The sign welecoming guests just to the right of entering the Whispering Canyon Cafe reads:

Whispering is a bit of a misnomer here. The Whispering Canyon Cafe features great food but served in an atmosphere of family fun and shanigans. Our PS was for 5:15pm, arriving early we were told to wait for the dinner bell. At 5 o'clock, the CMs rang the iron triangle offically opening the Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. Groups were called up and lead to their tables. Each table has a large Lazy Susan in the middle.

Some of the Cast Members (CMs) didn't serve anyone but moved from table to table having fun. Antics like throwing dinner rolls was a popular pastime. Want ketchup? Just ask! Some of our fellow diners didn't know WDW is a Coke Only Zone. They dared to ask for the "P" word! Use a wireless phone at your own risk and be prepared for the whole restaurant to say "Hi" to your caller. These are but a few of the many fun and entertaining ways the CMs interact with the guests.

Group activites are on the card as well. Kids get to race (in a very controlled fashion) stick ponies around the entire restaurant while everyone twirls their napkins overhead. Each participating rider gets a certificate for being in the race. Men, including myself, treated everyone to a rousing rendition of 'My Little Teapot'. We left before the women got such treatment but I'm sure they weren't left out. As always, if one wishes to be left alone, there is a quieter dining area at the back of the restaurant you can ask to be seated at.

Of course, all this is happening before and during your meal. The adults at our table, four in all, each choose to go with the Famous Canyon Skillet All You Care To Eat platter. The platter consists of smoked pork ribs, canyon pulled pork, oven-roasted chicken, pork sausage, beef stew, Yukon Gold potatoes, baked beans, cole slaw and corn on the cob. You are served a mixed greens salad with apple vinaigrette dressing and fresh baked corn bread and biscuits along with the platter. We had it filled a couple of times. At $22.49 per person, we deemed it a bargain by the time we got through. The young boys with us had a cheesburger and chicken fingers from the children's menu. I ordered a strawberry milkshake and was told I could have as much as I wanted. Turned out I had three refills!

You can make priority seating for Whispering Canyon Cafe up to 180 days in advance. Breakfast and Lunch is also served daily.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Overlooking the expansive, log-structured lobby, Whispering Canyon Cafe offers a family-style, all-you-can-eat feast in an American West motif.

"We hope to achieve a homelike feeling with old-fashioned cooking served family-style," said Jayne Berry, restaurant manager. "It's almost as if this is a way station where traders and barterers gather to share stories and enjoy a hearty meal."

Here, a pit-master chef divulges recipes from generations past as he serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes from a cast-iron skillet.

"We are using natural cooking techniques -- smoking, grilling and barbecuing -- which are consistent with the time period the lodge reflects," said Chef Emile Pecorano. "We hope our guests will feel as though they are dining in another era."

Aromas of breakfast meats, home fries and scrambled eggs welcome hungry pioneers to breakfast. As high noon approaches, you can choose our family-style skillet lunch or pick from our full a la carte menu featuring hot and cold sandwiches, salads and a full-choice dessert board.

Suppertime features an all-you-can-eat sampling of apple-roasted chicken, pulled pork, pork sausage, jumbo smoked turkey leg, smoked pork ribs and beef brisket, served with salads, vegetables and home-made breads.