La Hacienda de San Angel - Restaurant Review #1

Sorry that's it been a long time since my last post here but now I'm finally getting to the first restaurant review ever here at Grading Disney and our first restaurant is.....La Hacienda de San Angel! This new addition to the Mexico pavilion adds another great dinning option to the World showcase which is already full of some of the best restaurants on Disney property. Let's how La Hacienda ranks on the scale!

La Hacienda de San Angel Review
1. Taste - I have eaten at San Angel several times and I have yet to have a meal that wasn't good. La Hacienda's menu is full of authentic Mexican options both big and small. The appetizers portion is especially good because it is packed with options which, although small, are very tasty. Some of my favorites include the botana and taquiza appetizers and the pollo al pastor as a main course. Score 8.5 out of 10

2. Value - La Hacienda certainly isn't the most expensive place for Disney standards but it isn't really a value either. Dinner can run as much as $40 a person if you were to get an appetizer and dessert along with your meal which may be more than many people expect to pay for a casual mexican dinner. Score: 6.75 out of 10
3. Menu - The menu of this restaurant is not long on choices but it does do a good job of having a variety of dinners. There is a diverse sampling of Mexican dishes available there but the lack of choices means that some might not find exactly what they are looking for. Score: 7.5 out of 10
4. Atmosphere - The environment of La Hacienda is very relaxed and inviting. Upon entering you will feel as if you are in a large Mexican ranch as the name implies. You will truly feel like the guest in a Mexican household in the laid back dining room. Plus if you get the right seat and come at the right time you can catch glimpses of illuminations while you eat your dinner. Score 8 out of 10
5. Popularity - Compared with other restaurants of the World Showcase La Hacienda seems easy to get reservations for and to get into on short notice. Perhaps this is because it is new and not as well know but whatever the case, La Hacienda can draw pretty good crowds but often is not completely full Score 8 out of 10


Score 7.75 out of 10 - La Hacienda is a solid Mexican restaurant with a great atmosphere and good food and even occasional fireworks views. Still if you are looking for the best value and dinning experience there are better options in Epcot and throughout Disney property.

Picture of the day - 3/5/12

Sorry I haven't done this in a while but here's today's picture of the day!

This picture was taken from Tom Sawyer island and it shows what an amazing job Disney did in creating the Haunted Mansion as the building really looks ominous and spooky especially when seen at night.

One More Disney Day By the Numbers

Yesterday was a very long and busy day for me and I apologize for not being able to post some of the special features I had hoped to post for the celebration of one more disney day but I will be posting them in the next few days here. In the meantime here's my experience at the Magic Kingdom yesterday in numbers:

• 6:03 - The time I entered the Magic Kingdom
• 19 - hours spent in the park (I didn't quite make it the whole way but I came close)
• 4 - meals eaten in the park
• 5 - miles walked around the park (approximately)
• 2,000 - one more disney day mickey ears given out (I was told they ran out by 6:10)
• 2 - leap day shirts bought
• 12 - my brother's twelfth birthday (or really his third since he's a leap year kid)
• 45 - minutes, the wait time of space mountain at 3 in the morning
• 4 - times I rode space mountain
• 20 - people I saw wearing pajamas in the park
• 1.5 - levels of sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom played
• 29 - attractions visited in the park 
• 3,000,000,000 - estimated visitors to the park (at least it seemed like it)
• 97 - pictures taken
• 1 - day well spent 

24 Hours in the Magic Kingdom

Goodmorning everyone! As many of you know today is leap day and the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland are going to be open for 24 straight hours today in celebration of leap day. Since I am at WDW at the perfect time for this event I decided to use this extra day in the park by spending the entire day in the park! I'm just about to leave for the Magic Kingdom and I plan to spend the full 24 hours there and I have a lot of features planned for this blog while I'm there. So check back often today and tomorrow to follow me on my journey to spend a whole day in the park!

Picture of the day - 2/27/12

This is the view of the Mexico pavilion from the new La Hacienda de San Angel Restaurant. Like the other pavilions, Mexico looks great at night as the lights illuminate the different levels of the main pyramid  building.

Monday Links

If you came to this site in the past and read the description "Your Source for Disney news, views, and reviews." You may be wondering where the Disney news is at and now I have the answer! With this weekly feature I'm going to provide some links to all kinds of disney news and interesting stories to keep you updated with the weekly happenings from Disney around the world. If I see any news thats interesting and about Disney chances are it will end up here! Although I will not be dealing with news in depth a lot here hopefully this will provide a little look at what's going on with the Disney company every week and now I can truly say that Grading Disney is "Your source for Disney news, views, and reviews."

Here's the first set of links for the week of February 27 - March 4:

• Iphone Magic - There's not a whole lot of news this week but this is one cool announcement that Disney made recently; Their official Mobile Magic app is now going to be available on Iphone. I personally have not used this app much but it is well designed and can be helpful when planning a Disney trip.
• Cool Runnings - The Disney Princess half marathon took place this last weekend and once again proved to be very popular drawing over 19,000 women (and some men) to run in it on Sunday morning.
• Wait Loss - There has been some controversy about Disney's newest inoventions attraction as many people have said that it takes a negative view on weight loss and this has lead Disney to close the attraction atleast temporarily even though it is less than a month old.
• Up all Night (and all day) - Leap day is coming up soon and that means in a couple days for the first time ever both Disneyland park and the Magic Kingdom will be open for a full 24 hours straight! This is a fun story about a couple who plans on taking advantage of the long hours at both parks. Stay tuned for more news about the 24 Magic Kingdom opening here at Grading Disney!

That's all the news for this week! Check back every week for more news and daily for new reviews and updates and as always tell me what you think in the comment section.

Picture of the day - 2/26/12

I took today's photo the yesterday outside of the tower of terror. These flags that hang over the entrance to the Hollywood Tower of Terror's gift shop make it clear that you are about to enter the old Hollywood Tower Hotel and are a great extra that adds to the story and theming of the ride. These flags are a little inconsistent with the rest of the attraction though as they appear to be new while the rest of the hotel looks as if it has been sitting empty for years. Nevertheless, little additions like this are what makes the stories Disney tells so good.