Animal Kingdom 2012 Menu Changes, Pizzafari Chicken and Pasta Salad, and A Few Other Things – 8/25/12

It’s that time of year again when Disney updates every single quick service menu on property that it operates.  A few menus are more or less unchanged, particularly in Epcot’s World Showcase where third parties have a little more leeway.  For example, Boulangerie Patisserie still charges $2.49 for a large fountain beverage, whereas you’d pay $2.99 virtually everywhere else for the same thing.

Last year, new additions were hit or miss.  You may remember the Angus Pizza Burger and Gelato at Cosmic Ray’s.  The Grilled Salmon with Broccoli and Couscous at Columbia Harbour House.  The Grilled Chicken Flatbread at Liberty Inn.  The Boneless Chicken Wings at Mr. Kamal’s.  Just to name a few.  Most menu items remain intact.  Pricing goes up, but the items themselves stay the same.  Last year saw some hefty price increases, including a 13.7% increase on Fountain Beverages.  This year, the increase is only a dime, or 4%.  Sorry, 4.02% or 3.46% depending on which size we’re talking about.  If they increase pricing again next year, a 32 ounce Coca Cola would cost more than $3.00.

Here at Animal Kingdom, we’ll see a few notable changes.  The biggest are at Restaurantosaurus, where the menu is almost completely new.  Alcoholic mixed drink availability is also on the rise, where we’ll see various rum drinks on menus that previously only offered beer.  A few unpopular items see minor changes, but things are mostly the same.  Let’s have a look.

We’re arriving on a recommended Saturday at 5:07pm.  Animal Kingdom remains open through 7pm.  Last month, I spent some time discussing how to go about a late arrival at Animal Kingdom when it’s open until 7pm or 8pm in this post.  Basically, lines are only going to get shorter as more and more people exit.  Even now just after 5pm, the posted wait at Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest is 10 and 20 minutes respectively, with actual waits that are even lower.  Kali River Rapids is going to have a higher posted wait because of its low capacity and the sunshine, but everything else is virtually a walk-on from now through close.

Out here at the coffee stand in front of the Park, we’ll get a good idea about the kinds of price increases we can expect.

Here’s the old menu.

And the new one:

There’s some amount of thought that goes into the name changes.  “Cafe” goes in front of Latte and Mocha, which potentially makes them sound fancier.  Vanilla is probably the most common latte flavor, so it’s now listed with the “other flavors” underneath.  The price of the pastry is the only item to end in an “8,” which the human brain interprets as making it more of a value, and potential buyers are more likely to add one to their drink purchase.  It’s all very scientific.  For whatever reason, Disney (or Joffrey’s as the operator of the kiosk) doesn’t want you purchasing a Frozen Drink or Frozen Cappuccino with your snack credits, so those items are left off, even though we’ll see items priced as high as $5.69 counting as a snack credit inside.  As far as price increases, most are a dime, except for the Frozen Drink which is now 30 cents more expensive.  Apparently the price of ice went up.

Bottled beverages are still available, though the water no longer appears on the overhead menu.

Heading inside, it almost seems like Animal Kingdom is closing up shop two hours early.  Only two turnstiles are operating with virtually no one arriving.

Don’t see the macaws in the Oasis very often.

Pressing forward against major resistance.

Wait times at 5:12pm:

Kali River Rapids is probably over exaggerated, but I don’t think Disney even has anyone over here manning the board.  The wait is still going to be posted as 70 minutes at 6:30pm, which is ridiculous.  You do want to make Kali a higher priority when temperatures are over 80 degrees though by either visiting before 10:30am, in the final hour of operation, or with FASPTASS.

Le expertly photographed Pizzafari.

New menu.

Old entrees:

Zomg, the pizzas and sandwich are the same price!  Order without the Caesar to save $2.

The major change is the removal of the Antipasto Salad, which was actually really good with a bunch of goodies on top.  Ham, cucumber, mozzarella balls, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, peppers, sausage, and olives.  Not a bad haul whatsoever and quite filling with all the protein and the side of bread.

Because I was curious and via a Twitter request, I ordered the new Chicken and Vegetable Salad ($8.99) that replaces it.

Blown up, this is the salad as pictured on the menu.

And as served.  The menu picture seems a bit more optimistic about the amount of zucchini, lemon, and tomato that are going to be included.  On the other hand, the salad was full of chicken, pasta, and spinach(?) topped with a tastier-than-usual vinaigrette dressing.  There were a couple of pieces of “vegetables” near the bottom, in the form of a lemon, two pieces of zucchini, and two piece of tomato.  I enjoyed this one quite a bit.  As a full size boy that can easily scarf down one of Disney’s 1/3 Pound Angus Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries, Disney salads usually leave me wanting more.  The pasta in this salad added heft and my particular salad was full of chicken.  It was probably the most filling quick service salad I’ve had on property and comes recommended.

New Kids Picks:

Kids Meals are 50 cents more expensive more or less across the board.

Old Kids Picks:

That Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Kids Pick at the slightly lower price point is going to come up a lot as we look at the new menus and is a new addition here.  Prepackaged desserts are 20 cents more expensive.

New beverages:

Both beer varieties are 50 cents more expensive than before and we have the addition of “Eppa Organic Sangria.”  From the manufacturer, bottles run between $12 and $15 per bottle with free shipping or around $11 in store.  If it’s a nice size pour over ice, it may be a decent value compared to the other assorted beers with a 600% upcharge.

Just some 20 to 30 cent price increases at Campfire Treats in Camp Minnie-Mickey.

New Funnel Cakes:

At the Camp Minnie-Mickey Funnel Cake stand, Funnel Cakes have jumped a whopping 70 cents, or 14.03%.  $5.69 is the most expensive snack credit item I’ve seen so far.

A little ambiance while we’re here just to remind ourselves about where we are.  Disney (nature) has managed to clean up the water throughout Animal Kingdom.

You may remember that it looked like it was covered with a few inches of green drying concrete at one time.  And may again.

As we head up to the Africa section, you’ll see Safari Ice Cream on your right just as you arrive.

New menu:

Ice cream prices here are 30 cents more expensive than before.  Since it serves Haagen-Dazs, this is one ice cream kiosk I recommend.

A little more ambiance.  Larger: http://www.easywdw.com/reports5/in_case_youre_thinking_about_skipping_animal_kingdom.jpg.

Over at Tamu Tamu Refreshments, not a lot has changed.

The Fresh Fruit Salad is now officially part of the menu, though that price point is tough to stomach.  Pricing on the other entrees is the same, other than the 20 cent increase on the Chicken Salad.

You may remember that I enjoyed the Pulled Beef Sandwich here quite a bit.  Less so on the Turkey and Swiss.

Opposite Tamu Tamu sits Harambe Popcorn.

Old menu:

Pretty basic.  New menu:

The new menu, which shows popcorn pricing has increased 20 cents, or 6.5% on the regular bag.  Jungle Juice is now an official part of the menu.  Along with the Fruit Salad at Tamu, both items are holdovers from the ill-titled Sundowner Celebration in July.  The nuts have also increased 60 cents each, or 15.8%.  So when Disney talks about per-capita spending increasing 7% next year at the theme parks, you’ll know why.

We’re at what was previously known as “Safari Egg Roll” on the walk between Africa and Asia. You’ll see this kiosk near the Flights of Wonder show entrance.

Year-ago menu:

Looked like this:

Prior to last Wednesday:

More recently, it looked like this.

And the new version:

Expect to see more of these “Vegetarian Offering” kiosks show up at the various theme parks.  The Lychee Salad is replaced by the same Fruit Salad that’s served at Tamu Tamu and a Peanut Sauce replaces the sweet and sour sauce served previously with the Summer Rolls.

I was hoping to see new offerings at the lame-o “Boneless Chicken Wing” kiosk.

New menu:

Just a 40 cent increase on Disney Nuggets Covered in Bottled Sauce.  Not all menu changes have to come now though as we saw Pinocchio Village Haus switch out Flatbread Pizzas for Disney Pizzas in May.

New Margarita Stand menu:

Also along the walk between Africa and Asia and near Flights of Wonder, the Margarita kiosk serves the same menu with slightly higher prices.  A 25 cent increase on the alcoholic margaritas, 30 cents on the Shangri-La, 50 cents on the Kingfisher, a whopping $1.75 on the Bud Light, and 20 cents on the Pretzel.  Cheese Sauce is a new addition though!

Just some slight price increases on frozen drinks at Drinkwallah across from Yak & Yeti in Asia.

The Yak & Yeti menu is exactly the same as it was in January. They change things at their leisure since they operate independently.

New Anandupar Tea menu:

Similar changes as the coffee stand out front at Royal Anandupar Tea Company, also across from Yak & Yeti.

My cult of personality meets here every other Tuesday at 1:45pm.  Grape Kool-Aid served after.

Food trucks are all the rage these days.

Just 30 cent increases on the ice cream.

With over an hour until Animal Kingdom closes, you could basically ride Expedition Everest nonstop.  FASTPASS is even available from 6:25pm – 7pm, indicating reasonable waits all day.  You could walk on to any other attraction outside of Kali River Rapids, which currently has a 45 minute posted wait.  That’s probably overstated, but it’s best if you FASTPASS it or get in line about ten minutes before close.  Just keep in mind that you’re probably going to be soaked if you’re planning to head off for dinner.

There was a time, not that long ago, when it was decently difficult to find a  beer or mixed drink at Animal Kingdom.  Those days are behind us as more and more kiosks pop up.  And a number of the already-standing-kiosks are also going to add a Bacardi Rum drink as well.  This cart sits across from Expedition Everest.

This one is kind of a head scratcher.  The Pomegranate Punch is nothing more than a small cup of premixed Smirnoff Pomegranate Martini in a cup and the Golden Expedition Margarita is nothing more than premixed Cuervo Margarita poured over ice.

It’s kind of insulting at $8.25.  Beers are also 50 cents more expensive than the Margarita Stand near Flights of Wonder.  Supply is shorter down here in Asia, I guess?

Moving on to the DINO DINER in DinoLand USA.

New menu:

These Frozen Rum Lemonades are popping up all over, though this is the only one that mentions Bacardi by name.  It’s also the most expensive at $8.50.  Others run $7.75.

Old menu:

Previously, only plastic bottled beer was offered.  And Disney now tries to force the chips on you with a $2 upcharge.  If for some reason you’re hellbent on a dog and don’t want the chips, you should be able to request the dog without the chips for $2 less.  Guzzle that Bacardi Lemonade and DEMAND IT and CAUSE A SCENE.

More expert photography at Restaurantosaurus.

New menu:

Restaurantosaurus has a ton of changes.

Old menu:

• The price of the burger has increased 8.7%.
• The Shrimp Po’ Boy is off the menu.
• The price of the Chicken Breast Nuggets has increased 6.1%.
• The Vegetable Subosaurus no longer comes with Sweet Potato Fries.
• The Dig Site Salad is off the menu.
• Two new hot dogs that should look familiar from Fairfax Fare over at Hollywood Studios have been added, though this Macaroni version doesn’t advertise a (artificial) truffle oil.
• A new Grilled Chicken Sandwich.  Zooming in on it, it looks like it’s stacked with tomatoes and sauce, though the menu gives absolutely no description of what’s actually on it.
• The Chicken BLT Salad is new.

I’m not crazy about the changes.  I liked the Shrimp Po Boy and Sweet Potato Fries.  That’s a ton of popcorn shrimp on that sandwich topped with a zesty sauce with lettuce underneath.  A unique item that you couldn’t find anywhere else, compared to the generic hot dogs that are available all over.  And the Sweet Potato Fries were a change from the usual Disney Fries, even if they’re just as unhealthy.  I’ll reserve judgement on the Chicken Sandwich, but I’m not particularly optimistic.  I have a picture of the Dig Site Salad somewhere.  It was pretty good.  Similar to the Fairfax Fare Salad served at Hollywood Studios.  The BLT Salad looks pretty generic, but we’ll give it a whirl one of these days.

New Restaurantosaurus Kids Picks:

You can order the Kids Picks without the Sand Pail and Shovel for $2 less.

New drinks:

And the new drink menu also sees a number of differences.

Old drinks:

So the non-alcoholic Lychee and Wildberry Lemonades are new along with their alcoholic counterparts.  Both are $1.75 less than the Bacardi Frozen Lemonades served at Dino Diner.  I’m thinking a Drink Around the Animal Kingdom post may be on the horizon.

Dino-Bites new menu:

Outside Restaurantosaurus at Dino Bites, nothing has changed other than a 20 to 30 cent price increase.

As a quick aside, this part of The Dig Site is being refurbished.

Trilo-Bites new menu:

The Blueberry-Mango Rum Lemonade is new. This one’s 75 cents less than Dino Diner and also doesn’t mention Bacardi.

New ice cream pricing:

Prices are up 25 cents across the board in ice-cream-land.  Or 6.666666666666666667% on that Mickey Ice Cream Bar.

Almost done. Now over to Flame Tree Barbecue.

New menu:

The new menu.  Here, the #1 is $1 more.  The #2 is 90 cents more.  The #3 and #4 are exactly the same price.  A “Smoked Chicken Salad” replaces the “Barbecued Chicken Salad.”  And the #6 and #7 are the same price.

New Kids Picks:

Kids meals are up 50 cents, except for the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, which is a new addition.  It’s a bit curious that the $3.79 Onion Ring Basket isn’t listed as a snack credit, but it wasn’t before either.  Still, it’s a snack credit over at Pecos Bill at a higher price point.  Desserts are 20 cents more expensive.

New drinks:

In drink land, the Mandarin Orange Lemonade is new and sounds pleasant.  Otherwise it’s your standard price increases.

This might be a funny “caption this” photo.  The cast member is looking directly at me.

Here at Safari Pretzel, both pretzel varieties are 20 cents more expensive, which you can expect across the board.  The Cheese Dip is a new addition as is the Frozen Mango Rum Lemonade.

So we now we have a Frozen Mango Rum Lemonade ($7.75 Safari Pretzel), A Frozen Blueberry-Mango Rum Lemonade ($7.75 Trilo-Bites), a Lychee Coconut Rum Lemonade & Wildberry Mango Rum Lemonade ($6.75 each, Restaurantosaurus), and a Frozen Bacardi Raspberry Rum Lemonade ($8.50, Dino Diner).  My head is spinning.   Not to mention the Margaritas in Asia and the Dawa Bar in Africa.

Beastly Bazaar on the way into the Asia section from Discovery Island is closed for refurbishment.  It’s going to reopen as a character meet and greet, presumably with the Winnie the Pooh characters and most of the characters from the Greeting Trails in Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Last one.  The Coffee kiosk near the wait times board, just after you cross the bridge into Discovery Island:

Everything on the menu is the same with some slight price increases on a few items.  If you really want to compare, feel free.  Interestingly(?) you can see there’s a sign to the right of the bottom picture that says the Cotton Top Tamarin Cupcake is $4.25 and the menu board still says $3.99!  DRAMA!

Well that ended up being pretty exhaustive.  The changes at Epcot aren’t as numerous because a lot of the restaurants are operated independently.  But we’ll see a Vegetable Flatbread at Electric Umbrella.  And that’s about it.  Also some changes at Hollywood Studios and we’ll take a look around Magic Kingdom if it ever stops raining.