2 ways to beat the heat during a Disney vacation

When the mercury rises, escape to the Hoop-De-Doo Revue, a down-home, air-conditioned dinner theater.

By Deborah Bowen

Even to the most dedicated “Disneyphile” in the Happiest Place on Earth, the hot Florida sun can be taxing on the body and the spirit. Fortunately, Disney Imagineers took the weather into consideration and created a wonderland of opportunities for some super-cool fun outside the parks. Two classic indoor experiences that leave everyone smiling are High Tea at Disney’s GrandFloridian Resort and Spa and the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

During the hottest part of the day, the soaring lobby of the Grand Floridian beckons with Victorian charm. Indoor topiaries and brass fittings lend to the period elegance, while a birdcage elevator evokes the feeling of excitement as technology of the era began to merge into modernity.

The tearoom in the Grand Floridian is just a perfect snapshot in time. From the tea servers in Victorian attire to the traditional High Tea menu, the experience allows each Guest to feel as if s/he has stepped into another time and place.

The actual tea service is a highlight of the experience. Your server will explain in great detail each type of tea on the already-specific menu, and will even custom blend leaves to your taste and allow them to steep to the perfect flavor intensity for your palate. This was a real treat for me; as a tea novice (and generally not predisposed to the beverage, hot or iced, despite my Southern upbringing!), I was grateful for the chance to have someone else “assess” my tastes and create something I was guaranteed to enjoy.

The tea comes to you in a heavy silver kettle, poured carefully into a delicate china cup, and placed on your table, warmed by a rich velvet tea cozy.

Other traditional highlights on the menu include scones and clotted Devonshire cream, tea sandwiches and assorted cheeses. For dessert, the strawberries and cream are an absolute must-try.

As you sit and admire the view of the Grand Floridian’s meticulous outdoor landscaping, you’ll be indulging in a series of sensory (and historical!) delights. Soft music accompanies your treats, and you are lulled into a state of luxurious epicurean relaxation.

When it’s time to wake up and get your hootin’ and hollerin’ on, take off the tea cozy, slap on your cowboy hat and scoot on over to the Hoop-De-Doo Revue (HDDR)! One of the longest-running and most popular dinner shows at Walt Disney World, HDDR serves up down home cookin’ and family-friendly entertainment in a rustic (and air-conditioned!) Western-themed banquet hall, located in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.

All of the seats are excellent, but if you want some interaction with the troupe of performers, you’ll definitely want to get a floor seat. With those seats, you are almost guaranteed some good-natured heckling (or, as I was lucky enough to get, even a kiss on the cheek from the irrepressible Six-Bits Slocum – a fan favorite!).

The jokes, while very occasionally skewing toward the very gently naughty (like when Six-Bits checks out another performer’s heavily-pantalooned leg with barely-disguised interest), are appropriate for all ages and there is no swearing to speak of. The humor is classic corny, with hearty doses of slapstick and pratfalls thrown in.

Dinner is served family-style, and my own children were thrilled to be able to grab fried chicken drumsticks right out of a tin bucket (serving tongs notwithstanding) and scoop hearty helpings of mac and cheese onto their plates from the platter in the center of the table. Incidentally, my family does not eat any pork products, and when we learned that the baked beans contained bacon, we notified our server, who was more than willing to bring us “extras” of any of the other sides available on the menu!

Dessert — sinful strawberry shortcake — comes accompanied by its own theme song! The performers and servers all join in the fun as they bring shortcake, berries, and dollops of fresh whipped cream to your table.

From afternoon to evening, these two delicious ways to beat the heat are totally different from one another, yet each one valuable as an entire experience, from food to surroundings. High Tea at the Grand Floridian brings youback in time to a genteel and elegant era in history, while the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue brings a little bit of cowboy sensibility into your vacation. If you choose one or both, you’ll be sure to enjoy some of Disney’s world-class food and entertainment — and, of course, stay cool!

Related resources

Deborah Bowen, an English professor at the University of South Florida and member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, has lived the majority of her life less than an hour from Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts.

Tagged: Disney, Florida