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Off-Site Eats: Noodles & Company

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Noodles & Company began in 1995, but it’s just making its way to Central Florida now. They have a simple concept — serve fresh food fast. As you might suspect from the name, there’s a focus on noodle dishes from many cultures. But they also have sandwiches, salads, and soups. For drinks the have the Coca-cola freestyle machine, plus an assortment of bottled drinks, including wine and beer.

We visited the new Lake Buena Vista location which is just outside the Downtown Disney Hotel Plaza in the Crossroads shopping mall. It just opened in March and is a much needed Fast Casual open for Crossroads.

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To order, you select your noodle dish and your size (regular or small) . Then you can add a protein in the form or meat or tofu. Each dish and protein option has a different cost, but it all adds up to something around $8 and change usually. If you’re hungry, you can add a salad or soup for $1 more.

After you order and get your drinks, you bring your number to an open table. The Lake Buena Vista location has both inside seating and covered outside seating. Each dish is individually prepared and brought to your table on stoneware with actual stainless steel flatware. A nice touch for a fast casual location. Read More »Off-Site Eats: Noodles & Company

Pirates League – A Great Experience for Girls, Too.

This post brought to you by Christina Wood of Pixie Vacations, the preferred Disney vacation travel planner of The Disney Blog.

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If you’re looking for a fun alternative to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the Magic Kingdom, check out The Pirate’s League, a lessor-known makeover that’s just as fun and costs about half as much.  Prices run from $30 to $80; higher prices include a costume, but that’s optional. Girls can be pirates of any variety they choose, or they can be a dramatic pirate Empress, with elaborate make up and stick-on “jewels” on their faces.  You can also get a mermaid makeover, which is very elaborate and includes scales and a pretty hairdo!

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The Pirate’s League is located right next to Pirates of the Caribbean and it’s open every day of the year from 9:00 am to around 5:00 pm.  You’ll want to make reservations well in advance to get a convenient time that works around your dining and fastpasses. It’s decorated exactly like you would expect–if pirates had a salon they regularly visited for makeovers.

There are lots of pirate “artifacts’ and of course, treasures, decorating the place, as well as a few secrets you’ll have to find out about later (we had to promise, pirate’s honor, that we wouldn’t tell).Read More »Pirates League – A Great Experience for Girls, Too.

BabyCakes NYC Still Available Despite Closure of Downtown Disney Location

Friends, the gluten-free, health-nuts, and lovers of delicious desserts lend me your ears. I come not to disappoint you with news of the closure of the BabyCakes NYC Bakery at Downtown Disney, but to reassure you that you can still get your healthy gluten-free vegan… Read More »BabyCakes NYC Still Available Despite Closure of Downtown Disney Location

New Lawsuit Accuses Disney Parks of Discrimination Against Guests With Cognitive Impairments

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A group of guests have filed a lawsuit against Disneyland and Walt Disney World alleging the new Disabled Access System (DAS) violates the American with Disabilities Act, specifically for guests with cognitive impairments, such as autism. The main argument of the lawsuit is that prior to the new DAS system, Disney was much more accommodating allowing families to have wonderful experiences together. And because Disney had the knowledge to provide those accommodations then, to not provide them now is discriminatory. The lawsuit gives multiple examples of guests who are unable to comply with the new DAS process without risking a meltdown from the impaired individual.

As you might expect, the lawsuit systematically excludes evidence that doesn’t support its theory. For nearly everything it lists as examples of Disney’s bad behavior, I’ve read first hand accounts of the exact opposite behavior from Disney. But that’s how a lawsuit works.

Some of the facts in the lawsuit are incorrect or border on the incorrect. It mentions that a photo of the disabled guest is added to the DAS, but then states that it is related to the entry to the park, which it’s not. It’s related to making sure the person who is using the DAS is the disabled person, not someone who picked it up off the ground.

They also accuse Disney of sponsoring videos to make the ‘rented invalid’ problem seem worse than it was. I would like to see the evidence for that.

What is true, is that Disney changed their procedures and they are not as accommodating to those with cognitive impairments as they were in the old system. But it does not also follow that that change now places Disney outside the boundaries of the protections the ADA provides.

I guess that is now for the courts to decide.Read More »New Lawsuit Accuses Disney Parks of Discrimination Against Guests With Cognitive Impairments

Virtual Ride-Through of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Roller Coaster

Chalk one up for Disney’s marketing team at Yellow Shoes Creative Group. They’ve created this amazing computer graphic virtual version of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to use in advertising the ride. It’s only 15 seconds long, but does a great job of portraying the… Read More »Virtual Ride-Through of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Roller Coaster

Oft Requested Changes To Fastpass+ Coming

File this one under, “Gee, Disney really does listen to guest complaints (sometimes).” In an announcement made on the Disney Parks blog today, Disney Parks chief Tom Staggs announced two major changes coming to the MyMagic+ Fastpass+ system currently in use at Walt Disney World.… Read More »Oft Requested Changes To Fastpass+ Coming

Instapic: The Big Cheese and his Main Squeeze

from Instagram: The Big Cheese & his main squeeze are ready for adventure at Adventurers Outpost in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Is getting a pic with Mickey a priority on your trip? Is it worth one third of your Fastpass+ allocation for the day?

Disney World awards $3.8 Million in Grants to Positively Impact Central Florida children

Big news for Central Florida non-profits, Walt Disney World has awarded $3.8 million in Disney Grants to dozens of community groups that will positively impact the lives of more than 85,000 children in the coming year. Here’s a little secret. As cool as that is,… Read More »Disney World awards $3.8 Million in Grants to Positively Impact Central Florida children