O’ Whispering Canyon Cafe. A place of shenanigans, sarcasm, and of course, delicious food. Nestled in the corner of the Wilderness Lodge’s main lobby, this Dick’s Last Resort-esque restaurant operates similarly in principle, just with G…maybe PG (but probably G) content.
Your experience will begin with a choice. You can either: 1) be open to having one of the most fun dining experiences at Disney, or 2) be lame and watch other patrons having a good time with the cast members! Not that I am trying to sway your decision or anything, but you should pick number 1! At least when we first ate at the restaurant (as things do with time, the Whispering Canyon Cafe may have changed the way it goes about this), our choice was more subtle. Upon being shown to our table, we could turn a coaster or block to its green or red side indicating whether we wished to partake in the evening’s shenanigans. Honestly, you are going to have a good time either way 🙂 The food is great and nothing compares to the awesomeness of the Disney staff making the magic happen for you and your family.
For this visit, we were with our family. A shower of paper straws rained down on us from above as our waitress made first contact, making it known to us that we were inconveniencing her for being sat at one of her tables. Something about me must have screamed easy target, because from that first introduction I became her primary target. I’m sure my skin flushed red the entire meal, but it was one to remember. From drinking a gallon mason jar of water (because I asked for more water) to being goaded into partaking in the pony ride shuffle prior to digging into my meal, I have to say it really was a good time. I also have no doubt it was a spectacular sight to my family who were cackling the entire time, which was very reminiscent of Voldemort’s own attempt at laughter toward the end of the Deathly Hallows Part II.
With all its hoopla, Whispering Canyon Cafe has a way with helping us break free from our norms. You enter as a single family, but quickly realize those boundaries dissolve as you become part of the Disney experience not just for your family, but for the other dining families and cast members as well. I realized this as I was voluntold to lead the dining hall in singing happy birthday to a little girl. I can say that we shared a mutual embarrassment at first, but then as each voice joined in to wish this princess a happy birthday, the embarrassment faded to joy. I can attest that I would never have agreed to do this without some well-intended peer pressure, but I can now say that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Until next time, Whispering Canyon.
The Castaway Couple 