Kingdom Konsultant Travel Blog

 The Polynesian Resort has been a long-time family favorite, so when all of my family was together in Walt Disney World I knew we had to have a meal here and we were able to find an ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) for Kona Café.  I've eaten here many times over the years, and it is one of my favorites.  I just love their appetizers and the atmosphere, but tonight our meal was great from start to finish and our server was wonderful with our larger party.   For larger parties dining together, we often recommend making two reservations around the same time as that is typically a bit easier to obtain, so that's what we had but when we checked in we were happy to hear they were able to accommodate us at one large table! We started with some drinks in the Tambu Tambu Lounge next door while waiting for our entire party to arrive. I went with the fan-favorite Lapu Lapu, served in a pineapple, but the Backscratcher is also a favorite and there were many Mai Tais ordered...

Sometimes you just want a quick, easy but delicious meal, and the quick service Artist Palette at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort certainly delivers! After a long travel day, we did Mobile Order to pick up a quick variety of food for our family to snack on as we got settled into our room.  Everything was fresh and tasty.  The kids couldn't wait to dig in.   Disney isn't exactly known for great pizza, so we were pleasantly surprised by both of these offerings.  They were gobbled up quickly, we probably could have eaten another one they were so good.   Margherita Pizza: Tomato Sauce, Roma Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Roasted Garlic Oil Pepperoni Pizza I wanted to try an actual entrée as well, so I went for the braised meatballs because it sounded so good and comforting after a long day.  Again, I was surprised at how good this was.  We were honestly not expecting much being it close to closing time when we arrived, but everything was hot a...

Did you know you can host private events all around Walt Disney World?  We recently had a Disney Fairytale Wedding and chose to host a rehearsal brunch through Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' at Disney Springs (separate from Disney Fairytale Weddings, so anyone could host a large party event here!)  We had about 50 people between our families and wedding party, and they gave us a semi-private space on the patio with several large tables so people could mix and mingle with other guests, and it was a beautiful day outside for it.  First, the team at Homecomin' was amazing to work with.  They were so responsive and answered all of my random questions leading up to our event.  We had our brunch on a Saturday morning at 10:30am and had until 12:30pm.  We felt like we got so much for the value we paid per person!  Our server was a rockstar, really just above and beyond for our group.  But of course the main star was the food.  Everything was served fam...

The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are just slightly off the beaten path, but offer a ton of great dining establishments worth a visit.  On my recent trip, we were able to secure a same-day reservation for Il Mulino at the Swan and thought it was the perfect opportunity to give a new restaurant a try.  This isn't the only location of this restaurant in the country as the original location can be found in NYC and it has quite a following for great Italian food. We had dinner on the early side because we had places to be later that night. So when we arrived, it was very empty in the restaurant. The restaurant itself is spacious and upscale. A great retreat from the busy park dining options. The décor was really just lovely and sophisticated, perfect for a date night or quiet retreat.  It did fill in as we dined but it stayed a nice retreat, never getting quite as hectic as many Disney establishments tend. Our meal started with an eggplant amuse bouche which was a nice touch. Eggp...

Guests looking for ground transportation to Disney World don't have to look far. Mears, the same company that used to operate Disney's Magical Express, introduced their new service, Mears Connect. Although the service may have a new name and price, Mears offers the same safe and reliable service guests have been using for years. In fact, if you use Mears Connect on your next vacation, it may look very familiar.  Mears offers two service options; Standard and Express. The Standard service is a shared shuttle service with monitored wait times and limited stops at at other Disney Resort Hotels, much like Disney's Magical Express service. If you're looking for more direct service, you can book the Express which provides limited wait time on a direct, shared service to your Resort. This isn't a private service so you may share your vehicle with other guests but you'll be guaranteed to be the first stop. Once you arrive in Orlando, you'll collect your luggage from...