Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

The Best Things in Animal Kingdom at Disney World

By Leave a Comment

Seeing as how it’s Earth Day today, I thought it would be neat to take a look at the best things in Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World!

best things in Animal Kingdom

The Best Things in Animal Kingdom

Similar to my best things in Magic Kingdom post, I wanted to move over to Animal Kingdom in honor of Earth Day! Did you know that Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day in 1998? So, today is also the park’s birthday/anniversary! Given the large number of animals that live here, it makes sense to think of the earth and its resources so we can take care of these animals.

Without further ado, here’s my own personal list of favorite things to enjoy at Animal Kingdom theme park!

The Best Ride

It’s entirely possible the best ride in this park will change in a few years. However, for now, I’m going to say Avatar Flight of Passage. It’s such a beautiful ride and a unique experience! It can make some folks motion sick though. I also really like the Na’vi River Journey as it’s peaceful and pretty too.

Best Place for a Break

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Kilimanjaro Safaris as another favorite attraction in this park. It’s always different as you never know which animals will be out or what they will be doing. Although, I highly recommend catching a showing of the Festival of the Lion King too. It’s a great show in a dark, cool place!

Best Quick Service Restaurant

Personally, I really enjoy two quick service restaurants here: Satu’li Canteen and Flametree BBQ. I say go with the one that has a better menu for your mood and crew. My family is always happy with BBQ. Plus, it’s a great use of dining credit. So, we’ve eaten Flametree several times. Although, Satu’li is a great option for healthier and more unique meals.

Best Table Service Restaurant

It’s sad that I’ve been to my favorite table service in this park only once and it wasn’t recent. Nonetheless, my favorite table service restaurant here is Yak & Yeti. My husband and I ate here one trip and we still talk about it from time to time. Those Fried Wontons were tasty! Although, I think the Rainforest Cafe Breakfast is fun too as is the Tusker House Character meal.

What are the best things in Animal Kingdom?

So, those are my favorite things in Animal Kingdom. What are some of yours?

The Best Things in Magic Kingdom

By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered what the best things in Magic Kingdom are? Well, if you have, I’ve got my own personal list of favorite things to do when I visit!

Best Things In Magic Kingdom

The Best Things in Magic Kingdom

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Disney World several times. As such, I have lots of things I love to do there. So, I thought it would be fun to start a new series of the best things to do in different theme parks. To kick it off, I had to start with the most popular one and the one I’ve visited the most: Magic Kingdom!

I thought this would be easiest if I picked my favorite (the best to me) thing in the park across different categories. So, I will be breaking it down based on the categories I’ve chosen.

The Best Ride

Given that MK has so many rides, this can be a competitive category. I think it comes down to two rides though: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Tron. I haven’t had the chance to experience Tron yet though. So, I will pick Mine Train. I’ve done it several times and love it each time. I like the classic Disney story and the roller coaster is fun without being too intense.

The Best Place for a Break

Again, this category comes down to two options for me: The Enchanted Tiki Room or Carousel of Progress. If it’s a hot day, then Carousel of Progress wins with its great air conditioning and the dark. If it’s cooler, I might go with the Tiki Room.

The Best Snack

I know lots of people love the egg rolls here. However, I still haven’t tried those. For me, I’ve got to go with a classic: Dole Whip! There’s nothing like a cold Dole Whip on a hot Orlando day! Dole Whips always remind me of Disney parks.

The Best Quick Service Restaurant

This park has several quick service restaurants. However, the food at each of them tends to be pretty pedestrian. However, I’ve had good luck with Columbia Harbor House in the past. I like the lobster roll and sitting upstairs to people watch in the park.

The Best Table Service Restaurant

There’s really not many options in this category in this park. However, Liberty Tree Tavern consistently has good food. The theme reminds me of Colonial Williamsburg too. You can read a whole review of my experiences here at the link above. For a cheaper option, I also like The Plaza Restaurant. It has good food with a great view of the castle. Plus, it’s pretty cheap for Disney sit down meals.

The Best Things in Magic Kingdom

So, there’s my favorite things in Magic Kingdom. What’s on your list of the best things in this park?

Ale and Compass Breakfast Review at Walt Disney World

By Leave a Comment

When I took a quick 48 hours trip to Walt Disney World late last year, I decided to eat breakfast at Ale and Compass at Yacht Club Resort. I’d heard many people online call it the best breakfast value on property. So, I thought I would check it out for myself.

Ale and Compass

Ale and Compass

Prior to this trip, I had seen several Youtubers eat at Ale and Compass. They all gushed over the value of the buffet here. So, it had been on my list of places to try for a little while. Then, I booked this trip to enjoy the holidays at Disney and it seemed like the perfect time to try it. I wanted to see the gingerbread carousel at Beach Club, which is directly beside Yacht Club.

I stayed at All Star Sports (review to come) on this trip. I could have taken a Lyft directly to this resort. However, I had extra time and didn’t want to spend the money. So, I rode a bus to Hollywood Studios. Then, I took the Skyliner over to Epcot. Finally, it was a short walk over to the Yacht Club.

Breakfast

At Ale and Compass during breakfast, you can order an entree or a “continental enhancement” buffet with an entree. Given the rave reviews on the buffet’s value, I opted to try it this time. For $28, you get an entree, the buffet, and a drink! Everything on the buffet looked good and fresh. I loved the fruit available. The pineapple was juicy. The grapes were fresh as were the strawberries. I really enjoyed the deviled egg. The biscuit and gravy was surprisingly good as well. Not the best I’ve ever had, but it was some of the best I’ve had in Orlando. The pastry I selected was pretty good too. Unfortunately, the cinnamon roll didn’t wow me. I found it to be dried out and lacking much flavor.

For my entree, I went with the Dark Chocolate Waffles. It comes with dried cherry compote, espresso-mascarpone cream, and chocolate shavings. My waitress highly recommended it and I’d seen several people online like it. Admittedly, I’m not usually a cherry fan. However, these waffles were delicious! The combination of all of the flavors went together really well! I figured I’d end up removing the compote, but I didn’t. I truly enjoyed this dish. In fact, I don’t think you need the provided syrup. I also selected turkey bacon for my meat. It doesn’t look all that appetizing, but it was good too.

Is the Ale and Compass Breakfast a good value?

At $28, this is easily the cheapest buffet on property. However, as with all buffets, it can be a lot of food. I think it’s an excellent value for hungry folks. If I return again, I’ll probably just get those tasty dark chocolate waffles since I didn’t have the stomach space to eat them all. Then again, the waffles alone are $16, so an extra $12 for a plethora more options seems worth it. The biggest “minus” of eating here is the location. It would make a great breakfast on a Hollywood Studios or Epcot day. Plus, it fueled my resort decor sightseeing day.

So, have you ever eaten here?

Disney World Epcot Festivals Guide

By Leave a Comment

Now that we have started a new year, I thought I would make a guide to the various Epcot festivals that happen during the year!

Epcot Festivals

Epcot Festivals

Are you planning or considering a trip to Walt Disney World this year? If so, you may be wondering if there is a seasonal event taking place at Epcot. Unless you are travelling during the summer or other lulls at the park, then chances are you will be able to experience a special event at Epcot! I’m going to look at each of the festivals that take place over the course of a year at Epcot, beginning in January and ending in December.

Festival of the Arts

The first seasonal event at Epcot typically begins in mid-January and ends sometime around mid/late February. It’s called Festival of the Arts. It’s the newest festival at Epcot and I have a whole Epcot Festival of the Arts review from a few years ago that goes more in-depth with the various activities and some of the food you can find. In 2025, the festival will take place from January 17th to February 24th. I recommend participating in the paint by numbers mural at the front of the park and the Japan booth is always good to me. Also, I know lots of people enjoy the Disney on Broadway Concert Series that takes place at night.

Flower and Garden Festival

Around springtime, there’s a beautiful Flower and Garden Festival. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I’ve had good luck with timing this festival right. It’s always too hot or I’m too busy with other things during a trip to really get into this festival. While I love the topiaries around the park, the weather or timing always messes with me trying the food. Sadly, I’ve also never experienced the Garden Rocks Concert Series either. Disney recently announced the dates for this festival for 2025: March 5th to June 2nd.

Food and Wine Festival

The fall time at Epcot is all about the International Food and Wine Festival. Once again, the weather and timing often interrupt my plans for enjoying this festival. It’s typically held late August/early September (begins around Labor Day) and lasts until mid/late November (ends prior to Thanksgiving). So, that’s prime hurricane season, which means that it can be hot or stormy. The one time I really got to enjoy this festival, it was late October. So, my advice for enjoy this one is to aim for later in the season for it.

Festival of the Holidays

Lastly, there’s the Festival of the Holidays. I wrote a Festival of the Holidays guide last year, which takes a closer look at the various things to do here. Additionally, I posted a Candlelight Processional dinner package review for this festival. Again, since this one is held during a cooler time of the year, I find it much easier to enjoy this one. Plus, I love Christmas! The Storytellers around the park make it fun to learn different countries holiday traditions. It’s typically held from the Friday after Thanksgiving until near the end of the year.

Things to Know About Epcot Festivals

  • Food – Look out for the food booths located around the park for limited food offerings to match each festival. They typically release the menus a few weeks in advance of the festival. I suggest looking it over and getting an idea of things you may want to sample before you arrive.
  • Night time concerts – Each of the festivals will have some sort of night time concert/entertainment with special guest (sometimes celebrity) appearances. There’s also typically some sort of dining package that includes guaranteed (not reserved) seating at the show. Again, keep an eye out for the schedule of appearances a few months to weeks in advance.
  • Scavenger hunts – Each festival has its own scavenger hunt that you can purchase for around $10 to complete and turn in for a special prize.
  • Special entertainment – Each festival will also have its own decor and feature some fun day time activities to enjoy.
  • Unique merchandise – It wouldn’t be a theme park event without specialty merch. Sometimes, the festival merch is really cute though.

Which Epcot festival is the best?

I’ve probably attended the Festival of the Arts the most, so it probably is the best to me. However, that’s because it’s held in January/February when it’s actually cool enough to enjoy walking and eating around the world. I love the topiaries of the Flower and Garden Festival. The Food & Wine is an institution in its own right. Who doesn’t love a good holiday themed festival? I don’t think there’s a bad one. It really just depends on what fits your schedule, in my opinion. So, which festival is your favorite?

Candy Cane Inn Anaheim Review

By Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit to Disneyland, I elected to stay at the Candy Cane Inn! So, today I’m doing a review of that experience!

Candy Cane Inn

Candy Cane Inn

Given that this was a solo trip, I didn’t want to spend all of the money to stay at Disneyland Hotel again. However, I wanted something a little closer than the Sheraton Park Hotel I stayed at last May. So, I went with the much hyped online Candy Cane Inn!

Admittedly, I was a tad disappointed to discover that it’s not a Christmas themed hotel. However, it is located directly behind Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure! Plus, it has some great perks!

Standard Room

I booked a standard double queen room. All of the rooms here have been recently refurbished! Everything in the rooms look nice and new! I love the addition of the Mickey rug placed in between the beds. The bed was very comfortable! My room was very close to the lobby building, which was very convenient for grabbing breakfast. However, the first night of my stay included listening to children playing in the outdoor pool loudly. Thankfully, the other two nights were pretty quiet.

Pros

  • Location – You can literally see the backside of Cars Land from the motel’s parking lot! It’s a quick 5 minute walk to the park gates from this motel.
  • Trolley – There’s a trolley that runs every so often to and back from the parks. So, it’s a quick walk but you don’t have to walk if you don’t want to.
  • Free breakfast – This hotel has one of the best free breakfasts I’ve ever had! They had an assortment of fresh donuts that tasted amazing! There were also some croissant sandwiches that were great for powering me until lunch. There was also a waffle maker by the pool as well as some fresh fruit. I was really impressed with the spread available here.
  • Recently refurbished – The rooms look great, so you don’t have to worry about anything falling apart.
  • Security guards – I mentioned in my Sheraton review that there are several unhoused folks on the streets here. Thankfully, this hotel has its own security guards that patrol the hotel and it felt really safe staying here.
  • Friendly – Everyone I encountered here was really friendly. In fact, the nice lady at the front desk switched me from an upstairs room to a room downstairs due to my luggage situation and there not being an elevator here.

Cons

  • No regular tv channels – I know you don’t travel to watch tv, however I enjoy watching tv when I get ready to go out or to bed. Unfortunately, they had only digital channels here.
  • Pool can be loud – The pool is open until 11 PM and sometimes people in it are noisy. They can interrupt light sleepers or be bad for napping.
  • No elevator – Make sure you request a lower room if you can’t handle stairs.
  • Limited trolley schedule – It’s wonderful they provide the free trolley, but it is run on a schedule. So, if you aren’t ready to leave at the right time, it’s a bit of a waste.
  • Limited theme – There’s not really a cohesive theme here. So, if you like staying somewhere with an immersive theme, maybe look elsewhere. If you want a relaxing place with clean touches, then this is the place for you.
  • A little pricey – This place used to be a good bit cheaper, prior to the refurbishment. It is also a little more expensive than some nearby hotels. It’s still much cheaper than staying on property though.

Is the Candy Cane Inn worth it?

I thought the rate of $279/night was acceptable given the location and various included amenities. I loved being so close to the parks and the free breakfast was awesome. I would definitely stay here again, but I will probably look somewhere else too.

Have you ever stayed at the Candy Cane Inn?