Taking the Kids: The new, enhanced Disney Springs in Orlando
Ready to drive the kids into the lake?
No, I'm not crazy. All you have to do is book a $125 vintage Amphicar ride for the gang at the new Boathouse Restaurant at the newly imagined Disney Springs, which used to be Downtown Disney before its multi-year transformation.
You can tool around the lake, take selfies (who is going to believe you were driving in a lake on purpose?) and then opt for lunch in the Boathouse where you can feast on fish tacos, crab cakes or filet mignon sliders, among other choices, and the kids can order salmon, grilled chicken or a burger that comes in -- what else -- a plate fashioned to look like a brightly colored vintage car.
You can opt for a food truck or Morimoto Asia(the kids will love the food and the glittering, soaring chandeliers) -- or family-friendly pasta at Portobello Country Italian Trattoria where my young cousins happily chowed down on Fettuccine Alfredo. There's even a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free place for treats -- Bakery NY.
TIP: If you come to Orlando in May and early June, you'll find some of the best values of the year and fewer crowds. (At VisitOrlando.com/deals, guests can find even more savings on hotels, attractions, restaurants and shopping. Save an additional 5 percent on already discounted attraction tickets at VisitOrlando.com/tickets with the promo code: NFS2016. Offer available until June 15, 2016.)
And remember that beyond Disney Springs, Orlando offers scores of other dining options, whether you want to visit a farmer’s market (every Sunday) fine dining in Winter Park, a haven for foodies or sample Burgushi (a fusion of burger and sushi) at The Cowfish on Universal's CityWalk. (Kids love the kids' bento boxes and PB and J sushi rolls.)
You have your pick of shopping, too -- from Mouse Ears and a Harry Potter wand to two outlet malls and designer duds at luxury malls, which are some of the highest grossing in the country.
Certainly these days, dining and shopping are tops on travelers' to-do lists, especially younger travelers and families, according to the just-released MMGY Portrait of American Travelers. They found that significantly more millennials (72 percent) than Xers (66 percent), boomers (60 percent) or Matures (66 percent) find fine dining desirable on vacation these days.
Clearly, Disney has gotten that message loud and clear. And this being Disney, the experience is intricately themed around the story of early Florida -- the bubbling springs and natural beauty which first brought settlers, who then built the turn-of-the century waterfront towns.
The Starbucks here serves wine and you can browse the largest Disney Store in the world. No worries if they don't have your size -- use the new Shop Disney Parks app to locate what you want and you can have it delivered to your hotel.
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