the girls to and from school, and also reduce some of the financial pressures of being a single income family.
When it came time to purchase another home we couldn’t find anything suitable and felt pressured to make a decision and pay over our desired budget. So, in a moment of frustration, I said, “Let’s just take a break. Let’s just take the kids out of school for a year, travel, and see what happens with the market when we come back.” My husband’s contract with work was just about to finish so the timing was right and said the magic words, “OK”!
How do the kids feel about travelling, what do you do for homeschooling?
My girls love exploring new places! It has been awesome to actually step foot in all the countries they’ve only heard about a year ago. Nothing in a book or classroom could replace that. They are both very social girls so this has been a great experience for them, meeting local families and seeing how other children live.
We are currently enrolled as home-schooled, but not following any curriculum. There is so much they learn through their day to day activities that I do not need to force any lessons with them. We also engage the kids in activities like cooking in each country we visit, they visit museums, animal rescue centers, places of historic importance etc… they are outdoors most of the time and learning so much being exposed to different cultures. It’s been a wonderful experience for all of us!
Would you suggest DVC points as the best way to accomplish this goal or would park packages be the best way to start off?
No, we only used DVC points for our Aulani and Disneyworld stay. While points can be used for the international parks, the conversion is not worth it. Most of the parks had packages available and we took advantage of any that would work for the time frame we visited. In Paris and Hong Kong, we had meal plans, extra fast passes, priority seating for parades and fireworks… we wouldn’t be able to get that through DVC points.
Also, check with travel agents and airlines for packages! We fly WestJet all the time and there are such good deals to Disneyland and the Good Neighbour Hotels I hardly use my points there.
Sincerely,
Natalie Chen
My Wandering Family
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