✈ Orlando, FL & Keeping Kosher @ Walt Disney World Resort + Parks

Contributed by KosherEye.com | Last Date of Travel: January 2011

Orlando is a city of magic – even for the kosher family. Here are some highlights from our recent visit to Disney-town / Orlando, Florida:

Kosher Info:
We applaud Walt Disney World for reaching out to the kosher traveler, however, the Orlando area offers relatively few options for kosher restaurants and eateries – but perhaps enough if you don’t want to eat out every meal.

• Cohen’s Deli and Butcher Shop: Justin Cohen, the owner, master butcher and deli chef, and co-owner Marty Francis encouraged us to come early. “It’s a 48 seat restaurant, and there are no reserved or held tables, and it’s “Yeshiva week”, the week that Yeshivas throughout the U.S. are on break”. So my family of seven arrived on Sunday night at 5:20 PM. Yes, we do consider that early-bird timing – don’t you? How delighted and gratified we were to see a busy kosher restaurant in action. Our names were first on the waiting list for a large table. Alas, one hour later, we were seated, or shall I say we seated ourselves. But during that time we viewed a restaurant in chaos: two servers do it all – take orders, deliver food, answer phones, and clean tables; one frenzied cashier/take out order person (Justin’s wife); and a stream of potential customers frustrated with the slow, erratic table service and takeout waits. [For those of us from the NorthEast and other parts of the U.S. where there are many kosher restaurants, and faster service kosher restaurants, this is typical. Not just for Orlando, but for Southern Florida as well (see: A Lost Kosher Opportunity in South Florida), especially during busy season.]

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Tags: Animal Kingdom, arabian nights, disney, Disney Typhoon Lagoon, Disney: Blizzard Beach, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, jewish orlando, koser, kosher arabian nights, kosher disney, kosher kissimmee, kosher orlando, kosher travel, kosher travel orlando, kosher winter break, Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, orlando, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure, walt disney world, water park, webermans, webermans kosher meals, winter break, yeshiva week, yeshiva week vacation

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Where to go (or not to go) for Yeshiva Week Vacation (Winter Break)

It’s that time of year, when Orthodox Jewish families take vacation when their kids in yeshivas are off from school (that ranges between the last couple weeks of January through mid-February [including Presidents Week - third Monday in Feb]).

The decision to (or not to) go to the locations I mention below will depend on whether or not you want to be with swarms of other families on vacation, willing to wait on long lines at Kosher eateries (assuming they exist where you go), or want a more secluded vacationing experience.

Here are the top 5 spots that American Orthodox Jews tend to vacation, en masse, during this time period each year (in no particular order):

• Orlando, FL
  Between all the Disney parks, Universal Studios, Sea World, other entertainment options, loads of hotel options – including numerous kosher vacation rentals, as well as a handful of kosher eatery options, the Orlando / Kissimmee Florida area has become a popular destination for many frum families during Yeshiva Week.



• The Poconos, PA
  There are numerous hotels, ski resorts, and bed & breakfasts that cater to the influx of Jewish families during this time. The many ski ready lodges are a major attraction for families with kids and teens who want to be active on the vacation. Popular ski slopes include Camelback Mountain, Shawnee Mountain, Jack Frost Mountain, and a bunch of others.

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Tags: chabad, Florida, frum families, jewish los angeles, jewish travel, jews in vail, kosher colorado, kosher los angles, kosher mia, kosher miami, kosher orlando, kosher poconos, kosher travel, kosher vail colorado, LA, los angeles, miami, orlando, pico blvd kosher, pico kosher, pocono mts skiing, ski, skiing, skiing in vail, vail chabad, yeshiva week, yeshiva week vacation

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JetBlue & EL AL Announce U.S. – Israel Interline Partnership

Hey guys, I just saw the following announcement online, and I was super thrilled! So, whatever your thoughts on JetBlue or EL AL, you can’t deny that this is extremely convenient, especially for those Americans who find that in order to get to Israel they had to fly to New York anyways. Now, it’s all in one built in cost, one ticket, one purchase, and you don’t have to transfer your baggage. I highlighted some key points below in italics.

Please comment below and let us know what your take is on this? Will you benefit from this agreement?
~Dani

JetBlue Airways, which has a great flight map throughout the American Northeast & West Coast, and Israel’s national airline, EL AL, announced today that they intend to sign an interline agreement, providing new and convenient connecting options for both EL AL and JetBlue customers wishing to travel between the U.S. and Israel. Beginning in September, customers will be able to purchase a single ticket for travel on flights of both carriers in one simple transaction, and enjoy seamless connecting service to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport from most JetBlue cities via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

New York’s JFK Airport is EL AL’s leading gateway into the United States, with as many as three daily flights to/from Tel Aviv, and is also JetBlue’s main hub with service to 50+ cities across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. JetBlue is the #1 domestic airline at JFK, carrying more travelers to this key global hub than any other airline.

Customers traveling on the two carriers will enjoy the convenience of purchasing and traveling on a single e-ticket. In addition, on the day of travel, customers will benefit from simplified one-stop, through check-in and easy connections at JFK Airport. Customers will receive boarding cards for both carriers’ flights upon check-in with either JetBlue or EL AL and their baggage will be checked to their final destination.

From: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jetblue-airways-and-el-al-israel-airlines-announce-interline-agreement-to-connect-customers-between-us-and-israel-99014739.html

Tags: boston, buffalo, burlington, chicago, denver, el al, Israel, jet blue, jewish travel to israel, los angeles, miami, New York, orlando, Puerto Rico, rochester, salt lake city, Seattle, syracuse, tel aviv, travel to israel, washington dc

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