Starting 10/26/2011, Disney Dinner Reservations at Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort (and other select restaurants in Walt Disney World) will require a credit card to hold reservations. (Image © Disney)

If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney world or are there now and your looking to make Disney dinner reservations, you are not alone. Next to making the arrangements for your flights and hotel stay, the next most important thing you need to do to make your vacation successful is making dinner reservations at the best restaurants you can find available. So how do you make Disney dinner reservations without making it a frustrating experience? Let me tell you how.

First, if you’re planning a trip to Disney you need to know many days are left before you arrive. Reason being is that Disney resort guests can only make Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days in advance of the first day of their arrival. Also, you can make up to 10-days of reservations when you call but make sure you know when the 180 day window opens up.  Here’s a handy tool that will tell you when that date will be:

TimeAndDate.com

All you need to do is plug in the date of your arrival in the Month/Day/Year fields and then select SUBTRACT from the drop down below that and then enter “180″ in the days field. Just hit the “Calculate new date!” button and it will tell you exactly what date is 180-days from your arrival. Super easy.

Now once you know the date when you can start making Disney dining reservations, you have basically two different options to book a restaurant. First you can call Disney Dining directly at 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) and a cast member will assist you in making your reservations. It’s best to have a list of places and times in front of you so make sure you sit down with your family well ahead of time and map out some restaurants you would like to try. Your second choice outside of calling Disney is to make your dining reservations online at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants. This is a very popular way to make Disney dining reservations because of the fact that you can take your time and browse through the different restaurants and locations, check out menus and decide which spot might be better for your family for one day or another.

It’s really that simple, although if you visited any one of the more popular forums online you would think making reservations was a horrendous job that creates stress beyond what you could imagine! Sometimes that may be true. But, we’ve found that doing your homework ahead of time and then making sure you hit the phones or Disney’s dining reservations website right at the 180-day window is the best way to make Disney dinner reservations as stress free as possible.

Here are a few other helpful questions and answers our readers have asked over the years to help you along.

Q: I know I can make Disney dinner reservations starting 180-days from the date I arrive but what time can I start making them?  Do I need to get on the phone at 12:01am?

A: If you’re planning on calling Disney Dining by phone, lines open at 7:00am and close at 10:00pm EST. If your going the online route, the website will begin accepting dining reservations beginning at 6:00am EST.

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Q: I need to make sure I get reservations for a specific restaurant for a specific time. Is it easier to call or go online to make those reservations?

A: I would say by experience it’s much easier to go online to make any Disney dining reservations. Sometimes your wait time on the phone is much longer than just turning on the laptop and going directly to the reservations website so I would always recommend going online first if you can.

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Q: I heard Disney is requiring a credit card to hold reservations. Does this mean I have to enter my credit card in for every reservation? Will they charge me if I miss my reservation or cancel it?

A: The answer is YES, there are certain restaurants that require a credit card to hold the reservation but that is not the case for EVERY restaurant.

First, there are certain restaurants that require FULL payment in advance using a credit card and those include the following:

• Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)
• Spirt of Aloha Lua (Polynesian)
• Hoop Dee Doo Revue (Fort Wilderness)
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ (Fort Wilderness)

However, beginning on 10/26/2011, Disney will be expanding their list of restaurants that will require a credit card to hold the reservation and those include:

• 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (EPCOT – Norway)
• Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)
• California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
• Cape May Café (Beach Club Resort)
• Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort)
• Cítricos (Grand Floridian)
• Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
• Flying Fish Café (Boardwalk Resort)
• Garden Grill (EPCOT)
• Hollywood & Vine (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
• Hollywood Brown Derby (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
• Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
• Le Cellier (EPCOT – Canada)
• Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian)
• ‘Ohana (Polynesian)
• Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
• Victoria & Albert’s (Grand Floridian) (cancellation policy is $25/per person)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort)

You will not be charged in full in advance for these new restaurants that Disney added to this policy but rather the credit card is only meant to HOLD the reservation. If you need to cancel your reservation for any of these restaurants you have to do so at least 24-hours prior to your reservation or you will be charged $10 per person as a cancellation fee. To cancel a Disney dining reservation simply call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) or 407-WDW-CNCL (407-939-2625) to speak with a cast member.

If you have a question about Disney dinner reservations, the Disney Dining Plan or anything else related to dining in Disney please let us know by dropping us an email at our Contact page. Also, keep checking back as we continue to answer your Disney dining questions right here!

Deep into the pathways of Frontierland there is a treat that is taking Mickey Mouse fans and Disney food connoisseurs by storm. Not simply because it’s a tasty treat but because it’s a cool new version of the soft pretzel that only Disney could come up with. Yes, you guessed it…..one of the hottest Disney treats is in fact the Mickey Pretzel!

Probably the coolest thing to ever happen to the soft pretzel! Say hello to the now famous Mickey Pretzel! ©Disney

Although I would not consider the Mickey Mouse Pretzel a ‘gourmet’ pretzel as it’s not flavored with cinnamon or icing or made with any fancy ingredients, this tasty new Disney treat is something that all kids and adults will love because let’s face it, everyone loves soft pretzels! Leave it to Disney to come up with a really cool and creative way to sell the most basic of treats. The only issue is at the time of me writing this post you can only find Mickey Pretzels at the “pretzel wagon” which is located along the back pathway in Frontierland near Pecos Bill’s and the Country Bear Jamboree. But for about $4.00, it’s a tasty treat that we highly recommend and the kids (and adults) will love it!

Walt Disney World announced that starting today when you book a 4-night/5-day room and ticket package for arrival between October 2011 and March 2012, you will receive the Disney Dining Plan for Free! You must book your stay by October 29, 2011 to receive the special free dining deal.

The way this works is that in order to receive the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan you need to book your stay at a Disney Value Resort. In order to receive the normal Disney Dining Plan (which includes the sit down meal) you need to book your stay at a Disney Moderate, Disney Deluxe or Disney Villa Resort.

It’s a great time to book that Fall vacation at Disney as the free dining plan really ads up when you think about it.  You could save well over $500 just by booking your trip through Walt Disney World Travel and taking advantage of this plan.

For more details, click here.

I often wish I lived near Walt Disney World so that I could enjoy the foods and restaurants that I’ve come to love. Sometimes there’s nothing worse than being up here in Pennsylvania and having your wife ask you what do you want to do for dinner and you uncontrollably blurt out “Chef Mickey’s!” or “Kona Cafe!” or “Pecos Bill!” I’ve often thought that Disney or some other aspiring restauranteur should open a themed restaurant up this way as I really think something Disney’ish would draw big crowds. Although I probably won’t see a Chef Mickey’s up here anytime soon, I am happy to report that we will have an EARL OF SANDWICH!

News has it that there will be an EARL OF SANDWICH opening this August in New York City!  If I had to choose a chain type restaurant from Walt Disney World that I would want near me, EARL OF SANDWICH would be the one.  Now I know this is not really Disney Dining news but for those that live in the Northeast USA within driving distance of New York City, this is most welcome news.

Scheduled to open in the early part of next month, Earl of Sandwich will be located on West 52nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. For me, this spot couldn’t be any better as we normally will drive right into NYC and park within a block or two of this location. It’s very close to Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and just a short walk to Magnolia Bakery, one of the best bakeries in NYC.

I can’t wait to get a taste of Disney and order up my favorite sandwich there called the ‘Caprese’ which is a tasteful combination of Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of olive oil all grilled up perfectly. Now I can only guess the menu’s will be comparable to the one in Downtown Disney but as always things could change a bit. The price for a sandwich at the Earl in Disney this past June was just $5.99 but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to match that in a very expensive New York City area. Time will tell. The bottom line is if you like Earl of Sandwich like I do or if you’ve never tried it before, be sure to stop in starting early August!

Every time we visit Walt Disney World we find something new and interesting in their shops and this past trip in June was definitely no different.  The coolest food related souvenir had to be the new ‘Disney Theme Park Snack and Play’ set for kids that includes miniature play versions of some of Disney’s favorite park foods. Yes, your child can now bring home plastic play replicas of the famed Mickey Ice Cream Bar, the very yummy Mickey Head Rice Krispie Treat, buttery park popcorn and YES, even the very famous and highly sought after Disney Turkey Leg!

If your children are young and love to play ‘store’ at home, this is a great little set you should pick up next time you visit. Or if you’re a collector, this could be one of those items that one day people need to have in their collection. It’s got a plastic Disney Turkey Leg for crying out loud….what more could you want!? 

For those patient enough to wait to make plans for your next trip to Walt Disney World, it appears you will be rewarded with FREE FOOD! Back by popular demand is the Free Disney Dining Plan for Spring and Summer 2011 that everyone has been waiting for.  Note that the Free Dining Plan is for arrivals most nights between 4/23/2011 and 8/13/2011. Here are the details.

Purchase a non-discounted 5-night/5-day MAGIC YOUR WAY vacation package that includes Theme Park tickets and accommodations at a select Disney Deluxe Resort or Disney Deluxe Villa Resort and you will recieve the Disney Dining Plan for Free!

OR

Purchase a non-discounted 5-night/5-day MAGIC YOUR WAY vacation package that includes Theme Park tickets and accommodations at a select Disney Value Resort or Disney Moderate Resort and you will recieve the Disney Dining Plan for Free!

Here’s the small print on this great deal:
The number of rooms allocated for these offers is limited. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same package. Tickets are for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Offer is nontransferable. Advance reservations required. Excludes gratuities and alcohol. Children age 3–9 must order from the children’s menu, if available. Some Table-service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

So what does this mean for those planning vacations to Walt Disney World this coming Spring and Summer?  Well, for those that already have trips planned it means that restaurant reservations for just about ANYWHERE in Walt Disney World are about to become REALLY scarce.  If you are planning a vacation during the free dining period of April 23rd and August 13th it would be in your best interest to make dining reservations as fast as possible. From our past experience, it will be very tough to get into restaurants in Disney World for peak meal times (like 5-6pm for dinner) so we highly suggest you sit down with your party and figure out where and when you would like to eat and start making reservations now.

Our first reaction when we saw this news of the Free Dining Plan was not good. We love going to Disney and everything but free dining sure brings in the crowds. Since we’ll be heading down to Disney during this time we know to expect larger than normal crowds, filled up restaurants and a little more stress than normal. Although this may be good for Disney, we know better and will be expecting bumper-to-bumper people during a short trip later this summer. Luckily we had made a majority of our dining reservations weeks ago so I think we’re good for the most part. For those of you who have procrastinated about making reservations, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???!!!

Make your reservations here: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

Good Luck!

**UPDATE:  FREE DINING FOR THIS TIME PERIOD IS CURRENTLY NOT A PUBLIC OFFER.  YOU MUST HAVE AN EMAIL FROM DISNEY WITH A “PIN” CODE IN ORDER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FREE DINING OFFER. WHEN THIS CHANGES, WE WILL UPDATE EVERYONE.**

For those of you who own an iPhone or iPad and are big Disney World fans, the new application called “WDW DINING” is something you should have. I recently downloaded this handy little Disney iPhone app and to be honest I didn’t have high expectations as I didn’t think it could have all of the info I would want. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this app is loaded with cool features and most importantly for me has complete updated menus for every Walt Disney World Restaurant! I thought I would take you screen by screen and show you some of the cool things this app can do and how it can help you the next time you vacation in Walt Disney World.

The opening screen is layed out very nicely with the following links:

1. A DISNEY DINING RESERVATIONS button at the top where at the click of your finger you will be connected directly to a reservation specialist at Disney. Simply and easy and a great thing to have at your fingertips the next time you’re on vacation in WDW.

2. MY DINING SCHEDULE – This is where you can save each and every dining reservation you make so you can see all restaurants, dates, times, reservation numbers and number of your party at a glance. There is also a link to email your dining schedule if need be. Rather than having all of those printed emails you can have every reservation layed out right there in your iPhone which is a great feature. This is a manual feature meaning the application doesn’t automatically connect to the reservation system and download your reservations. You have to manually type them in.

3. MY FAVORITES – This is basically a place where you can have links to all of your favorite restaurants. The app allows you to browse through all of the restaurants, read about them, look at menu’s etc and at that point you can select the little star in the upper right hand corner to save it to your favorites. It works very much like your browser where you save your favorite links. This is nice to have as you don’t have to page through parks and resorts to find info on your preferred restaurants. It’s all right there in your Favorites section.

4. NEAR ME – This feature utilizes the GPS built into your iPhone or iPad to locate the closest restaurants to your location. You’ll be happy to know that “Storybook Treats” near the Winnie the Pooh ride in the Magic Kingdom is the closest to me right now (I live in Pennsylvania) at 915 miles and the furthest restaurant is the “World Premier Food Court” which is just 920 miles from me! Well, I can dream I was closer.

5. Below these links are buttons that will take you to restaurants in each Park, Downtown Disney, Deluxe Resorts and other Resorts with a simple click. Below is what came up when I selected the Magic Kingdom button:

From there I selected one of my favorite restaurants, The Crystal Palace. As you’ll see below it gives you a short overview of the restaurant and gives you links to their menus. It will also provide you a picture, tell you where in the Magic Kingdom it is and directions as to where exactly it’s located. Below that it will tell you if it’s on the DDP or Disney Dining Plan and how many credits it requires. It will also tell you if you can use the TiW or the Tables in Wonderland Discount (formerly known as the Disney Dining Experience), the price range, whether it is table or counter service, whether it has healthy meal options available and the cuisine type. It is also on this page where you can select the clock symbol at the top right and enter in a reservation for this restaurant. You can also select the Star button to make this one of your FAVORITES.

Below is the reservation view where you can select the date and time of your reservation, the reservation number and the party size. By hitting the SAVE button, this reservation will be placed into your MY DINING SCHEDULE that you can view from the front page.

Below is an example of the menu view. This one in particular is from a Disney fan favorite, Casey’s Corner on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom.

Here’s a view of the Resorts sections and what you’ll see when you select them.

Conclusion:  All in all this Disney iPhone App is perfect for anyone going to Walt Disney World who plans on dining in the parks or at one of the resorts. The old days required you to go to a website online, search for menu’s (which many sites do not have) and hope it was updated. Doing that from a mobile browser is difficult at best and this application makes it easy and super quick to see a menu and find out where the restaurant is located. The app currently costs $1.99 (as of Feb 2011) and it’s definitely a bargain so give it a try!

(NOTE:  There is also a Disneyland version of this application so make sure you give that one a try as well. As of today (2/24/2011) the application was FREE in the Apple App Store.)

2011 is right around the corner and many of you have already started making your vacation reservations for next year so it’s time to talk about the latest changes in the Disney Dining Plan.  There are a few changes in next years plan. Some good, some not so good (including an increase in price.) Here’s a synopsis of the 2011 Dining Plan and what you can expect for next year.

You will have three choices for your 2011 Disney Dining Plan:

Option #1:  Disney Quick Servic

e Dining Plan – this plan will give each member of your party the following each day of your stay:

- Two (2) Quick Service Meals
- Two (2) Snacks

In addition, each party member will receive a refillable resort mug which is good for unlimited drink refills at your resort for your entire length of stay.

COST:
Adults (Ages 10+):    $34.99 per day

Childr

en (Ages 3-9):    $11.99 per day

Option #2:  Disney Dining Plan – this plan will give each member of your party the following each day of your stay:

- One (1) Table Service Meal

- One (1) Quick Service Meal

- One (1) Snack

COST:

Adults (Ages 10+):      $45.99 per day (regular season)

$47.99 per day (peak season)

Children (Ages 3-9):    $11.99 per day (regular season)

$12.99 per day (peak season)

Option #3:  Disney Deluxe Dining Plan – this plan will give each member of your party Two (2) Snacks AND any combination of three (3) of the following each day of your stay.

Choose from:

- Quick Service Meal

- Table Service Meal (including appetizer)

So for example, you could get two (2) snacks, two (2) Quick Service Meals and One (1) Table Service Meal (including appetizer) to meet your daily allotment.

In addition, each party member will receive a refillable resort mug which is good for unlimited drink refills at your resort for your entire length of stay.

COST:

Adults (Ages 10+):    $78.99 per day

Children (Ages 3-9):    $21.99 per day

Additional Notes:

- Gratuity is not included in any plan

- When purchasing a Quick Service breakfast, you will now only recieve one (1) non-alcoholic beverage (in 2010 you would receive two)

- Le Cellier has been added to the Signature restaurants list meaning it will require two (2) Table Service credits for each person (beginning March 2011.)

Summary:

While I’m not so happy about the price increases I will say that if you like to try different restaurants and enjoy eating out then the Disney Dining Plan is still a better way to go. If you do the math you will certainly save a little bit of money by using the plan over doing the ‘pay-as-you-go’ method. There are also some small changes from last year but overall the choices remain relatively the same. As always I would suggest sitting down with your family and planning out where you would like to eat and then do some math based on what you ‘think’ you would eat at these restaurants.  There are a host of sites that offer up-to-date menus so it wouldn’t be hard to figure out.

The bottom line is that part of your Disney Vacation is about the food and enjoying the different restaurants that Disney has to offer. Make the most of your time and enjoy the good eats around you and if that includes going with the Disney Dining Plan, then that is great. If not, you can be just as happy (and maybe even have some more change in your pocket at the end of the day too!) Enjoy!

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Guests who prefer to include dining in their vacation packages can choose a Walt Disney World Magic Your Way vacation package which includes a Disney dining plan which can save on dining.

Three vacation packages are available that include a Disney dining plan, Disney resort hotel accommodations and Magic Your Way tickets. The Disney dining plans feature a variety of meal and snack entitlements both in terms of the type of restaurants guests can visit and the number of meals and snacks included with the plans.

The choices are:

Magic Your Way Package Plus Quick-Service Dining :  includes two quick-service meals and two snacks per person for each night of guest’s vacation package stay, plus a refillable drink mug for each person which can be refilled as often as they like at any quick-service location at their Disney resort hotel.  Meals and snacks can be chosen at more than 50 selected restaurants throughout Walt Disney World Resort. And guests can save up to 20 percent per adult on Disney dining needs.

Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining : offers one table-service meal, one quick-service meal and one snack per person, per night of guest’s package stay, with over 100 select restaurants to choose from. The package helps guests save up to 30 percent per adult on dining.

Magic Your Way Package Plus Deluxe Dining: includes three meals and two snacks per person, per night of guest’s package stay, plus a refillable drink mug for each guest on the package which can be refilled as often as they like at any quick-service location at their Disney resort hotel.  This package allows guests the flexibility to choose any combination of table-service and quick-service restaurants from more than 100 participating restaurant locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort. With this package, guests can save up to 40 percent per adult on dining.

The package cost varies based on which package a guest chooses, guest’s ages, and the number of nights in the package stay. To determine cost, guests have three options: go to www.disneyworld.com; call 407/W-DISNEY to book arrangements; or visit a local travel agent.

Here are some additional facts regarding the Disney dining plans:

Guests can redeem their meals in any order throughout their package stay until each person on the package has depleted his/her allotted meals and snacks. For instance, a guest who has purchased a Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining for three nights would have entitlements of three table-service meals, three quick-service meals and three snacks during their stay.  The guest could use all three table service entitlements on the same day if they choose.

Guest’s Key to the World card, which is a room key and much more, electronically tracks the use of dining entitlements included in a package. It should be presented at dining locations, and the server or cashier will provide guests with a receipt showing the meals and snacks remaining on their Disney dining plan.

Children ages 3-9 must order from a children’s menu, where available.  A Disney dining plan is unavailable for guests under the age of 3, but they may share from an adult plate at no charge, or a meal may be purchased from the menu.

Gratuities are not included except for pizza delivery, in-room private dining, dinner shows and character dining meals at Cinderella’s Royal Table.  An automatic 18 percent gratuity charge will be added to the bill for parties of six or more.  An automatic gratuity charge may also be added to the bill for items ordered that are not included in a Disney dining plan (for example, alcoholic beverages).

Table-service meal entitlements can be exchanged for special dining experiences that guests will remember for a lifetime.  One table-service meal entitlement can be used for most character dining meals. Two table-service meal entitlements can be exchanged for one character dining meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, one signature restaurant experience (such as Citricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa), one Disney dinner show (such as Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground), or one pizza delivery in-room (requires adult entitlements).  If the vacation package includes lodging at select Disney Deluxe or Disney Deluxe Villa Resort hotels, two table-service meal entitlements can be exchanged for in-room private dining.

Some of the signature restaurant locations available with certain Disney dining plans are:  Jiko-The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Flying Fish Cafe at Disney’s BoardWalk, California Grill at Disneyis Contemporary Resort, Ci­tricos and Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Dreams Come True Dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom and The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Some of the table-service restaurant locations available with certain Disney dining plans are:  Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, The Wave at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Les Chefs de France and Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, 50′s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Wolfgang Puck Cafe in the Downtown Disney area.

Some of the more than 50 quick-service dining locations available with a Disney dining plan are:  Pepper Market at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Contempo Cafe at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe at Magic Kingdom, and Yakitori House and Sunshine Seasons at Epcot.

Examples of a snack are:  frozen ice cream novelty, popsicle or fruit bar, popcorn scoop (single serving box), single-serving bag of chips, single piece of whole fruit, 20-oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dasani water, medium fountain soft drink, single-serving pre-packaged milk or juice, 12-oz. coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea.

Merchandise or photo-imaging products that may be offered at character dining experiences are not included, except at Cinderella’s Royal Table and Ackershus Royal Banquet Hall.

Theme park admission is required for some dining locations.

Dining reservations in advance of a visit are strongly encouraged, as due to the popularity of the Disney restaurants, the restaurant and seating of guests’ choice may be limited or may not be available. Reservations are accepted at most Walt Disney World table-service restaurants, signature restaurants, character dining locations and dinner shows, and may be made up to 90 days prior to arrival by calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463).

Copyright 2009 Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — With drinks like the Antioxidant Cocktail, entrées such as linguine with clams, rock shrimp and fresh thyme in chunky tomato broth, and crispy almond-pineapple-raisin “baklava” for dessert, The Wave brings a surge of new dining ideas to Walt Disney World Resort.

Located in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the restaurant offers bold cooking inspired by fresh markets, featuring American cooking with world flavors.

Guests enter the stylish space on the first floor of the hotel through a brushed steel arch “tunnel” into The Wave’s lounge, one of the largest at Walt Disney World Resort.  The sleek, serene décor is earthy browns and golds, with frosted glass lamps for soft ambient light and a copper-colored metal ceiling.  Banquettes and booths line the perimeter of the dining room, and wooden tables are set with white linen napkins.
Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the 220-seat restaurant takes casual dining into the health-conscious 21st century.  The classic American breakfast menu includes plenty of egg creations, but guests also can make their own Wave muesli or sip a berry smoothie with raspberry puree and non-fat yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega (a great source of Omega-3).  The Pure Sunshine breakfast cocktail features organic vodka and orange juice topped with Vitamin Energy Drink.  Coffee is organic Colombian (fair trade and “Smithsonian-certified bird-friendly”) and teas are whole leaf Pyramid bags in flavors from chamomile blossoms to monsoon chai.

At lunch, light eaters might enjoy pepper-seared tuna with Napa cabbage slaw and summer rolls, or watermelon and arugula salad with balsamic drizzle.  Entrées include oversized salads and a vegetarian sandwich with grilled tofu, roasted veggies and herb goat cheese on multi-grain bread, but guests also can chow down on an Angus chuck burger with cheese and Applewood smoked bacon, or a classic grilled Reuben.

The dinner menu offers a delicious spin on comfort classics such as pan-seared Alaskan black cod with corn and edamame (soybean) stew with cilantro chutney; braised lamb shank with bulgur lentil stew and red wine sauce, and a nouvelle chicken pot pie with thyme pastry. Sides at both lunch and dinner include wilted greens and roasted potatoes and carrots.

“Lots of stocks, lots of broths and seasonal ingredients keep the menu well balanced,” said Chef Frank Brough. “We are sourcing ingredients locally and regionally to create fresh flavors, and our fresh catch of the day features sustainable seafood.”

Desserts continue the theme with a dozen choices for mixing and matching three mini-favorites for one price.  From no-sugar-added chocolate mint mousse to fresh fruit sorbets and coconut panna cotta with passion fruit, guests can indulge their sweet tooth without a big hit in calories.  Or go overboard with a dessert cocktail like the Mudslide martini: Baileys Irish Cream, vanilla vodka, Kahlúa and vanilla ice cream.

Wine ‘With a Twist,’ Innovative Spirits Menu

The wine program, with only screw cap wines, is cutting-edge and supports sustainable agriculture. Industry experts say that the screw cap is the most significant technical evolution in the wine industry since the glass bottle was introduced 250 years ago.

And the options for screw cap wine are growing.  The Wave serves no California wines (California Grill on the resort’s 15th floor has a corner on the California market), but instead focuses on bright-style New World wines from the Southern Hemisphere, including Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Sparkling wines from Tasmania, Rieslings from South Australia, floral New Wave whites from Argentina and pinot noirs from New Zealand are among the interesting choices, with 50 available by the glass.  A flight of 3-ounce samplings and dessert wines, ports and sherries round out the wine list.

For beer fans, certified organic ales from Orlando Brewing are on the menu. Produced in Orlando, these handcrafted ales use only American-grown certified-organic barley malt.  Three Orlando Brewery ales are available on tap, including Blonde Ale, Pale Ale and Blackwater Dry Porter. Also on the menu is gluten-free Redbridge lager.

Trendy cocktails are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Start the day with a Pomegranate Splash (vodka, pomegranate liqueur, cranberry juice and soda water) or the Ultimate Bloody Mary (organic vodka, Bloody Mary mix and a dash of red chili sauce).

“Natural and flavorful are the buzzwords for cocktails,” said Stuart McGuire, director of beverage sales and standards for Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts.  The Pure-tini mixes organic vodka with organic mango and passion fruit liqueur.  The Antioxidant Cocktail features wild berry vodka, black raspberry liqueur, açai juice with agave, lychee, aloe juice and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

The Wave is part of a revitalization at Disney’s Contemporary Resort that includes a makeover of the hotel’s fourth floor with a new game arcade and new quick-service eatery for salads and sandwiches (replacing Concourse Steakhouse).  The popular Chef Mickey’s restaurant and the monorail station anchor that family-friendly area.

Copyright 2008 – Disney