Disney Springs Offers Holiday Activities for the Whole Family

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 9, 2021

 

Everyone has a list of gifts to purchase for friends and family this time of the year, and Disney Springs is hoping you’ll do some of that shopping at their location.  To entice you to spend your dollars at the Springs, they’ve offered up a bevy of activities to make your shopping excursion more fun. 

Obviously, more than 100 shopping locations are waiting for you to peruse their wares, and 63 different dining venues will keep you fueled for the day (or night!), but there are lots of other things to do as well. 

 

Live entertainment abounds, particularly later in the day, as both DJs and live performers show off their skills at several different spots throughout Disney Springs.  Waterside Stage is the place to go for live, and free, concerts.  Check the board near the stage for up-to-date performers and times when you are there in your visit.

 

Make sure you head into the Town Center area, where “snow” flurries fall throughout the night to make your evening seem more magical. Toy soldier stilt-walkers and snowflake skaters will pop up throughout the night as well.

 

If your holiday shopping plans wouldn’t be complete without a visit to jolly old St. Nick, make your way to Once Upon a Toy, where you can snap a holiday photo with Santa, socially distanced, of course, in front of a special backdrop. (It’s indoors, so bring your masks.)  

 

Santa will be there from November 12 through December 24, 2021, as will Disney PhotoPass photographers who can capture digital portraits that will be available for purchase. (Virtual queues may be offered at times, so you can continue your gift hunt while waiting your turn with Santa.). Santa will be available:

 

• November 12 to December 14, 2021 – 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

• December 15 to December 24, 2021 – 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM

 

And speaking of Santa, two Disney Springs locations will be offering a chance to eat with the big man himself.  Breakfast with Santa at T-rex will take place on December 11; and Breakfast with Santa at Rainforest Café® at Disney Springs Marketplace welcomes families on December 18.

 

One of the annual highlights at Disney Springs is the Christmas Tree Stroll, which can also serve as a scavenger hunt of sorts.  Presented by AdventHealth, twenty different themed Christmas trees, inspired by Disney films, television shows, and beloved characters, are scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Disney Springs. The festively decorated trees offer two completely different experiences: A daytime hunt, when the details of the trees are more obvious, but also a magical nighttime stroll, when the trees are lit up to their sparkling best.  

Guests can pick up a Christmas Tree Stroll map at one of half a dozen sites, and complete their stroll by finding each tree, adding a sticker for each character or story to the correct place on the map. Once completed, maps can be returned to the redemption locations for a special treat. The BOATHOUSE, Planet Hollywood, City Works, Under Armour, Basin, and Amorette’s have both the maps to pick up, as well as a spot to redeem your prize. (Note: For those of you who have picked up maps at the welcome center in past years, maps are not available there this year.)

 

Disney Springs is doing double duty in the snacks and treats department right now as well, offering both holiday specialties at various restaurants, and the Resort’s 50th Anniversary goodies. Find a list of treats and participating locations at Disney Springs’ holiday guide.

If you’ve worked up a thirst, or need a bit of a nosh before forging on, Jock Lindsey’s Hanger Bar transforms into Jock Lindsey's Holiday Bar for the season.  Jock’s Holiday Specialties include such options as Holiday Ham and Brie ($9); C9 Light Deviled Eggs (in festive holiday colors!) with Shrimp and Tobiko Caviar ($12); “Cookies and Milk” (in a distinctly adult iteration with rum!) ($27); or a ClausMo, a holiday twist on a Cosmopolitan ($16). Oh, and there are holiday decorations, too.

 

Each of the dining locales in Disney Springs is featuring either Anniversary specialties or holiday goodies, but a few of the newest holiday edibles around the Springs include:

 

At Amorette’s Patisserie

• White Chocolate Peppermint Éclair with White Chocolate and Peppermint Mousse  
• Holiday Mickey Mousse Mini Dome Cake  
• Holiday Parfait – Bourbon white chocolate mousse, cranberry cherry panna cotta, maple chocolate ganache, and chocolate chiffon cake  

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

At AristoCrêpes

• Cherry Jubilee Bubble Waffle – Bubble waffle filled with scoops of vanilla ice cream, cherries jubilee fillings, and whipped cream 
• Santa Hot Crêpe – Sweet crêpe filled with eggnog custard topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream (available Nov. 26- Dec. 30)

 

At D-Luxe Burger

• Holiday Turkey Burger – Turkey patty, butternut squash risotto cake, bacon-cranberry jam, lettuce, and tomato  
• “Oh Deer” Cookie Shake – Hazelnut liqueur, vanilla gelato, cinnamon beverage syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon, and sugar dusting with ginger deer garnish  

 

At Dockside Margaritas

• Snowman on the Beach Margarita – Silver tequila, key lime juice, crème de coconut, sweet and sour, graham cracker rim, chocolate pearls, and carrot sugar piece  

 

At The Daily Poutine

• Gobbler Poutine – Turkey, brown gravy, cranberry chutney, and cheese curds  

 

At The Ganachery

• Olaf Hot Cocoa Surprise  
• Santa Mickey Piñata  
• Gingerbread Ganache Square  
• Peppermint Bark  

Check out the Disney Springs Calendar for specific dates and times for special events and appearances.

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

 

For You and a Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

For a Great Burger Head to D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 29, 2021

 

I am a burger hunter. Burgers are my weakness. Take me to any restaurant, and the first thing I’m going to look for on the menu are the burgers. I may end up ordering something else, but I’m still going to peruse the burger column first.  Embarrassingly, I’m also the one who goes to The BOATHOUSE in Disney Springs - perhaps one of the finest seafood restaurants in central Florida - and orders… yes, the burger. (Their signature Gibsons “Sandwich King” Award Winning Burger, with beef made just for The BOATHOUSE, is phenomenal.  But I digress.)

 

D-Luxe Burger in the Town Center section of Disney Springs is on my list of top burger stops at Disney.  Mind you, Disney has a reputation at many of its quick serve locations for serving… I’ll be generous… dehydrated meat discs on a bun (looking at you, Cosmic Ray’s!)  Sometimes they’ll emboss the image of a cute character into the top of the bun, but it is still, at best, a substandard theme park burger. Despite my love of burgers, there are certain places at the House of Mouse that you will not catch me lifting a burger to my mouth. Those standard “theme park burgers” just won’t cut it.

 

D-Luxe Burger, though, is a quick-serve restaurant that offers a really good burger that rivals the better sit-down locations.  The dining location has a small amount of indoor seating (non-COVID times), but most of its tables are located outside either under their porch overhang, or along the dock overlooking the springs. The restaurant is hooked in to Disney’s mobile order system, and using either your My Disney Experience app (MDE), or the QR code at the restaurant, you can quickly order your food online. You then pick it up at the counter when it’s ready (you’ll get a text on your MDE app or phone), and pick a seat at the umbrella tables outside on the dock or on the porch. 

 

We placed an order at D-Luxe Burger in the late afternoon, when Disney Springs crowds were low. We chose an umbrella shaded table overlooking the blue springs, and were able to enjoy the scenery while we ate.  It took only ten minutes for our order to be ready on this low-crowd day, but you can also pre-order early in the day for a certain pick-up window using your My Disney Experience app.

 

The menu is, with a few exceptions, exclusively burgers, but they are darn good ones.  Two of our diners ordered the Barbecue Burger ($12.49), D-Luxe Burger’s signature-blend beef patty topped with a fried onion ring, Muenster cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce, grilled onions, and lettuce. The burger was juicy, the beef was a high-quality blend, it was cooked to the correct “doneness” (a rarity at Disney!), and we were able to specify any changes we wanted to the burger on the MDE app.  Our other diner ordered the Classic Cheeseburger ($10.49), the signature blend beef patty topped with Cheddar, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and pickles.  They were equally pleased with their burger. The buns were soft and fresh, and added to the overall burger quality.

The burgers at D-Luxe Burger do not come with sides, but you can order fresh cut fries as an add-on.  The portions of the fries were pretty large, and come in two sizes.  The regular is $4.99, and the large is $7.49.  The large was more than enough to split among our three diners.  The fries were good on their own, well-seasoned, but the real excitement with the fries is the option for house made dipping sauces.  You have a choice between Garlic Ranch; Buffalo Ranch; Chipotle Mayo; BBQ Stout; and Truffle Aioli.  We opted for the Buffalo Ranch and the Truffle Aioli, which were both delicious, and were definitely worth getting again. The Buffalo Ranch had a hint of heat without being overwhelming, and the Truffle Aioli was a bit more savory and a touch smoky in flavor. There was no charge for the dipping sauce. They would make a great burger sauce as well. Just sayin’.

 

For those who are dining with carnivores but don’t wish to partake themselves, D-Luxe burger offers a plant-based “Pacific Island Burger” topped with cabbage and mushroom ragout, mango salsa, lettuce, tomato, and pickles for $12.49.

 

The kids have their own selections as well. The $7.99 Grilled Chicken Sandwich kid’s meal is a grilled chicken breast topped with lettuce and tomato, served with a Danimals smoothie and carrot sticks, and a lowfat milk or water.   There’s also a kid’s cheeseburger meal option or chicken nuggets option, either of which is $7.99 and comes with the same sides.

 

For future reference, in non-COVID times, D-Luxe Burger sometimes has secret menu offerings on the app. Right now, though, most of the Disney restaurants have streamlined their menus to keep efficiency up and wait-times down so crowds don’t end up gathering. Keep an eye out though, because you never know when something special will pop up.

 

While D-Luxe Burger is known for its great burgers, it’s also a prime stop for delicious ice cream shakes.  Of course, we had to sample a few to be sure.  We selected the S'mores Gelato Shake, a really fun vanilla gelato blended with toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumbles topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, dark chocolate drizzle, and an extra graham cracker. It was $7.50 worth of pure summertime, and while we wouldn’t order it all the time, it was a vacation worthy treat.  The other shake we ordered, also $7.50, was the Strawberry Gelato Shake, a vanilla gelato blend with strawberry smoothie mix, topped with mounds of whipped cream, a strawberry sauce drizzle, and a bright red cherry. It was thick and creamy, and super cold, even on a hot day.  On occasion, seasonal shakes also show up on the menu.

 

If an adult beverage is more your speed, you can plus up your shake with some alcohol. The Smoked Bourbon Gelato Shake ($16.00) combines vanilla gelato with Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon, hickory smoke, and dark chocolate sauce.  Oh, and there’s a strip of bacon on top!  The Bananas Foster Gelato Shake ($12.00) starts with a vanilla gelato base before adding Bols Banana, toasted marshmallow Monin, and caramel before being topped with whipped cream and an extra drizzle of  caramel.

 

There are also a few non-shake adult drinks, including Cabernet Sauvignon ($11.00); a  Chardonnay ($11.00), and a few beer offerings, including a Goose Island IPA ($10.00) and a Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen ($10.00), a German style wheat beer with citrus tones.  Or there’s a Bud Light ($8.25), but you are on vacation, so broaden your horizons!

 

If you find yourself bargain hunting the shops at Disney Springs, and looking for a quick meal, you can’t go wrong with a burger and shake at D-Luxe Burger. It will give you just the boost you need to keep perusing the myriad of stores, or let you refuel while you listen to the live music offered at Disney Springs. Plus, it definitely qualifies as one of the top burgers at Disney.

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

 

Where Should You Eat at Disney If Not Ready to Eat Indoors During COVID?

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 2, 2021

 

The pictures on the evening news might have you thinking that everyone is smiling happily, and returning to eating out at restaurants following COVID lockdowns. Despite what your TV might be telling you, not everyone is ready to head indoors and dine at their favorite restaurant. A lot of us are still bringing take-out home, and cooking from scratch in our own kitchens.

 

On a recent non-vacation journey to central Florida, we found ourselves trying to figure out how to eat dinner each day without resorting to a week’s worth of drive-thru food eaten in the comfort of our car.  Here’s a list of some of the dining choices that we discovered at Disney that allowed us to have dinner, comfortably seated outdoors, adequately socially distanced, and without needing theme park passes.

 

Geyser Point, Wilderness Lodge:  This was one of our two favorite choices on Disney property. Seated near the shores of Bay Lake, we were able to dine under an open air roof, watching the boats ferrying guests back and forth to the theme parks. The chairs were super comfortable, and some guests were even seated on cushioned couches and low coffee tables. Big screen TVs played varying sports, and the menu was casual, yet delicious. Think rustic National Parks lodge motif. We were seated at the very edge of the roofline, along the line of shrubbery, and with the more-than-adequate distance between tables, we were almost able to feel like we were dining in a garden overlooking the water.  QR codes provided the means to access the menu from our phone. We’d definitely head back to this relaxing locale again. And probably will, as the food was terrific! 

 

Three Bridges Bar and Grill, Coronado Springs: A similar open-sided design to Geyser Point, Three Bridges is out in the middle of the lake, connected by – shocker- three bridges. Décor is southwestern, with seating again on comfy couches, or wooden tables. The open air restaurant gets great breezes from the lake, and is particularly pretty at night when the lights from the tower reflect off the water.  Staff here was especially attentive, checking temperatures on the way in to the restaurant, offering small plates to rest your mask on, and parking hand sanitizer stations near all the entrances and bathrooms. QR codes again accessed the menu from your phone for less physical contact.  And the food was excellent, too!  This was the overall winner in our central Florida dining experience.  See our dining review here.

 

D-Luxe Burger, Disney Springs: D-Luxe Burger is a quick-serve restaurant that is hooked in to Disney’s mobile order system.  Using your My Disney Experience app, or by pulling up the app using your phone and the QR code at the restaurant, staff interaction is kept to a minimum.  Order your food online, pick it up at the counter when it’s ready, and pick a seat at the umbrella tables outside on the dock. We dined here in the late afternoon, when Disney Springs crowds were low. We chose a table overlooking the blue springs, and were able to enjoy the scenery while we ate. While we were the only ones seated at the dockside umbrella tables at that hour, it is possible that on a busy night, your distancing might be a little less “distanced” than you’d prefer. All in all, the burgers were good, the shakes even better, and it was a solid choice for eating outdoors.

The Polite Pig, Disney Springs: The Polite Pig doesn’t have nearly as much space, or as many tables, for eating outdoors as some of the other options at Disney Springs due to its location near a central walkway, but the food is so good and the tables turn over so quickly that if you pass by at an opportune time and see some open spaces, it’s worth the stop!  The mac and cheese is a solid choice for a side (we actually brought some back to the hotel room to eat), and the coffee-rubbed brisket was worth writing home about.  There’s even an outdoor bar, should you be so inclined after a hard day’s work… or park hopping.

 

The BOATHOUSE, Disney Springs: If you are feeling a little more upscale, The BOATHOUSE offers outside dining on a dock overlooking Lake Buena Vista where you can watch the amphicars plying the waterways. They have a brand new Sunday brunch as well, and are known for their extraordinarily fresh selection of seafood, especially for their oysters.

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, Disney Springs: This little place in Disney Springs has been a favorite for our family on several occasions, mainly because of the kitschy “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” tie-ins. They have outdoor seating right on the water, and they are typically open late so you can grab a bite after you get done with meetings – or the theme parks! 

 

These are just a few of the choices we came across when we were in the Disney area. Disney Springs certainly has plenty of other options, from the outside upper decks at Morimoto Asia, Wine Bar George and Paddlefish, to the rotating selection of food trucks where you can find your own table. Blaze Pizza is super quick, and has a plethora of picnic tables outdoors. Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is a favorite among locals (get the fried chicken), and has an outdoor patio and “Shine Bar.”  Cookes of Dublin has a smaller outdoor patio, and there are a number of grab-and-go spots like Earl of Sandwich and Morimoto Asia Street Food that have outside tables sprinkled nearby, and of course, there are always the pool bars at the resorts, which almost always have outside dining tables, if you don’t mind a few wet kiddos running by!  

 

__________

 

Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!