Tag Archives: Shula’s Steak House

OUR Favorite WDW Things That Are NOT Attractions!

On the latest episode of the WDW Main Street Podcast, Doug, Dennis, and John hung out at the pub to discuss their favorite things to do … that are not attractions.

WDW Main Street – Episode #365 – Our Favorite Things That Are NOT Attractions!

Hmm.  That got me to thinking.  What are our favorite things to do that are not attractions?  Mrs. All in WDW?  What do you think?

1  –  Disney Springs

Definitely Disney Springs.  At one point, Doug Davis asked us if we were going to visit anywhere else in WDW other than Disney Springs.

Why would we?  Actually, we do go to the parks plenty, of course, but Disney has done a great job re-imagining Downtown Disney.  Here are just a few of our favorite “attractions”:

  • Paddlefish
  • The Boathouse
  • Morimoto Asia
  • Splitsville
  • Wolfgang Puck Express – Marketplace
  • Starbucks – West Side

2  –  Crescent Lake

We love, love, love, Crescent Lake … especially the BoardWalk.  Let us describe the ways!

We love a morning walk from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to the BoardWalk area.  In fact, Mrs. All in WDW really enjoys going over early in the morning for a cup of coffee and a walk.

We love lounging along Stormalong Bay.  Sometimes, we’ll buy a bottle of wine, grab a couple of outdoor chairs at the Yacht Club, and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.

Other times, we’ll pull up a stool at Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill.  A great pool view.  Friendly bartenders.  Refreshing drinks.  Yum!

Then, there are the restaurants and bars.  Great places like …

  • Belle Vue Lounge
  • ESPN Club
  • Cape May Cafe
  • Crew’s Cup Lounge
  • Captain’s Grille
  • Ale and Compass Lounge
  • Cabana Bar and Beach Club
  • Shula’s Steak House
  • Todd English’s bluezoo

3  –  Laguna Bar

In light of the massive refurbishment going on at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Mrs. All in WDW and I live in fear of Laguna’s demise.

We’ve made, what we hope to be, lifetime friends at that little lakeside bar, and it holds a very special place in our hearts.  If it survives, we’ll be overjoyed!

That’s the short list for us, folks.  How about you?  What are your favorite things that are NOT attractions?  Leave us some comments and let us know!

Another Satisfied All in WDW “Customer”?

Oh, OK.  You’re right.  I don’t have “customers”.  I have Disney friends.  So, how about I name this post, “Another Satisfied Disney Guest?”

I bet this happens to you too, but I get asked for WDW advice … a lot.  I mean, I’m the guy that friends, family, and co-workers walk up to and say, “Hey! We were thinking about going to Disney.  Where should we go?  What should we do?  What is it going to cost?  When should we go?”

Yikes!  Where do I start?

Anyway, do you remember the question I fielded a few weeks ago?  Fantasy baseball expert, Joel Henard, was heading to Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings as a camera man for Bleacher Report, and he asked, “How can I get to the Dolphin?”

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“Swolphin”, you have an image problem!

“Hello? Is this the Swan & Dolphin publicity department? My readers are amongst the most knowledgeable Guests on property, and you’re not even a ‘blip’ on their radar. You, my friends, have a serious image problem!”

OK, so one reason I gave each poll on Monday’s post an “escape hatch” – er, an option reading “never visited” – is because I was afraid that this would happen. Let’s face it, I started this series the other day with an admission that we, also, knew very little about the WDW Swan & Dolphin Resorts the first time we stayed there.  In the end, over four polls, with over 54% of the responses, our favorite answer was …

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There are how many restaurants?!

There’s a specific reason why Mrs. All in WDW and I were excited to stay at the WDW Dolphin for the first time back in 2010. We really love the Crescent Lake area of The World. “Everything” we want, it seems, resides around that large lake and its interconnecting waterways and walking paths. Epcot. Restaurants. The Board Walk. Lounges. Pool bars. Hollywood Studios.

Our love of Epcot has to be legendary, by now, but we’ve always been huge fans of Cape May Cafe’, for example. Cape May was the site of several Christmas Eve dinners for the All in WDW clan, and I can’t tell you the number of times that we waited to be seated for dinner in the lobby of Disney’s Beach Club and wondered if we would ever take the leap to stay there.

Frankly, for a long time, the sheer cost to stay at a Crescent Lake resort just seemed to be beyond my sensibilities. When I tripped over Travelocity’s offer to spend Labor Day 2010 at the WDW Dolphin for only $99 per night, our decision became a no-brainer. We’d be staying in the area of WDW that we like the most for less than we would normally pay for a Disney Moderate. We were in!

We were pleasantly surprised by the Dolphin, since it is a non-Disney establishment, but I have to confess that I was astounded by the multitude and diversity of their selection of restaurants. Now, years later, places like Todd English’s bluezoo and Shula’s Steak House hold a special place in our family history, but back in 2010, we were clueless. “There are how many restaurants?!”

If you visit the special web site that they have dedicated to their restaurants, you’ll see that the “Swolphin” houses four Signature, five Casual, and three Quick Service options. In addition, they tout five lounges. 17 restaurants and lounges!

It put me to thinking … I have already given you two of our family favorites. What are yours? I would love to know your top choices. And, folks, please look it at this way … if you haven’t been to any, don’t be shy. Tell us where you would LIKE to go.

Talk to you later!

bluezoo!