Circle of Parks Podcast: Talking all things Walt Disney World
Because there's far too much to see and do. We're here to help guide you through. We are a married couple with two boys age 9 and 6 talking all things Disney World. This podcast will cover the tips and tricks we've learned along our journey, history of the parks and attractions, and most importantly why and how Disney makes us feel how we do while in the parks and that it's ok to feel that way.
Circle of Parks Podcast: Talking all things Walt Disney World
Episode #165: Is Skipper Canteen the Best Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom? Our Dining Review.
Ever wondered about the hidden culinary gems within Magic Kingdom? Join us for a trip to Skipper Canteen, where we promise to reveal why this Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant is a sensory treasure trove for Disney enthusiasts. From its rich history and thematic storytelling to its diverse menu inspired by Asia, South America, and Africa, we share personal anecdotes and fascinating insights about this enchanting dining spot. We also explore the playful decor and humor that brings this place to life, making it a must-visit for families and trivia lovers alike.
Immerse yourself in the captivating lore of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) as we uncover Easter eggs and backstories tied to beloved Disney attractions. We'll discuss intriguing artifacts, such as wood carvings from original Jungle Cruise docks and stained glass chandeliers inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room, all of which contribute to the restaurant’s immersive atmosphere. With detailed discussions about the lunch menu, including highlights like Brazilian cheese bread, and a passionate debate about why Skipper Canteen remains an underrated gem, this episode is brimming with delicious details and Disney magic.
Please Check Out Our Links Below:
Our Sponsor:
Email Us:
Our Website:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/circleofparks
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/circleofparks
X:
Products we use:
Our equipment
Microphones: https://amzn.to/3T61oD5
Recorder: https://amzn.to/3Ibl4iu
Bluetooth Adapter: https://amzn.to/4a2MIuf
Microphone Stand: https://amzn.to/3wrOrdS
GoPro: https://amzn.to/3uT6RUl
Cable Organization: https://amzn.to/49oQAFU
Headphones: https://amzn.to/42S5FgG
Our Favorite Disney Books:
Buying Disney’s World: https://amzn.to/3T6z57A
The Disney Story: https://amzn.to/3T8j0hH
The Wonders of Walt Disney World: https://amzn.to/3wrLVEr
Meet the Disney Brothers: https://amzn.to/42Rqxod
Presenting Disneyland: https://amzn.to/3uIUqdI
Hello and welcome to Circle of Parks podcast episode number 165. Today we are doing a dining review on Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom. There is far too much to see and do. We are here to help guide you through, but before we do that we must talk Disney merch. So this week Disney merch, there's some vintage Disney posters. That's another present that we got Zach for his birthday a couple weeks ago. They feature rides such as what was it? Matterhorn and Jungle Cruise when it had its previous name, and quite a few others. So that was some nice Disney decor that we're going to use for where we record our podcast. And if you hear some noise in the background, leave it to Zach fooling around with the mic as we are recording. So sorry about that.
Speaker 2:I'm leaving that in, but again, I will share some pictures of that Disney merch. And the whole set it was a set of nine was priced at $19.95. So that is this week's Disney merch. Talking about merch, we have merch. Go check out our website, circleofparkscom and click on merch. It'll take you to our TeePublic site and there you will find stickers, coffee mugs, sweatshirts, t-shirts and more. So please go check that out.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you everybody for joining us for episode number 165. Before we talk about it yet, we're redoing our podcast room, used to be a spare bedroom.
Speaker 2:And then before that, it was one of the kids' nurseries. It was one of the nurseries.
Speaker 1:Now it's our podcast room, slash office, and, yeah, so it's coming along. It's taking some time, but you know it's starting to look more Disney-ish and podcast studio-ish, wouldn't you agree? Yeah, yeah, all right. So we're talking about Skipper Canteen and I've been wanting to talk about this since I went.
Speaker 2:Like a year ago, not quite a year ago.
Speaker 1:April. No, it was. Yeah, it was last fall. Yeah, it's been a little while. Yeah, it's been a little while it's been a little while so almost a year so I've been wanting to review this, but I wanted us to do it together, since once everybody could eat there. And let me tell you, this place does not disappoint very good very under the radar, very well themed. I'm going to give my opinions at the end, but I've got some bold statements about this restaurant that. I'm going to make and back it up to.
Speaker 1:All right, all right. So thank you for joining us. If you're just joining us, I'm Zach, I'm Brittany and we do this show every week. Our goal is to number one help you have a better Disney vacation by kind of explaining things and going into more detail about why things are the way they are, and Skipper Canteen is like the antithesis of that. Don't you think of just the amount of detail and storyline that the Imagineers go through to give this story to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, I wish I had taken some additional time and walked through the whole restaurant. But yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:It is kind of awkward walking through a restaurant when other people are eating and just looking at things. That's a little weird.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but this restaurant is just, I think, the antithesis of what imagineers can do when they are full-on doing their thing. The storyline of this is just amazing, and our other goal is to just kind of take you to disney once a week for about an hour. Give you a break during the week helps us, hopefully it helps you. Some of y'all have reached out and we know it does, so we appreciate that and so, yeah, that's what we do. Talking about Skipper Canteen, let's take you there, right?
Speaker 2:Yes. So here is what Disney says about Skipper Canteen. Welcome to the jungle. Explore the bold, flavorful cuisine of Asia, south America and Africa with the help of our daring riverboat pilots. So, that being said, before I say any more, the servers are like your Jungle Cruise skippers on the ride.
Speaker 1:They are, yes, very humorous.
Speaker 2:Yes, Dr Falls, I presume immerse yourself in the legacy of the Jungle Cruise. The same skippers who guided your steamer down the Nile, Amazon and Congo rivers have opened the doors and kitchens of their tropical headquarters to fellow adventurers and famished families like your own. Delight your big and little explorers with premium table service, dining in three curiously quirky rooms the Cruise Colonial Era Mess Hall, which is not messy at all. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1:It's messy.
Speaker 2:The Jungle Room former family parlor of Dr Albert Falls himself. Jungle Room, former family parlor of Dr Albert Falls himself, and the SEA Room, a once-secret meeting place for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
Speaker 1:All right, so we're going to talk about the history. Of course we have to talk about the history here, and here there is quite a bit. So this is located in Adventureland, in the Magic Kingdom. It opened on December 16, 2015. The previous occupants of this location include the Adventureland Veranda, which was an opening day restaurant from 1971 to 1994. Now, before I go any further, Adventureland has pretty much sat untouched since 1971, has pretty much sat untouched since 1971 except for the addition of pirates in the Agrabah area with the Aladdin carpet ride.
Speaker 1:Other than that, the Adventureland's pretty much like it was opening day. The space was then used for special events and whatnot, and it was the Pixie Hollow meet and greet from 2011 to 2014. This is where you can meet Tinkerbell, which is very odd, I think.
Speaker 2:Of all places there, of all places.
Speaker 1:Why would you meet Tinkerbell in Adventureland, unless they're trying to do a hook?
Speaker 2:pirates. That's what I was thinking.
Speaker 1:That's still a little weird.
Speaker 2:Because even Peter Pan is Fantasyland.
Speaker 1:It's all Fantasyland. I just think that's kind of I guess they didn't have anywhere else to put Tinkerbell Right and just wanted to use the space hey here you go. You're going to go to Adventureland, yeah, anyway. Yeah, a small portion of what used to be the Adventureland veranda was taken over by Club 33, called the Captain quarters. We would never know about that.
Speaker 2:No, that's a very special club if you're a listener and you are a club 33 member, let us know.
Speaker 1:Oh goodness, we would love to uh become friends with you. I can always use one more friend yeah, but yes.
Speaker 2:So again, a small portion was taken over by club 33, called the captain's quarters yes, I said, yes, I saw that I know, but then you sidetracked, so I was getting us back on track.
Speaker 1:Okay, keep going.
Speaker 2:So you want me to do the next part.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm looking something up right now. I thought you'd be so excited about that. I'm looking something up right now, okay, so the backstory.
Speaker 2:Dr Albert Falls established the Jungle Navigations Co in 1911. Company, yes, company yes. Well then, why do you abbreviate when you're?
Speaker 1:doing this Because that's what's on there, okay.
Speaker 2:So again, he established the Jungle Navigations Company in 1911. The goal was to improve how cargo was moved throughout the jungle for explorers and adventurers like himself. After some, there were fewer and fewer expeditions. The cargo business soon became no more. A skipper suggested to Alberta Falls, Dr Albert Falls' granddaughter, who was the president of the Jungle Navigation Company after Dr Albert Falls' mysterious disappearance, that they start offering guided tours of the jungle to tourists. The Jungle Cruise has been a thriving business ever since, so much so that Alberta decided to open their home offices to the hungry tourists and opened Skipper Canteen Restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay, so we talked about the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Now this is a made-up story that Disney came up with to go along with, just add more story to it, and this is from DisneyFandomcom. The Society of Explorers and Adventurers, also known as the SEA, is a fictional organization in various attractions at the Disney theme parks, various attractions at the Disney theme parks. The society originates in Tokyo DisneySea, with the attraction Fortress Explorations through. Its most popular characterization originates from the Hong Kong Disneyland attraction, mystic Manor. So you're going to see some references to that stuff in here. But there was also, uh, references to, um, the adventurers club. In what used to be what used to be pleasure island, now disney springs, there was a restaurant called the adventurers club, where's like more like a lounge area. That had a lot to do with this too. So we're not going to do the whole background, because according to this, the society was founded on august 12th 1538.
Speaker 1:So yeah, all right so, anyway, that's kind of a when we talk about the sea. This is part of all that. You can research that. There's a whole lot to it which I love kind of nerding out and digging into this stuff. It's it's pretty cool. We'll talk more about that though. So if you want to make a reservation at Skipper Canteen, the professionals at Main Street Travel Company can definitely take care of that for you. They are the official sponsor of this podcast and we use them for all of our Disney and non-Disney vacation needs. They can plan your Walt Disney World Disneyland Disney Cruise Line Adventures by Disney Alani Disneyland, paris Vero Beach adventures by disney alani disneyland, paris vero beach and hilton head island resorts for you, exclusively for circle of parks listeners only. If you book your next disney cruise line with them and tell them we sent you get up to a thousand dollars on board credit, and a few of y'all have done that.
Speaker 1:Thank you, we appreciate that yes, thank you so much, if you book your next adventures by disney trip with them, you'll get up to a thousand dollars cash back. If you book your next Adventures by Disney trip with them, you'll get up to $1,000 cash back. And if you book your next Walt Disney World vacation, you're going to get a gift card based on the value of that trip. Also, if you book your next Walt Disney World trip with our travel planner, travel Planner Erica, she's going to throw in just $20 on top of that, and if you book Disneyland with our Travel Planner, travel Planner Erica, she's going to throw a $100 gift card, because that's her favorite park.
Speaker 2:It's her home park. Going there soon she can't wait.
Speaker 1:Yep, she's been texting us nonstop. I can't wait, can't wait. Yes, so go check them out. Wwwmainstreettravelcocom. They're on Instagram, facebook and YouTube. And again, my favorite thing about them, I talk about it every single week. Call them 1-800-593-1262, monday through Friday, 10 am 5 pm, central Time. These are full-time agents. They're not part-time agents that will get back to you after their day job. This is their job.
Speaker 2:Yes, and you know, I mean we don't have to worry about keeping up with how many days out for dining reservations. All of that. Our travel planner that we use Travel Planner Erica she stays on top of that reaches out to us a few days to a week before hey, are these the restaurants that you still are looking to eat at on this trip? What time of day are you thinking? And then she just takes care of the rest for us.
Speaker 1:And again, this is all free services. It won't cost you an extra dime to use them.
Speaker 2:Right, so please go check them out.
Speaker 1:yeah, you're gonna save money, time and stress. It's just, they're just great, all right. So the dining rooms.
Speaker 2:Man, I'm so excited to talk about this yes, so, as mentioned, there are how many three?
Speaker 1:three dining rooms. The first one is the mess hall, and this retains much of the original design from the opening of adventureland veranda, which opened in 1971. That's pretty cool. I didn't know that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that it kept some of the design. I learned a lot doing the research on this.
Speaker 1:This is really really cool. In the balcony above the mess hall dining room you can find offices for Mark Davis, harper Goff and Bill Evans. These are all Disney Imagineers that worked on the original Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Nice. I think that's really cool, yeah, and they had to come up with some very innovative ways to make this work in Disneyland. There was no plans for this, like they just had to figure it out as they went.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I think that's pretty cool. Yeah, for sure In the original Jungle Cruise, Walt wanted live animals on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be crazy to think about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so as part of the audio loop which we are playing right now in the background, I found it you can occasionally hear the Dream Finder asking where he parked his flying machine.
Speaker 2:Interesting, that's really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, still love all those tie-ins.
Speaker 2:Right so cool, yeah.
Speaker 1:And a letter on the bulletin board is addressed to Rosita from the Enchanted Antiquity Room, only to be marked returned to sender, since Rosita is missing.
Speaker 2:And those of you that have been listening for a little bit. This was a trivia question a while back.
Speaker 1:Rosita is not missing. We know where she is. Rosita is in the queue for Big Thunder Mountain. I did a reel on it, if you go through the queue.
Speaker 2:But it was a trivia question too, wasn't it? I think, maybe, maybe it was just real.
Speaker 1:I think I just did a real okay, I found her birdcage where the bird cages are in the mining thing, and it had rosita on it yeah, so there she is.
Speaker 1:now there are theories as to where she actually is. We're not going to get into that, though, but we at least found her birdcage. She's somewhere at Brown Big Thunder. Yes, trader Sam's services are advertised on the bulletin board as well. It'll take one head for your. A note on the bulletin board from Maritime Traders advertises the second-hand purchase of a Plaza Swan boat. Do you know what a Plaza Swan boat is?
Speaker 1:I do not. So back, I want to say in the 80s and 90s, used to be able to take a swan boat around the waters, like the little pond areas around the hub.
Speaker 2:Oh, really yes.
Speaker 1:That's a reference to that. Nice, pretty cool, huh yeah, this, I think, is really cool. One of Walt Disney's merry menagerie comic strips is pinned on the bulletin board oh, I like that Classic. And there is a barrel containing water from the backside of water, I like it. And in the back is a shelf holding all the Jingle Cruise decorations. You noticed that right when we were sitting in there, I think so.
Speaker 2:All the Christmas decorations, oh decorations, yes, yes, yes, it's all the jingle cruise decorations. Yeah, I did. Now that you said that, pretty cool, yes.
Speaker 1:So what do you think about that?
Speaker 2:it's pretty cool, right yeah, and now that you said that, I think I remember seeing all of that now and, yeah, the theming, like you know, we were, we weren't too far into the restaurant when you know we went, but what I did see, I mean, yeah, the theming is on par for sure all right, so now the sea, the SEA room, the Society of Explorers and Adventurers room, is accessed through the secret library door, which is now permanently open.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm Darn, it's kind of a cool little thing there.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:The secret door which is now permanently opened. Yeah, has numerous references to the SEA. Some of my favorite are True Life Adventures by WED Walter Elias Disney, because he did the True Life Animal Feet films Remember.
Speaker 2:Oh yes.
Speaker 1:Way back in the 60s.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's that reference. That's that Okay. The.
Speaker 1:Wildest Ride by JT Toad, j Thaddeus, toad Yep Yep. Mine Treasures of Animal Kingdom and Everest Expedition. Search for the Yeti by Harrison Hightower III from Tokyo DisneySea Tower of Terror. Nice, that's the deep cut right there. Do you know who Harrison Hightower III is?
Speaker 2:An Imagineer? I don't know.
Speaker 1:Looks a lot like famous Imagineer Joe Rohde. Oh okay, joe rody, oh okay. So joe rody redid tower of terror in disney, california, adventure into mission breakout. That's why it's so amazing. And he did the tower of terror, disney sea and a lot of pictures in him of him or look like him named harrison hightower, the third at tokyo's disney sea, now harrison Harrison Hightower III has a long backstory in the SEA.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So this is all one big tie-in with Joe Rohde, in charge of the Animal Kingdom and Expedition Everest.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:Right, so that's all one huge Joe Rohde tie-in. Hmm, interesting, okay, pretty cool. That's a deep cut too, though, right.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're really reaching there right, right and like most people won't realize that, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Other books include the Stars Above Us by Quill aka Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy. Do you know what this is a reference from?
Speaker 2:I did not know.
Speaker 1:That first big room in the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy, that is, the Stars Above Us room where they talk about Terran and all that, that's that reference Scaling the Matterhorn pretty obvious. And this is just a few of the ones that I like. Songs of the Tiki Bird there are numerous others that get long explanations. Real books include the Swiss Family, robinson, Tom Sawyer and the Jungle Book. The Jungle Book is the book you use to pull to open the secret door.
Speaker 2:Oh, that'd be so cool.
Speaker 1:Now that book is permanently pulled out. Okay. So once you get inside the SEA room, the room includes large maps of mythological creatures charted by SEA members. I do have some videos of that.
Speaker 2:So share them.
Speaker 1:this week, when I went, in there A display wall of butterfly specimens they are massive, nice, huge and a painting of Dr Albert Falls discovering the Cambodian temple, which is seen in the Jungle Cruise in Walt Disney World. They don't have the temple in Disneyland but in Walt Disney World they do.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And this is also where Magic Kingdom's Great Wall of China is.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Remember that reel I did a long time ago. The Great Wall of China. It's a huge China wall. Oh, yes, yes, Like a fine China and my skipper was like we have a Great Wall of China in here. I was like I must see this.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Loved it, loved it, loved it, loved. Yes, so if you get to sit in the Jungle Room, this is the Falls Family Parlor and it features wood carvings of attraction, scenes made from wood once used on Jungle Cruise docks Nice, that's really cool. And stained glass chandeliers in the form of enchanted tiki room birds, jose, pierre, fritz and Michael. Oh, I like that. That's really really cool. The portrait of Dr Albert Falls on the boat is near Schweitzer Falls in 1911. The boat is one of the original Jungle Cruise boats. Fun, fun, that's pretty cool. And the small bottle of the boat called Malopo Marie is named after Dr Falls' wife, victoria Marie Falls, and was piloted by Alberta Falls.
Speaker 2:Oh, Pretty cool Okay yes, pretty cool.
Speaker 1:All yes, pretty cool, all right. So I could have talked. We could have done two more episodes on all of the references and all that stuff, but you get an idea of the depth that this restaurant has right, right, yes, all right.
Speaker 2:so let's get to the menu. Yeah, I was about to say that's all. Before you get to the food, this is before we even sat down. Yes.
Speaker 1:So all right Again, this is just a few of the things that I picked out. There's so much more to that Right, I would bore everybody with it. So.
Speaker 2:Yes, but why you are dining here is because you probably want to eat as well. Yes, so before we share what we had, just a brief overview of the lunch menu. That's the only one I'm going to talk about, because that's when we ate.
Speaker 1:The lunch and the dinner menu are pretty much the same.
Speaker 2:Okay, alright. So for appetizers, they have mess hall fried rice, which is a spicy chili garlic shrimp served over pork fried rice with eggs and peas. You have the Falls family falafel, or a noco itis cachapas Sure, which involves house-made corn, orinoco Itas Cachapas Sure, which involves house made corn pancakes, beer, braised pork, roasted corn, fresno pepper salsa and avocado cream. There's the jungle green salad and lost and found soup.
Speaker 1:And they also have a non-menu item. That's what.
Speaker 2:I was getting to Bones Acasio.
Speaker 1:Thank you, annalini.
Speaker 2:So Ponte Casio? I don't say it as good as she does. Are you playing it again? Ponte Queijo? Yes, so Brazilian cheese bread is what that is. It is not advertised on the menu, but it is a special appetizer that they serve, and it is so delicious.
Speaker 1:Yes, so that was the appetizer that we had. Yes, and I sent it to my sister-in-law and she was like where is this? Yes, so he sent a picture of it and yes, and they're going, I think in September for, uh, the Halloween party and I think she made reservations to come here and eat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was really good and the sauce that they had alongside of it went really well, complimented it really well as well. Now your entrees. You have a dr falls signature grilled steak, curried vegetable crew stew, sustainable fish, nile nelly's noodle bowl, which comes with niles and niles of rice noodles, sauteed shrimp tossed with the spicy tamarind sauce, pickled radish eggs, toasted peanuts and fresh cut herbs. You have a taste like chicken because it is.
Speaker 1:Yep, zach got that.
Speaker 2:We'll talk about that in a minute and then hearty hard char soup pork that was also eaten, and bye-bye lamb chops, which was also discussed.
Speaker 1:Yes, so what we had was we had, for an appetizer, pão de queijo. We had the pão de queijo, the Brazilian cheese bread, delicious. We had the pão de queijo, the Brazilian cheese bread, delicious. We already talked about it. I had the taste like chicken because it is, and had a congelouche beer. This is maybe my favorite fried chicken I've ever had. You took a bite of it, right?
Speaker 2:I don't remember if I did or not, it's cooked perfectly.
Speaker 1:The batter is very light but crispy, and that little glaze they have on it oh my gosh, that chili soy glaze. So so good. This may be the best chicken I've ever had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean he definitely enjoyed it I think you said you had it both times.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you find something that's so good, you don't stray from it, and I knew immediately I was gonna get this.
Speaker 2:there wasn't even a thought about getting something else and it comes with jasmine rice, if you're wondering, and I believe a slaw as well yes so, and then I had the hearty, hard char soup pork, and that was marinated pork tenderloin served with house pickled vegetables and jasmine rice. It was delicious as well.
Speaker 1:Very tender, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:Very, very tender, very tender, Very just flavorful. I would definitely order it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Ryan, our oldest. He had Dr Fall's signature grilled steak and he loved it.
Speaker 2:He did so. It's a marinated hanger steak, lomo saltado style with roasted peppers, onions, tomatoes, and he had this special amarillo aioli on the side.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he got fries with it.
Speaker 2:Yes, so that is another thing on the menu. If you don't see it, they're really good about saying hey for kids or picky eaters. If you want to substitute some sides, we have other sides, such as and they name a list, and one of the options was fries.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Nolan, our youngest, had Junior Skip's macaroni and cheese with fruit. He loved it.
Speaker 2:He did. You know sometimes he's hesitant on getting mac and cheese at different restaurants, but he thoroughly enjoyed the mac and cheese and, yeah, he was happy.
Speaker 1:He was very happy. So for desserts, because we were on the dining plan, so the appetizer was separate and you get a beverage to go along with it. So I got the Kungaloosh, and the Kungaloosh is a beer only for Walt Disney World and it is like a darker beer but it's not as heavy as you would think. I still like it. It's Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale and it's an African-inspired deep ember ale brewed exclusively for Walt Disney World. I think it's delicious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you seem to really enjoy it Ordered it a few times. You had that. Look though like oh, so good.
Speaker 1:And I tried to order the Star Lager from Nigeria, but I tried to get it, they didn't have it here. And then we were at the lounge in Animal Kingdom. My mind's going blank right now.
Speaker 2:Nomad.
Speaker 1:Nomad Lounge. They didn't have it either. They were saying it's a problem with their distributor.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So, if you listen to this, the Star Lager. They may or may not have it. And then for desserts, we had Panacani's.
Speaker 2:Congo Lime Delight. See the Panacottis. Yes, talk about it. What is it?
Speaker 1:I'm pulling it back up here. I'm not a big dessert guy, so it's lime panna cotta served with mango, lime sorbet and fresh fruit. It's plant-based.
Speaker 2:You are a sorbet guy.
Speaker 1:I am a sorbet guy, but this is not what I got. You had this. No, I did not. Who got this? Ryan?
Speaker 2:Maybe, maybe I don't remember. I know what I got.
Speaker 1:I got the Kungaloosh.
Speaker 2:Yes, but not the beer. No, no, it's a dessert as well.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's an African-inspired chocolate cake with caramelized bananas, served with cashew caramel ice cream topped with coffee dust. Again, not a big dessert guy, but it comes with it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't remember which kid got the Panacone's Congo Lime Delight. They weren't really wanting to eat it themselves.
Speaker 1:I think it was one of those things like let's just try it.
Speaker 2:I think we ordered it all kind of yes, exactly Because I had the coconut bar with pineapple, basil compote and vanilla cream and remember it looked like a butter stick.
Speaker 1:Yes, it did.
Speaker 2:Like vanilla cream and remember it looked like a butter stick. Yes, it did like a stick of butter and they even said that here's your stick of butter when they brought it out to the table. And that was vanilla chiffon cake with coconut and lime white chocolate ganache and oh my goodness, it was so good. The coconut flavor wasn't overwhelming, it was delicious. Now there was one more dessert so that the kids got, and it was a volcano cake.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just a basic chocolate cake.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's how we did it, so everybody kind of had their own and could sample a little bit here and there.
Speaker 1:All right. So, Brittany, what did you think of Skipper Canteen? I had talked it up so much. Did it follow through with what I talked about?
Speaker 2:yeah, I think so. I I wish that we had, like, like I said, I love where we sat, don't get me wrong, but I wish we had went a little further in I want to sit in one of the other rooms, right, just to experience a little more of it. But I mean, other than that I think it was great, and even you, and even their waiting area. They have a waiting area that's kind of inside and outside, so to get out of that heat the server we had was wonderful.
Speaker 2:The skipper yeah, sorry, the skipper which is your server was wonderful. Expect to hear some of those jokes, like you do on the Jungle Cruise, just, I don't know. Overall it was great. I found myself laughing a lot, thoroughly enjoying the food would order everything that I had again, um, but there, there, I do want to try the lamb chops one of these days there too, um, but I think it's one that maybe, if we're doing sit down restaurants in magic kingdom if not every time, every other time that we go- all right, this is a great restaurant.
Speaker 1:I'm going to make some bold statements here. Okay, this is the best restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of the best.
Speaker 1:And this is the most underrated restaurant in Walt Disney World. When you look at the food, the theming, how great it's, it's very good taste-wise, it's so unique. The backstory here is just amazing, the detail they put in here amazing, and the fact that just how good the food is, this is the most underrated restaurant in Walt Disney World. I'm saying it right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know if I would say all of Walt Disney World. That is a very bold statement, but it is definitely one of the top underrated anyway, Because I'm trying to think even like Disney Springs restaurants, like all of that you know, and even some we haven't, we have yet to try in Epcot and stuff. So but I mean it definitely is underrated. I mean you really are fully immersed in jungle cruise, basically you know, and, um, do you have to know about the ride and ride the ride before you eat here?
Speaker 1:no, but I think it would make it more enjoyable if you've experienced the ride, knowing the backstory a little bit, but the food is so delicious here this is the best food in the magic kingdom yeah by by far yeah, I mean there's a, there's one other place maybe, but no, I think overall for the uniqueness of it.
Speaker 2:I think so, you know, and that's what had stopped me from trying it before. I was fine wanting to try it a long time ago, but I didn't know how it would be for the boys and they ended up loving it. And then also now excuse me now, knowing that you can sub sides, you know that they're like for your picky eaters or young ones. We have these other options as well. I think that that is good to know, and especially as parents. If you're listening to this planning your trip and you're like, oh, I really want to eat there, but I don't know. That menu is slightly more unique on the side items.
Speaker 1:They do have other options and that was the first thing our skipper said to us was if he doesn't want the sides for Ryan because he's an adult, based on Disney prices, we can substitute fries and stuff. We didn't even ask him about it.
Speaker 2:He automatically said it yes.
Speaker 1:So they're very accommodating for that. So my question to you is what other restaurant do you think competes with this for having good food in Magic Kingdom?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I mean like there's a couple that I still haven't tried, but I guess, just looking at Sit Down, I guess this one yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think this is because you got Cinderella's Royal Table. Yeah, we haven't tried that yet, but I don't think we will, but based on what everybody says.
Speaker 2:It's just You're paying for the experience.
Speaker 1:You're paying for the experience the food is not that good, and then they redid the Beast's Castle like the menu.
Speaker 2:I forgot the name of the restaurant.
Speaker 1:Be Our Guest they redid it from last time we went. But it is absurdly expensive.
Speaker 2:So based on pricing for what you get and the unique items and the flavor, then yes, I would say this is the best in Magic Kingdom, for sure.
Speaker 1:For sit down. Unique items and the flavor then, yes, I would say this is the best in magic kingdom. So good, first sit down, first. Yes, and I think it's you never heard anybody talking about it so underrated.
Speaker 2:You can always get a reservation for it and I think, like I said, I think part of the reason why you don't hear a lot about it is when you first glance at that menu. When you have kids, there's a slight oh I don't know, you know, go for it, don. I don't know, you know.
Speaker 1:Go for it, don't hesitate. I'm telling you they will accommodate your kids.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, for sure. So I would again definitely go again, if not every single time we go, at least every other time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree. Yeah, all right. So that brings us to Disney trivia, this week's question. We've already answered it.
Speaker 2:I was going to do it live in skipper canteen because I was there, but it was during lunchtime when I went to go do it and it was just packed and I was like I don't, yeah, I don't want to film, I don't want to be that guy.
Speaker 1:yeah, so I was walking through adventureland. So who is alberta falls in relations to dr albert falls and it is his granddaughter. So he mysteriously disappeared, we don't know how. And then she became the president of the Jungle Navigation Company. No winner this week. Aw boo, no winner.
Speaker 2:It's okay, it happens on occasion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so thank you everybody for joining us. We really appreciate it. I really thoroughly enjoyed talking about this.
Speaker 2:We can tell.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2:But again, guys, please check it out. The food is really good.
Speaker 1:Delicious. If you want to support the podcast, the best way to do that is to book your next vacation with Main Street Travel Company. Cost you nothing to book your vacation with them. Cost you nothing to support the show Exclusively. Take for our. Take advantage of those special offers exclusively for our listeners. Go check them out again, wwwmainstreettravelcocom. They're on instagram, facebook and youtube and call them 1-800-593-1262, monday through friday, 10 am 5 pm central time. Again. It's going to cost you nothing. Save you time, stress and money yes that's yeah.
Speaker 1:Email us circleofparks at gmailcom. We're at wwwcircleofparkscom, we're on Facebook, Instagram and X. And again, go leave us a five-star rating if you want an Apple podcast. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Talk to you next week. We'll be talking about where do we eat at in Animal Kingdom, Tusker House.
Speaker 2:Yes, next week will be Tusker House, so look forward to talking to you next week. Bye.