Nature's Wonderland - Team NuChapek

Luxury Dining Aboard Disney's Golden Zephyr Railway

As guests trek past Mount Elias and onwards across the rockwork ascended over the Downtown Disney causeway, they reach the main restaurant of the complex; The Zephyr. Guests may also approach this section of Nature's Wonderland via the bypass underneath the rockwork that takes you directly up a ramp beyond Goofy's Great Outdoors and towards the restaurant and rooftop tavern.

Guests approach a climate controlled environment that sets a sunset ambiance. This effect is similar to the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot in that it transports the guests into their own story within an enclosed space. Yet, unlike the Mexico Pavilion, the lighting effects translate from sunset into nighttime as the real world time rolls towards the night.

In this environment, guests are invited to board Disney's Golden Zephyr Railway. The California Zephyr was a passenger train that first went into service in 1949 as an inter-city rail located in the Western United States. It was a passenger train that served stations between Chicago, Illinois and Oakland, California, including stops in major cities such as Denver and Salt Lake City.

The original trains ceased in 1970 to give way to the Rio Grande Zephyr, but there was a special place in the hearts of many for the original design of the Zephyr. One of the quintessential aspects of the Zephyr was the Vista-Dome Cars as well as the sprawling windows that gave guests a picturesque view of the Western United States.

As guests arrive, they are met with a grand art deco train station to their right, with the Zephyr locomotive visible to the edge of the platform on the left. Guests can board one of three diner cars for a unique dinner meal aboard the train. Guests make their way aboard the luxury liner as the sky above them is laced with purple and red colors to showcase the sunset in the distance.

Once on board, you are immersed in marvelous craftsmanship and elegance of a time gone by. The welcoming Zephyrette assigns you to your table. A Zephyrette is a call back to the Zephyr's answer to an airline steward or stewardess, in which the duties included the welcoming of guests, and accompanying the dinner arrangements. They also sent telegrams for the guests back in the 50s, but we won't be needing that today. Fear not, this train has 5G Wi-Fi, the only element that out of necessity breaks the 1950s flair.

Each one of the 3 diner cars is themed with a different color scheme, style, and calls back to various iterations of the original California Zephyr trains, with the last having an accompanying lounge on the bottom floor as pictured on the right.

Each diner car is two floors. The top floor houses the most panoramic 'vista' views while the bottom cars have wide rectangular windows overlooking the scenery. Both provide exquisite views, yet the top floor is usually given to families with children and large groups so that there's designated space for the Zephyrettes to maintain the increased needs of large groups.

Nevertheless, on both of the floors, guests get to experience one of the most unique elements to The Zephyr, the panoramic screens that teleport guests into an adventure through the Western United States. With 56 combinations of station stops and destinations, guests can travel from Anaheim to the Rocky Mountains, or from Denver to the Windy City in Chicago, all before making a round-trip back to their primary destination. This not only ensures re-eatability (like re-rideability), but also provides unique vistas for each of the meals so that guests are surprised and excited for their novel travels on the Zephyr.

The Dinner is a prix-fixe menu containing a total of five courses (Starter, Salad, First Course, Second Course, and Dessert) along with kid-friendly options as well.

Despite the prix-fixe menu, guests may call ahead for special accommodations regarding food allergies or specific diets which can be accounted for.

Dinner is from 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm, 7 days a week, with final seating around 9:00pm. This is to ensure that all guests get a window view in the daylight as the screens will transition to nighttime around 9:20pm each night. Yet despite the darker view out the windows, later dining guests will still be treated to views of the cityscapes like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and much more lit up on the horizon as well as all the bells and whistles (literally) that come with dining on a train. Each of the cars features motion detection that simulates riding the rails. Guests seated will notice an occasional rumble of the tracks as they glide along the rails, whistles as they approach stations or specific sections of track, and many more elements that reinforce the experience of being on a 1950s era Zephyr.

Continue to Hilltop Tavern

Ultimately, The Zephyr combined with Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will offer two award winning signature dining experiences for both young adults and families alike. If it's a weekend getaway or just a night out on the town, these two show-stopping restaurants will provide incoming guests plenty of memories and experiences that will hopefully bring them back for years to come.