This is really just a glowing tribute to my absolute favourite and, in my opinion, the best parade Disney World have ever created. I could honestly sit and watch it all day, every day, burning heat or pouring rain. I’m actually writing this while listening to the soundtrack on Youtube, just to keep the magic going.
If you only spend one day in the Magic Kingdom, do not let yourself miss out on this truly beautiful display of Disney magic!
Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Or is left hungry..
Ohana is one of the many restaurants in Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and as the name suggests, family is top of the agenda. We booked for Mickey’s Best Friends breakfast on the last morning of our trip (booked the day before, not well in advance), mainly because the girls love Lilo and Stitch, who visit the table during the meal along with Mickey and Pluto, and we hadn’t had the chance to meet them for photos and autographs.
The breakfast menu is classic: bacon, scrambled eggs, toasted muffins, and Mickey waffles, all brought to your table in a massive bowl for you to help yourself from. Your servers will also serve tea and coffee, and ‘Stitch juice’, which is delicious!
It was a nice meal, and a good way to finish our trip, but it wasn’t a mind-blowing meal like some of the other meals we had, so if you’re short for time or low on table service credits, I wouldn’t rush here again. All that considered though, if you’re nearby and looking for a good, hearty breakfast, here’s a good stop.
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Whether you’re staying in Contemporary Resort or not, Chef Mickey’s is definitely a place to go if you get a chance!
The food is an all you can eat buffet, with a salad bar, soup of the day, carvery meats, pasta bakes, and a load of veggies and side dishes, as well as kiddie options such as Mickey shaped mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza.
Oh, and did I mention its a character meal? Well it wouldn’t be Chef Mickey’s if the chief himself didn’t visit! Mickey, Minnie and the gang all come round to make sure everything’s ok with your food, and make sure you don’t get too messy, cos you’ll be needing your napkin for the famous napkin dance – yes, that is exactly what the name suggests; join the characters as you dance around the restaurant waving your napkin over your head!
A real hit with the family, and a great excuse to ride the monorail from the Magic Kingdom!
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Get your hawaiian shirt on and practice your luau skills, you’re gonna need them at this exciting dining experience at Disney’s Polynesian Resort!
First things first, you MUST book in advance, these seats get snapped up fast, and the poorer seats have a rubbish view of the performance. You will have to guarantee your table with a credit card, and if you’re on a dining plan, it’s two table service credits each. That being said though, its an all-inclusive meal; all you can eat food, served family style, with additional kids options, and all drinks are included, hello margaritas!
Big saving tip: while you wait to be shown into the restaurant, there’s a bar where you can buy drinks, but if you can hold off til you get inside, all drinks are available included in your meal, so don’t be tempted!
So you get set up with some appetizers while the place is filling up, and once you’ve chowed down on those, the show begins! In an attempt to be more kid friendly, the show has a slight story to it of a luau dance school, which was kinda unnecessary I thought; you’re there to see some dancing!
During a short interval, your mains are served up: pulled pork, ribs, roast chicken.. Fill your plates, they’ll bring more if you’re still hungry!
The show covers traditional dances from several Polynesian islands: Tahiti, Tonga, New Zealand and of course hawaii, as well as a Samoan fire dancer! A nice, kid friendly touch was that the cast sang hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride for one of the dances, which Disney kids will know as the theme song from Lilo and Stitch; I thought that was pretty cool. There are also many opportunities for the audience to get up on stage and dance in the ‘birthday dance’ and ‘anniversary dance’; of course we sent up our happy couple..
Overall, the show is a great way to sit back, relax, get some good food and enjoy some different entertainment, as well as having an opportunity to explore the Polynesian Resort in all its fabulous glory!
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So I always knew that I wanted our trip last year to be as magical as possible, given that it was a) my first time back in 15 years, b) the girls first ever visit to Disney World, and c) probably the only time both families would be able to do this holiday together, and with that said, I wanted to make it as magical as possible for everyone.
My first priority was making sure that the first time everyone stepped into the Magic Kingdom, it was totally perfect, and in my opinion, the only way to do that was to be the first people into the park, and to see it all without the hassle of weaving through hundreds of other guests.
Now you could do this by waking up super early, rushing down to the park to be the first in line at the entrance, and waiting for AGES for the ropes to drop and make a dash before the surge of people behind you also converge onto Main Street.
Or, you could do it the easy way!
Yes, ok, you do still have to get up early, and there’s a tiny bit of queuing, but its worth it, and its as simple as breakfast, quite literally.
Be Our Guest, Crystal Palace and Cinderella’s Royal Table all offer breakfast reservations from 8am, when the park doesn’t usually open until 9am, and if you have a reservation for any time before the park opens, the gate for you opens just before 8am!
With this in mind, we managed to get reservations for Crystal Palace at 8.15, giving us the opportunity to stroll down Main Street, get some uninterrupted photos and absorb all the early morning magic before we made our way to our fabulous breakfast booking, which you can read more about here!
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Disney World is the perfect location for a big family trip, but its not always easy being a large group!
1. Save a fortune on your phone bill by utilising the free wifi
There’s free wifi throughout the parks, so set everyone up on a group message on Facebook or Whatsapp to communicate without the cost.
2. Be prepared to split up
Splitting up the group at times can mean you can cover more ground, get better seats or just give you a much needed break from the madness!
3. Use Memory Maker
The last thing you want after a big family trip is going through photo after photo with someone missing in every one. Memory Maker is great value for money, but in a large group its even more so; just get everyone linked to it and you’ll have hundreds of photos of the whole family.
4. Link everyone
As a large group, we were split into 3 rooms and therefore 3 separate bookings, so our My Magic+ wasn’t linked, but one trip to guest services, and we were all connected for all our Fastpasses and meal bookings.
5. Utilise free transport
In a large group, taxis or car hire is gonna get really pricey, so be sure to use Disney World’s expansive bus system to move around.
6. If you don’t book in advance, eat at unusual times
With Advanced Dining Reservations, you’ve got no problems, but if you haven’t made bookings, try and eat at off-peak times; we were a group of 9 and managed to walk in to the usually super busy T-Rex at about 4.30pm and were seated almost straight away!
7. Allow a little extra time
Being a bigger group is always going to slow you down a little, so be sure to leave a little earlier if you need to be somewhere for a specific time.
8. Try and be a little early too
Especially when it comes to shows and parades, being early gives you the added advantage of not having to split up to fit into remaining seats
9. Be considerate to others
The parks can be packed, so try to think about your impact on those around you eg. if you walk in a long chain, you might be blocking other guests who want to get around you etc
10. Just have fun!
You’re lucky enough to be in the most magical place on Earth, with a whole load of your favourite people, so just appreciate it and have a magical time!
As much as everyone hopes for their trip to run smoothly, you can prepare yourself for any problems you may have!
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Keep receipts for any souvenirs you buy in the parks – if anything gets broken during your stay, they’ll replace it.
As soon as you get your park tickets/magic bands, take photos of them making sure to get all the important information in the shot. This way if anything gets lost, cast members can help you more easily.
If you’re carrying a phone in the parks, set your lock screen with an image of your name, resort/room number and another contact number in case you lose it.
Take pictures of your kids every morning. Its great for documenting your trip, and you’ll be able to find them better in crowds if you can remember what they’re wearing!
Prepare your children for getting lost – make sure they know what to do if they ever get separated from you. Label them with a contact number, have a designated ‘lost spot’ to wait, and tell them to find cast members.
Stock your bag with plasters for blisters and minor scrapes, and don’t forget each park has a first aid center with cast members happy to assist with anything.
Bring spare camera batteries and memory cards, and store them in a waterproof compartment.
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Take a ride back in time to a decade where food was good, family was everything, and kitchens were retro!
If you need to wait for your table to be ready, you can hang out in the attached Tune-In Lounge until your ‘babysitter’ seats you around your kitchen table.
Choose from a wide selection of classic family recipes, from Aunt Liz’s fried chicken to Grandma’s pot pie, and be sure to eat all your vegetables, or your babysitter might just shout about it to the whole restaurant!
If you’re into themed dining, then stopping by is completely necessary; kids will find the setting totally comical, and almost every adult will remember some relative that used to have a kitchen exactly like the set-up – my nan and gran in our family! The servers make everyone feel welcome, and while in my personal opinion the food left a little something to be desired, overall it was a fun family dining experience.
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Love Toy Story? Eat here.
The Pizza Planet Arcade is a Quick Service restaurant, located in hollywood Studios, and is set up just like Pizza Planet from Pixar’s Toy Story.
Once you’ve ordered your food from the counter, take a seat at a table, either on the ground floor, surrounded by arcade games to entertain the kids, or upstairs with the aliens!
As the name suggests, the main item on the menu is pizza, but there’s also a few subs and salads available as well as a range of desserts; you can’t really go wrong!
Fun for all the family and a great place to eat, don’t give it a miss!
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Disney is packed with unique dining experiences, but this one is fairly up there.
Located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the entire restaurant is set up as an old school drive in movie theater; you sit in classic cars, two by two, all pointed towards a huge projection screen playing a combination of black and white/colour movie clips, ads and classic cartoons.
Each row of the car has a little countertop style table across the row, just large enough for your meal, and comfortably fits two adults or three smaller bottoms. Sit back and enjoy the meal, the friendly diner staff take care of the rest!
The food is classic American diner style – burgers, sandwiches etc. I had the steak, which came with garlic mash potato, vegetables and two fairly huge onion rings. Now I’m not a huge connoisseur of steak, but it was cooked to my liking and I enjoyed it very much, especially the blue cheese butter dressing, and the portion size didn’t leave me hungry – in fact, I could hardly touch my hot fudge ice cream sundae after all that.
There were a few cons though..
1. While it may work for some people, we found the atmosphere of the restaurant a little un-family friendly; while some tables are family style (where you sit around the table), most were in rows of two so felt a little unsociable, and as the whole room keeps fairly quiet so as not to disturb the reel on the screen, its difficult to feel part of a group, so I wouldn’t recommend it for families of smaller or more restless children.
2. The clips being played aren’t entirely kid-friendly. There were a few Tom and Jerry moments, but otherwise it was mainly adult sci-fi, which although part of the theme of the restaurant, didn’t appeal to the kids as much.
3. None of the tables are designed for groups of over 8. As a group of 9, we were given the option of trying to squeeze on a table of 8 (no chance would we have fitted seeing them), or to split between two cars. This meant that 2 of our group had to sit in a separate car, adding to the unsociable aspect.
It was however a great meal, and while we, the adults, had our minor complaints, the kids didn’t seem to care too much, and in fact they thought it was the coolest place we ate!
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°o° Crowds tend to head to the big rides first (Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock’n’Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror etc), so if you don’t want to be stuck in hour long queues, save these for later in the day, or get your Fastpasses early as they’re snapped up quick.
°o° In midday heat or pouring rain, head to one of the many indoor attractions: Muppets 3D, Animation Academy etc.
°o° Try not to rush around, there are a tonne of tiny details you’ll miss otherwise!
°o° The gas pump when you enter the park represents the opening date of the park.
°o° Pull the rope of the well by Indiana Jones Stunt Show, you might just hear something!
°o° Watch out for the fire hydrant near Muppet Vision if you don’t want to get wet!
°o° Get a photo ‘Singing in the Rain’!
°o° Each limo in the Rock’n’Roller Coaster plays a different Aerosmith track.
°o° In Muppet Vision 3D, there is a sign saying ‘back in 5 minutes, key is under the mat’. Why don’t you check for the key?
°o° The nautical flags above Dockside Diner actually spell out Dockside Diner!
°o° The back of the Tower of Terror is designed so that when you see if from nearby Epcot, it blends in with the Morocco Pavilion.
°o° Outside The Great Movie Ride are a load of hand prints in the ground, have fun finding which famous person you match with.
°o° Young wannabe Jedis can try their skills out at Jedi Academy, and even face Darth Vader himself!
°o° The Fantasmic lake is only 18 inches deep.
So you don’t have to visit Disney World to experience The Rainforest Cafe, but why not dine with the animals before/after visiting some real ones?!
We planned to have breakfast here, as the Downtown Disney branch doesn’t open for lunch, but by the time we got there they were just about to open for lunch, so we had a bit of a browse of the huge gift shop area before being seated at our table.
I’m no stranger to a Rainforest Cafe, but this one was enormous! They don’t even the whole restaurant for lunch its that big.
Without a doubt, it was the best meal I had during our stay. I had Parmesan Chicken; the portion size was huge, but if I had a bigger appetite I would have eaten every last bite!
I cannot fault anything about this place; its so family friendly, our server was great, and the chimps sat next to us were great company!
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In a secluded corner of Africa in the Animal Kingdom is the harambe Theater, which is home to The Festival of the Lion King.
The 30 minute show combines fabulous live singers, dancers and acrobats with large animatronic floats of your favourite characters from the film, and involves the whole family with audience participation and an open invitation to sing along!
The theater is set up in the round (or square, in this case), with each of the four sides being allocated an animal sound to pipe up during the performance. The layout of the set also means that everyone has a great view of the spectacular Tumble Monkeys, fire dancing and, not to mention, Timon strutting his stuff around the floor; he’s such a diva..
Unlike the smash Broadway and West End musical, the show doesn’t actually tell the story of the Lion King, it just celebrates the best songs including The Circle of Life, Be Prepared and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but with the showstopping cast, incredible costumes and amazing sets, you’re definitely missing out if you don’t check it out for yourself!
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Yep, you read it right, Disney Pixar’s classic tale has been brought to the stage in the Animal Kingdom!
The musical tells an abridged version of the movie story; it skips the unnecessary to cut the show down to a manageable 40 minutes, great for restless little ones.
Its staged like the hit Broadway and West End musical The Lion King, with actors handling incredible puppets and scenery, and a total phenomenal set.
We got a Fastpass+, which got us seats about 1/3 of the way from the stage, but the theater seating is raised and staggered, and the large characters and props mean that no matter where you seat, you’re going to be able to see.
My one (very minor) criticism of the whole show it that the songs aren’t up to Disney’s usual standard; they’re not particularly catchy or memorable, but they serve fine during the performance. I guess for those who hate having songs stuck in their head for the rest of the day it would be a relief, but for me it took a little something away..
Aside from this super minor blip, Disney have well and truly hit another one out the park. A definite must see for anyone of any age!
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°o° You can enter the park 15 minutes early, and Mickey and the gang greet you by the Tree of Life.
°o° Grab a map and schedule; there are so many unique character meets in the Animal Kingdom such as Rafiki, Baloo, Russell and Doug etc.
°o° Crowds tend to head for Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing as the animals are usually more active in the morning. That being said though, you’re likely to see animals any time of day, so if you can, hold off til the afternoon when queues will be shorter.
°o° Be sure to wear comfortable shoes; while walking is a given, AK has lots of adventurous trails to explore.
°o° If you’ve stopped off at The Rainforest Cafe before heading into the park, use the secret entrance at the back of the gift shop to skip the queues at the main entrance.
°o° At Adventurer’s Outpost, you can meet Mickey and Minnie in their safari gear. This is the only place you can see the two of them in these outfits, so is a totally unique photo opportunity.
°o° At various stations around the park, kids can receive stamps in a ‘passport’ for completing activities – collect all of them for a special prize!
°o° There are red, yellow and white pipes found on Dinosaur, each with a chemical formula on them. The formulas are actually the real formulas for ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise!
°o° See if you can spot DiVine – she’s a fabulous live act, but hard to find as she’s usually part-tree!
°o° The highway sign Route 498 symbolises the park opening in April 1998.
°o° You can squirt riders on Kali River Rapids from the bridge near the exit. Don’t feel guilty, they’ll already be soaked!
°o° If you’re a coffee addict, the Kusafiri Coffee Shop is the place to get your fix.
°o° Don’t rush from attraction to attraction, there are so many things to see as you walk around the park!
°o° You can hop on the Wildlife Express Train in Africa, which takes you across to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
Future World
°o° One of the best ways to meet characters is at the Epcot Character Spot. Its just past Spaceship Earth on the right of the park, and if you head there as soon as the park opens, you’ll get to see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy all in one go, with a wait time of under 15 minutes.
°o° Innoventions East and West are full of tonnes of interactive activities to entertain all ages.
°o° Complete habit heroes in Innoventions East, and you’ll get a free rubber wristband!
°o° If you’re susceptible to motion sickness, there is a separate queue for Mission: Space which leads to a version of the ride which isn’t so spinny!
°o° Take a trip to Club Cool for free samples of international Coca Cola brands – trick your family into trying Beverly, its gross!
°o° The large fish tank in The Living Seas is the second largest tank in the US, and could fit Spaceship Earth inside it with room to spare!
World Showcase
°o° Only one of the totem poles in Canada is real, see if you can work out which one it is.
°o° The Rose and Crown pub in the UK is so named as ‘rose’ and ‘crown’ are the two most common featured names of English pubs.
°o° Although it may not seem like it, each country’s pavilion is the same width, to give all countries equality.
°o° Between the UK and France is a path that leads out of the park via the International Gateway. From here you can take a quick 15 minute walk across to The Boardwalk, or explore some of the resorts gathered around the lake. There is also a footpath that leads to Hollywood Studios; its about 30 mins walk, which at times is quicker than other transportation.
°o° Sometimes Chef Remy will visit you at Le Chefs de France.
°o° The Morocco Pavilion was actually built by and paid for by the Moroccans.
°o° In the Japanese pavilion, you can purchase a range of souvenirs from authentic tableware to Pokemon toys.
°o° The statue on the right as you enter Japan was a gift from the Japanese government.
°o° While the American Adventure building appears to be only 3 stories high, it is actually 5!
°o° Check out the big clock in Germany. On the hour a wooden boy and girl pop out and twirl around a bit.
°o° If you buy a fan or parasol in China, you can have it personalised for free with your name in traditional Chinese writing.
°o° The acoustics of the temple in China are so perfect, if you stand in the centre of the room, your voice will echo back to you!
°o° Buildings in Norway have grass growing on the roof, to reflect traditional Norwegian buildings, but a lack of Epcot goats to munch on the grass means cast members have to trim it!
°o° La Cava del Tequila in Mexico has over 200 tequilas in its cellar, hello margaritas!
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Tucked round the corner from The Seas with Nemo and Friends is a real underwater dining experience.
Coral Reef in Epcot shares a wall with the enormous fish tank from the ride next door, so you can enjoy dinner with fishy company!
While the food was really good, with options from fish dishes to chicken to steak, we didn’t have the best time here; they forgot to book us in when we arrived, so after a half hour wait, we were told we’d have to wait a bit longer for our table due to their mistake. We were also sat on the back row of tables, furthest from the tank, so the whole experience was kinda lost on us, except the occasional swim-by from a turtle or ray.
The restaurant setup wasn’t overly family friendly either, so unless you’re sat right by the fish, entertaining small children is a little tricky, and the restroom isn’t actually situated inside the restaurant; its outside in the waiting area.
I would recommend Coral Reef for families with older children, or as a place to eat if you want to use up table service credits on a dining plan, but if visiting with small children, I’d opt for somewhere a little more kid-friendly
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It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight..
Be Our Guest is the restaurant inside the elusive Beast’s castle, in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. It is open for lunch, which is quick service, and dinner which is table service, and absolutely must be booked in advance (180 days for the best chance of getting a table).
After a failed attempt at trying to get in for dinner, on our last day in the Magic Kingdom we were lucky enough to get there just in time to queue for the lunch opening..
Wow. One step inside and you can understand why it is such a sought after place to eat; its just stunning. For a quick service lunch, you stop off at a counter to order on your way in, and then take a seat in either the ballroom, the gallery, or the out of bounds West Wing, which contains the enchanted rose. We sat in the ballroom, near the large glass window so we could watch the ‘snow’ fall outside the window. The settings in all the rooms are so accurate to the films, its like you’re actually in the film.
As if by magic, your food is delivered to your table, wherever you choose to sit, without you having to tell a cast member where you are (they track your Magic Band, or give you a tracker if you don’t have one). The lunch menu ranges from soups to sandwiches to salads, all with a French theme, and desserts are mainly cupcakes, including The Master’s Cupcake that is topped with ‘the grey stuff’ – delicious!
I can’t fault the food, it was perfect. The whole place totally did it for me, and the family loved it too! On my next trip I’d love to try dinner here.
If you get a chance, do not miss this fabulous opportunity, you’ll never forget it!
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Tucked behind the castle in Fantasyland is a little cottage serving fabulous Italian food..
Ok so its not little at all, but the food is so good we ate there twice! With inside and outside seating on both ground floor and a tiny first floor, you’ll bound to find a table to sit at once you’ve ordered your flatbreads or subs, and if you can, sit by the large windows on the left of the restaurant: you can watch riders on Its a Small World – wave!
One of our quick service eateries of the Magic Kingdom; plenty of space for our large group, good food and a nice setting.
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This fishy eatery is located in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, and serves up a selection of sandwiches, platters and salads.
Its a standard quick service place, order at a counter, collect your food and grab a table in the spacious seating area – don’t forget there’s more seating upstairs!
This was our first quick service experience, and honestly was one of the worst. Although the food was decent, there was a lot of mix up when our order was placed, resulting in a few of us getting the wrong sides or desserts, and the servers didn’t seem that motivated to help us resolve it.
A spacious place for a good bite to eat, but nothing to write home about.
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Tucked into a corner of Main Street USA, Crystal Palace is the fave place to eat of Winnie the Pooh and some of his very best friends. As the name suggests, the building is a stunning structure of glass and framework, and is decorated with displays of hanging baskets and impressive topiary centerpieces.
We booked for breakfast on the first day of our trip. While the park isn’t open to the public until 9am, breakfast bookings start from 8am, giving a unique opportunity to see the Magic Kingdom first thing; an empty Main Street leading up to the castle: totally beautiful.
The food is all you can eat buffet-style, with a range of options from classic Mickey waffles to an omelette station, cereals and fruit to full cooked breakfast options. Mixed in with classic choices like bacon and eggs are unique specialties such as ‘breakfast pizza’, pizza base with an omelette style topping with vegetables, meat etc, and ‘breakfast lasagne’, layers of fruit, custard, and sponge, topped with granola.
Once you’ve got a plateful of food, you can head back to your table and wait for your favourite childhood classics to come and say hi, and make sure you have your autograph books at the ready as Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore will all make an appearance!
The characters make the rounds of the restaurant, one at a time, but they only visit once so you need to keep an eye out for them, not that you can easily miss them! They space out their visits nicely, so you’ve got time to go up and get food between each character. Make sure to have your autograph books ready, and to make it easier for the characters, stack them up ready for signing as they’ll do that first before posing for any photos.
We absolutely loved Crystal Palace; it was the perfect start to our Disney trip. The food was incredible, the setting was classic Disney beautiful, and who doesn’t love Pooh and friends?! An absolute must place to eat for all.
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Main Street USA
°o° On your way in, grab your park map and schedule; sometimes parades and shows happen at different times due to the day/season/occasion.
°o° All the shops are conjoined – when Main Street is packed, like park closing, make a dash to the nearest shop and cut through there, you’ll save a load of time!
°o° The shops don’t shut until an hour after park closing, so if you’re not in a rush to get to bed, you can take your time browsing souvenirs.
°o° If you need any help, pop into City hall, or if you have any Photopass problems, Town Square Theater is the place to go.
°o° With any luck you won’t need to, but should you have any medical problems, First Aid is just next to Crystal Palace.
°o° If you can, watch the Main Street Electrical Parade on a Friday – they make it longer with additional floats.
°o° Sneaky devices emit the scents of cookies and vanilla onto Main Street.
°o° There’s a secret apartment above the fire house to reflect Walt’s apartment.
Adventureland
°o° Most people head to Fantasyland first, so Adventureland is really quiet in the morning – hello queue times under 5 minutes!
°o° Most attractions and shops are indoor or undercover, great for avoiding middle of the day sun.
°o° Watch out for spitting camels!
°o° On Pirates of the Caribbean, look out for Ab Lincoln disguised as a pirate – when Hall of Presidents was updated, the retired animatronic was moved here to live out the rest of his career!
°o° The skeletons playing chess in the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean are at a stalemate – how ironic!
°o° The front half of the plane on Jungle Cruise is the one used in the Casablanca scene of The Great Movie Ride
Frontierland
°o° Most people don’t like doing Splash Mountain first thing, so its pretty quiet, but if its hot, its a great way to keep you cool.
°o° While a lot of the queue for Big Thunder Mountain is under cover, its still very warm during hot seasons, so don’t get stuck in a long queue around the middle of the day.
°o° From Frontierland, you can catch a ride to Tom Sawyer’s Island to explore, and look for hidden paintbrushes.
°o° Sometimes parades run reverse routes and begin near Splash Mountain.
°o° From here you can hop on the Walt Disney World Railroad to get across to Fantasyland, Tomorrowland or Main Street USA
°o° You can meet Woody and Jessie near the queue for Splash Mountain.
°o° If you’re a Vinylmation collector, Frontier Trading post trade and sell figures.
Liberty Square
°o° During the heat of the middle of the day, Liberty Square is an ideal place to be; all the main attractions are indoors, and hold a lot of people.
°o° Many of the displays in the waiting area for Hall of Presidents are authentic items that belonged to former presidents and their families. Disney also needed special permission from the US State Government to have the Presidential Seal on the carpet.
°o° Tucked into a small corner of Liberty Square is a year-round Christmas store: Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe.
°o° In the queue for The Haunted Mansion, you pass a pet cemetery where you’ll see a tombstone for J. Thaddeus Toad, a nod to the former attraction, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride.
°o° Each building in Liberty Square has a 2 digit house number – put an 18 in front of each number, and it gives you the year from which that style of building came.
°o° There are no restrooms to reflect a lack of plumbing during that period in history.
°o° The Liberty Tree holds 13 lanterns, to represent each of the original colonies.
°o° Ask to pilot the Liberty Belle!
Fantasyland
°o° As you start your trip on It’s a Small World, look up and wave at diners in Pinocchio’s Village Haus!
°o° You can ride Cinderella’s horse on Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel – its the one decorated with purple flowers.
°o° You’ll find another nod to Mr Toad on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride; Mr Toad appears in several pictures to mark the fact that this ride replaced his own.
°o° Ride the lilac teacup on the Mad Tea Party – it goes fastest!
°o° Try and pull the sword from the stone; you just might succeed.
°o° Through Storybook Circus is another stop of the railroad, continuing road to Main Street.
°o° Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride has a new interactive queue – inside the Big Top is a play centre where you can wait, and a pager will let you know when its your turn to ride.
°o° In Pete’s Silly Slideshow, you can meet your favourite characters in wacky circus outfits – great unique photo opportunities!
Tomorrowland
°o° Tomorrowland is an ideal place to go at all extremes of weather: hot, cold, wet etc, as almost all the attractions are indoors, as are the queues. Even the TTA Peoplemover is fairly safe in rain – we took cover on it during a horrendous rainstorm, and stayed pretty dry!
°o° You can skip fighting through the busy castle area to get to Tomorrowland by taking the shortcut past Plaza Ice Cream Parlour and walking through the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant
°o° Get a Fastpass for Space Mountain, whether its busy or not. The Fastpass queue leads to the track on the righthand side, which is longer and faster, with more bumps and turns.
°o° There’s a quiet path round the side of Space Mountain, which leads to Fantasyland through the Storybook Circus – also a good way to get to the railroad.
°o° The TTA Peoplemover runs through the top of a few rides, look out into Buzz’s Space Ranger Spin and Space Mountain, and also spy on shoppers in Mickey’s Star Traders.
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Whether your trip was planned for a special celebration, or a special event just happens to coincide with your trip, Disney World is the perfect place to celebrate!
So here are my top tips for adding more magic to your special day:
1. You absolutely must ask for a celebration button!
Tell a cast member you’re celebrating something, and they’ll give you and your party a free celebration button. They come in anything from first visit to birthday to family reunion, or just a plain simple ‘I’m Celebrating!’. Ok so its a free souvenir, but not such a huge deal, right? WRONG. Our last trip just so happened to contain my aunt and uncle’s wedding anniversary, so they got their buttons. From then on every cast member we saw wished them a happy anniversary, and some even gave special treatment: one day my uncle got two snacks for the price of one!
2. Order a cake!
There are many places throughout Disney World where you can order a special celebration cake, but if you don’t want to go too far out of your way, I strongly recommend the Boardwalk Bakery. It’s less than a 10 minute walk from Epcot via the International Gateway (located between England and France on the World Showcase), so you can easily pop across while you’re at the park. The bakery keeps generic cakes in stock at all times, but you can stop by and order a unique one for your special day, or give them a call on their direct cake hotline. More notice is required for special requirement cakes, but when I went in on a Wednesday I only wanted a small basic cake with ‘happy anniversary’ on it for the coming Friday, there were no problems.
3. Do something cheesy!
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Just engaged or married? Get bride and groom Mickey ears to wear for the duration of your trip! Family reunion? Wear goofy (not necessarily Goofy, though!) matching shirts. Go on, cheese it up, you’re not hurting anyone!
4. Get personalised!
From monogrammed Mickey ears to engraved ornaments, commemorate your big day with a keepsake that will last past the end of your stay, and remind you of magical moments every time you look at it.
5. Plan in advance to avoid disappointment
So as not to ruin your happy day with long waits or failed plans, be sure to book certain things in advance. You can make dining reservations up to 180 days prior to your trip, and Fastpass+ reservations for rides, shows and character meets can be made 30 days in advance. Think about all the things you want to do to enjoy your day, and book to avoid disappointment.
6. Make sure you get a celebration phonecall!
Let the front desk staff at your resort know you’re celebrating an special occasion, and you might just get a call from Mickey and Minnie. On our trip they phoned my aunt and uncle and left a message in which they congratulated them on their anniversary, and even sang a song!
7. Don’t over-plan!
So many people over-plan their days in the parks, and while in some cases this is good, the last thing you want to worry about while you’re trying to enjoy yourself is rushing around to do things on time. Take a step back, walk at your own pace, relax, and the fun with come by itself!
8. Speak to cast members
If you want to do something really special, speak to cast members for help or advice – they’re great at pulling strings!
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Character meets can be a truly magical experience for everyone involved!
Make your memories more magical with these top tips:
1. Go to character meals
A great way to meet loads of characters without having to queue or fight through crowds is to book character meals. These are available in restaurants all over the parks and some deluxe resorts, from princess meals to Mickey and friends to the Winnie the Pooh gang. They’re also great for children who tend to be a little more shy as you’re not being taken out of your comfort zone.
2. Do your research, find out who you can meet and where.
You’ll be amazed how many characters you can meet throughout the parks, sometimes its just a case of going slightly out of your way to find them. Who are your favourites? Park maps and schedules tell you who you can meet, where they are and what time they’ll be there, from Russell and Doug in Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Mary Poppins in the UK Pavilion at Epcot.
3. Make your meetings special.
While preparing for your Disney trip, why not have your kids make gifts for their favourite characters? Characters aren’t allowed to accept tips, but you can make their day with drawings or small handmade items; you might even get an extra minute out of it! Alternatively, why not do something different during your character meet? Ask princesses to dance with you, show Mr Incredibles your crime fighting skills!
4. Prepare a few excuses.
This sounds bad, I promise its not! Kids are curious, and everyone knows how much they love to ask questions, so prepare a couple of white lies for why certain characters don’t speak (‘Goofy’s got a big show later, he needs to save his voice’), or why they take so many breaks (‘I think Pluto’s had a bit too much to drink, toilet time!’).
5. Get autographs
Get yourself an autograph book, or some kind of alternative (I’ve seen people have characters sign t-shirts, pillowcases etc). You’ll be able to look back at all the characters you’ve met during your trip. Be sure to have a large pen, like a sharpie, as they’re easier for characters with larger hands.
6. Book Fastpasses
Some characters, especially Elsa and Anna in the Princess Fairytale hall, will have a long queue time if you don’t Fastpass them (Elsa and Anna Fastpasses book out up to 60 days in advance, plan ahead!). You don’t want to take away from the magical experience of meeting your favourite characters with an hour long queue for a 5 minute meet.
7. Decide if meeting characters is something you really want to do
Character meeting can be time consuming, so if you’re on a tight schedule and you’re not that fussed, don’t waste your time, or a place in a queue that someone else would appreciate more. For younger kids who can’t do as many rides though, characters are the true magic of Disney World.
8. Amaze yourself
You will truly be amazed by how well characters play their part, so play along with their conversations, or test them by introducing a new topic and see how brilliantly they can cope. On my last trip, Princess Aurora offered to set me up with one of Prince Phillip’s handsome single friends!
9. Appreciate the cast members
Characters need to take breaks, so sometimes your queue time will be lengthened as they do so. Remember that characters are real people too, so be patient with them.
10. If you only see one character, make it Magician Mickey!
In the Town Square Theater, you can meet Mickey at his most magical. Take a trip to backstage of Mickey’s magic show, and meet the main man himself in a way you’ve never seen him before, or heard! That’s right, Mickey speaks to you! It is the only opportunity in Disney World to meet him where he can speak to you, answer questions and even show you his latest magic trick!
Like it or not, you will not be able to stop yourself from shopping in the Disney parks; there’s just too many cute must-haves available!
That said though, there are a few ways you can be sensible to avoid blowing your budget, as well as not missing out, so here’s a few top tips:
1. Don’t buy generic products!
There are a lot of Disney products that can be found all over the place, from Amazon to Walmart, as well as Disney stores, so don’t spend all your money on items that you could buy any time, any place.
2. If staying on site, get your shopping delivered!
Did you know that if you’re staying at a Disney World resort your items can be sent back to your hotel free of charge? Well you do now! Just ask the cast member at the checkout, and they’ll give you a quick form to fill out, and with a sprinkling of fairy dust, all your souvenirs will be available for you to collect at your resort next day, so say goodbye to lugging large stuffed toys or fragile decorations around the parks all day!
And if you’re not staying in a resort, you can still have your items sent to the park exit for you to collect as you leave.
3. Don’t buy everything straight away..
Many items can be found in a vast array of shops, so don’t rush into buying all your souvenirs on day 1, because chances are you’ll be able to find them elsewhere later in your stay.
4. But don’t regret not buying when you had the chance!
There are a few places with unique souvenirs eg. Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s World Showcase, and the last thing you want to spoil a holiday is falling in love with something, only to find you can’t get it elsewhere and don’t have an opportunity to go back for it.
5. Get personal!
Many items can be personalised or monogrammed in several locations throughout Disney World, so why not make your souvenirs extra special?
6. Take a trip away from the park
If you’re on a budget, leave the shopping for outside the parks. There are two Walmarts that are about a $10 taxi ride away from Downtown Disney which have designated Disney souvenir sections; great items at great prices!
7. Disney’s Character Warehouse
If you’re going to Orlando Premium Outlets, find the Disney Character Warehouse. Yes, a Disney outlet! We stumbled upon this on our trip, and its a goldmine! I’d been looking at a Pascal toy in the parks which was $16.95, and I found the exact same one there for $9.95!
8. Don’t forget your baggage allowance!
When considering souvenirs, don’t forget that important question ‘how am I going to get this home?’. The last thing you want is to get stuck with an extortionate extra bag charge on your flight home, just because you wanted that extra large Mickey.
Right from the offset, queuing is an integral part of any Disney trip. You queue to get into the park, you queue for rides, you queue for food; its inevitable, but it definitely doesn’t have to be a chore!
So cut down and brighten up your queue times with these top tips:
1. Get a queue time app!
The My Disney Experience app, as well as a few other queue time apps, can save so much unnecessary queue time; say goodbye to trekking from one side of the park to the other only to find the ride you want to go on has a 90 minute wait.
2. Prepare yourself, and, more importantly, the kids!
If your kids aren’t used to long waits, throwing them in the deep end will only end in tears. Speak to your little ones and explain to them that there are lots of other people at the parks, and its something everyone has to do.
3. Make queuing fun!
Prepare some activities to make queue times fly by, whether its something as simple as Eye Spy or bringing along entertainment. Although normally I can’t stand families sticking a phone or tablet in front of a child, in this case it can be for the best. There are loads of great Disney game apps, from my favourite Tsum Tsums to Disney Trivia quizzes.
4. Set your queue limit.
As a group, decide the maximum time you’d ideally want to wait for a ride. That way you can make quick decisions when you get to each attractions as to whether you join the queue, or try again later.
5. Fuel yourself.
At all times, make sure you’ve got a full bottle of water and something to snack on. If travelling with little ones, this is no doubt something you’ll do anyway, but you’d be amazed how peckish a long wait can make you. Similarly, in Florida heat, you’ll need to stay well hydrated.
6. Some rides have good queues!
There are some rides that have interactive queues, so even if there’s a long queue time it might be worth joining. The Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train has a great queue, as does The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant has a unique system where you’re given a pager, and you can go into a large indoor play area until you are buzzed for your turn!
7. Make the most of Extra Magic
If you’re staying on site, be sure to check which parks have Extra Magic hours (either an hour early, or up to 3 hours late), and use this time wisely; it gives you a great chance to ride when the park is quieter. That being said, however, you’ll normally find that parks that had extra magic the night before will be quieter the following day, as most people were there yesterday!
8. Queue right up until park closing
Provided you entered the queue before the park closing time, you will still be allowed to ride!
Located in Africa in the Animal Kingdom, Tusker is a fabulous themed dining experience for all the family.
We booked for lunch here based purely on a recommendation from a friend about the quality of the food, so it came as a wonderful surprise to find that breakfast and lunch are both character meals, with Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Minnie all visiting on a break from their safari adventures.
The food is all you can eat buffet, and the restaurant is set up like an authentic African marketplace, with scarfs and trinkets hanging from every available space, and as I was admiring this one of the cast members told me that all of the masks on one of the balconies are genuine, and belonged to Joe Rodhe, the imagineer who designed the Animal Kingdom, how cool?!
As for the food.. Wow. The selection available was huge, with a carvery station, salad bar, curries, vegetables, authentic African recipes and a delicious selection of desserts.
As a family, we agreed this was probably the best meal we had on our trip. It was family friendly, especially with the unexpected character visits, and the food was incredible.
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For a selection of Asian inspired cuisine, definitely hit up Sunshine Seasons in The Land pavilion at Epcot
A quick service restaurant with tonnes of seating, it has three counters, each serving a different range of mains, desserts and snacks, with good portion sizes and something for all the family.
And you absolutely have to have a red velvet Mickey Whoopie Pie!
So if you’re heading towards Soarin’ or Living with the Land, definitely do it around lunch time and stop off here for some fuel!
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Located in Norway in Epcot’s World Showcase, Akershus is one of the lesser know princess character meals, probably because you don’t often see princesses outside of the Magic Kingdom. Nevertheless, I’d read about it on DisneyFoodBlog.com, and I can’t deny they had me at words ‘cheapest princess meal’ (not that it mattered much to us on the Disney Dining Plan), and when travelling with young girls, princesses are super important.
You’ve gotta hope you visit in good weather, cos you’ll be waiting for your table outside until your ‘Royal Family’ is announced. Before you’re seated, you have the opportunity to have photos taken with one of the visiting princesses, we had Belle. Don’t miss this, you’ll get 3 poses, which during your meal are printed up and presented to you by the end of your meal, all included in the price much to our surprise!
The dining style is a little odd.. Once seated, you’re invited to serve yourself appetisers from a buffet style selection of bread, sliced meats and cheeses etc. You then select your main from the menu of Scandinavian style options, sit back and enjoy as the princesses come to you!
We were visited by Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Cinderella, having already met Belle on our way in. They chatted to the girls, signed autograph books and posed for photos, it was a great way of meeting lots of princesses without having to queue elsewhere. Following your meal, there is a prince and princess procession where kids can line up with the princesses and parade around the restaurant to music and applause from everyone else, little ones will love it!
Following the main meal, dessert is served family style; a selection of options are presented on a single plate for you to pick and choose from.
Overall the food was alright, but definitely wasn’t the best meal we had. That being said, the experience of the meal was great as it meant we got to spend a lot of time with princesses, and the included photo prints were a fab plus!
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Today we had a mission: get on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.
The Magic Kingdom had an early magic hour, so we got into the park at about 8.30am and marched straight over, expecting to find a relatively short queue.. We found a queue working all the way round the outside of the ride, as far as Ariel’s Grotto. Luckily (sort of), however, the queue was this length due to the fact the ride wasn’t open yet, and therefore no one was in the main queue area, so once the ride opened we flowed fairly quickly. Once inside, the queue was fairly entertaining, with plenty of interactive activities and fabulous surroundings. The ride itself was a nice combination of rollercoaster (think Big Thunder Mountain), and classic ride along (Winnie the Pooh style) inside the mines, and the whole time we spent at the ride was about an hour; queuing and the ride itself.
Mission completed, we had a wander around Main Street USA, stopping for a treat in the confectionery shop and grabbing a drink from the Main Street Bakery, and even managed to squeeze in seeing the Move It, Shake It Street Party before hopping on a bus to the next park..
Hollywood Studios afternoon!
We had all our Fastpasses for the day booked for the studios, as well as dinner, and got into the park just in time for the first: Indiana Jones stunt show. Personally I enjoyed this a lot more than Lights, Camera, Motion! as it was more personal; volunteers were picked out of the audience, the cast of the show explained how stunts are shot for real movies etc. We headed straight from there to Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, our second Fastpass. Another great production, it summarised the film (one of my favourites!) into a short and sweet 30 minute show while keeping all the key aspects of the story, and most importantly: the songs!
Onto dinner: 50’s Prime Time Cafe!
The restaurant was a great atmosphere, and we had a fabulously funny waitress, Mary Ann, who made sure we enjoyed our meals as well as maintaining our manners – no elbows on the table, pleases and thank yous etc. At this point in our trip, a major flaw in the dining in Disney World is really emerging: absolutely no variety in kids meal choices. Our poor youngest two of the group are being subjected daily to three options in almost every restaurant – mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and burger/hotdog/pizza with either fruit salad, apple slices or ice cream for dessert.
With everything at the park completed, we’re drawing a line under Hollywood Studios for the rest of our trip; its not quite as kid friendly and there’s nothing else we’d go back for now.
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Finally getting adjusted to the time difference, wahey!
Today we tripped it over to the Animal Kingdom first thing to take advantage of Extra Magic hours, so we got into the park around 8.30 before it opened to the public at 9am. This was perfect timing as it meant we could dash over to Expedition Everest, which we hadn’t managed to get a Fastpass for, and queued for less than 5 minutes as the park was almost empty! So empty in fact, we rode it twice a) cos we knew it’d be a long wait if we came back later, and b) because it was awesome!
By the end of our second go it was just coming up 9 so we shot across to the Kali River Rapids just as it opened and managed to sneak another incredibly lucky short wait. The ride comes with the warning ‘You will get wet, you may get soaked!’ and well, soaked is what we got..
Like, literally wringing out clothes sort of soaked.
We then wandered across to Africa and completed the Pangani trail before out Kilimanjaro Safari Fastpass then after a quick shopping break got in line for The Festival of the Lion King performance. This 30 minute tribute to the Lion King was a great production (full review to follow) involving acrobats, floats and live singers.
Lunch was at Tusker House (table service), another Advanced Dining Reservation, which we’d originally booked just based on a recommendation from a friend of the great food, but it actually turned out to be a character meal as well, so we dined with Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy, all kitted out in their safari gear! Food lived up to its reputation, and the atmosphere was great.
Lunch was followed by another show, this time Finding Nemo, the Musical. Similar to the traditional Lion King Musical, the show was done in large scale puppetry, with live singers, and was an excellent condensed (40 minutes) version of the film. The puppets themselves were incredible, but the music lacked the classic Disney catchiness.
From there we finished up our day in Dinoland, and left the park surprisingly early with everything done by around 4/5pm, so we caught a bus across to Downtown Disney for a little look around (NB. No buses ran directly from Animal Kingdom to Downtown Disney, so we had to bus over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort and switch buses there).
First stop, obviously was World of Disney, the largest Disney store in the world, although it didn’t seem overwhelmingly large. Due to the offer we had when we booked our trip, we went to collect out $200 gift cards from the information desk inside, which was a bit of a faff but got there in the end. Our group then split in two for the shopping bit as 9 is too large a group for a smooth shopping experience. Our group got a taxi across to Walmart as well for some essentials before we all re-convened at the resort pool for dinner by the poolside with Tarzan on the big screen, and a quick swim!
Tomorrow we’ll be heading to the fourth and final park, Hollywood Studios!
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This post is going out at Disney so as not to ruin the surprise for the members of the group who follow this blog!
So if you’ve read my blog, you know I put together goodie bags for the girls. This was well known by everyone (except the girls, obviously!), but what they didn’t know was that magic leaves out no-one..
So I put together goodie bags for everyone! And for these ones, I enlisted the help of the girls, they loved being part of the secret (we called it our ‘secret Disney mission’) 🙂
For the ladies, I found cute red and white spotty totes and filled them with treats like lip balm, nail files, cute Minnie phone socks etc, and park essentials: plasters, glow sticks etc.
The daddies got socks, headphones and Star Wars glow sticks wands packed up in handy reusable themed bag
On top of these, we had the most fun picking out phone cases for everyone!
Keeping it in the families, my parents and sister all had Toy Story ones, and my aunt and uncle had Winnie the Pooh 🙂
The difficulty with keeping all the goodie bags secret, however, was packing them up (which I managed to do by hiding the adult ones inside the kiddy ones), and getting rid of everyone for enough time to sneak them into the hotel rooms for the big reveal..
And herein lies the beauty of the secrets! While the adults know I need the girls out of the rooms, they don’t know that I also need them gone, so by creating a large distraction eg: let’s go look for the pool, and filling the girls in on the plan, both parties believe they are the ones keeping the secret, giving me the time to sneak into all the rooms to put out the presents, with a note from The Disney Fairy, and leaving everyone else none the wiser!
A mini first aid kit, or at least a few supplies
Its unfortunate but true that holidays rarely go without some little medical mishap; sunburn, blisters, headaches, the list goes on.. And while Disney World has medical stations, and there’s drugstores in the area, its still better to be prepared with a few basics:
1. Plasters and blister plasters
2. Painkillers, including kid friendly ones
3. Allergy medication and anti-histamines
4. After-sun lotion or aloe vera
5. Travel sickness aids
And anything else you think you may need, better safe than sorry!
Spare memory cards
You’re about to make some magical memories, the last thing you need is the dreaded ‘MEMORY FULL’ flashing across your screen as you’re about to capture them.
And although memory cards these days have incredible capacities (my dad just bought an 128GB card for his high-quality camera that will hold 19,000 hi-def images), you can never be too prepared. It may seem a little excessive, but I would recommend bringing 3: one in the camera, one spare in your bag (in a ziploc/waterproof bag) and one in your hotel to trade in if any get too full.
Say cheese..!
Flavouring for water
If you’re prepared, you never need pay for a drink in Disney World. Why?
Water is available everywhere, free of charge, from drinking fountains to counter service restaurants throughout the parks,all you need is a bottle to store it and you’re set for the day. During the summer months it’s so important to keep hydrated during the day, the last thing you need on your trip is to feel rubbish because you didn’t drink enough.
So if, like me, you prefer something with a bit of flavour to it, flavourings like Kool Aid or concentrates like Squash’d or Drops (a bit less messy than Kool Aid) are ideal; they’re small enough to pop in a pocket if you don’t carry a bag, and are super concentrated, so one little bottle can last ages. Plus, you’ll find it easier to get the kids to drink up!
A swimsuit
While you might be thinking ‘duh, of course I’ll need a swimsuit!’, but its important that you bring an all-in-one style suit as well as a two piece bikini, and the reason for that is science..
Picture the scene: Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon, scorching Florida day, nice big slide opening out into a pool full of people, and while gravity might be pulling your body down, your top is going to want to stay put and fly back up. Its happened to everyone, embarrassing or what?
So save the bikini for the hotel pool or lying out in the sun, and save your dignity by packing a one-piece for the waterparks! 🙂
The first of many posts, I’ll be posting a different packing must-have every day! 🙂
Mini Sharpies
As well as taking up less space, mini Sharpies come with handy little loop you can use to attach them to bags or zips, so you’ve always got one to hand; you’ll need them!
Sharpies make the perfect pen for autographs – nice and fat for characters to hold, don’t dry out easily, available in every colour imaginable and, of course, permanent, so perfect if you want autographs on tshirts or other unique items.
On top of autographs, having a permanent marker to hand means you can label your resort mugs, bags, strollers, valuables, children..
With 180 days to go til our trip, any seasoned Disney World tripper knows it’s ADR time!
‘What’s an ADR?’ I hear you ask. Well at certain restaurants in Disney World, it’s fairly crucial you make Advanced Dining Reservations, and these can be made up to 180 days before your trip.
Now while these shouldn’t be wasted, I definitely wouldn’t recommend overdoing it for a few reasons.
Firstly, while I’m a big fan of planning and timetables, you don’t want to be tied down to meal commitments, especially when enjoying yourself in the parks. This does depend on your holiday though – if you’re only spending a short time at Disney and want to get everything done, or you’re travelling with small children who don’t like long waits, timetabling your trip can be a real godsend (there are some fab websites designed specifically to produce timetables for you that minimise your wait times on rides), and if that’s how you want to go then daily ADRs could work in your favour. If, like me however, you’re going to be in the happiest place on Earth for a good length of time (2 weeks in my case!), time isn’t of the essence – you’re on holiday, you can afford to chill out a little, eat when you feel like it and not worry about having to wait a little while for a table.
My second reason for not going nuts with ADRs is that you have to give credit card details in order to place a reservation, and depending on the restaurant, if you don’t show up you may be charged. You can cancel any ADRs without being charged until 11.59pm Eastern Time on the night before you’re arrival, but any later than that may result in your credit card being billed. Although this may not seem like such a big deal, you’ll be on time for your meal no problem, you never know if you’ll be trapped in the queue for a broken down ride, or caught up in parade traffic, and if you have ADRs every night, you increase the risk of losing money.
All this considered though, you shouldn’t waste the opportunities for fabulous meals your family will remember forever, so plan carefully. So here’s how to play it:
1. Decide what restaurants you really want to go to – www.disneyfoodblog.com has a full list of all the places to eat at Walt Disney World, with reviews, menus and dining advice for each. There are hundreds, but the majority of them are counter service or snack vendors which don’t require reservations. Flick through them all, and make a note of those that require reservations.
2. Think about what meal you want to book for – if you want to watch a parade on a certain night, you may decide to make lunchtime reservations so that in the evening you can grab a snack and make your way to a prime viewing spot.
3. Where will you be?- If you want to go to a certain park on a certain day, maybe if there are Extra Magic Hours, then booking lunch in another park could make you lose hours from your day by travelling between parks.
4. Think kids first – if your little ones are used to having their meals at specific times, or having a big lunch/dinner, plan to what they’re used to most. The last thing you need is over-tired, over-excited children upset because they’ve missed their main meal of the day.
5. Consider your dining plan – if you have the Quick-Service dining plan, you’ll be paying extra for all of your Table-Service meals, and therefore you might not want to go too crazy with bookings; it could end up being more expensive than upgrading your dining plan.
6. Friends and family experiences – it may be, like us, that someone you know has recently come back from their trip. Find out what they did, what they thought and what they recommend; our friends sung great praises of Coral Reef (Epcot) which is somewhere I hadn’t considered before.
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Now I’ve put great thought into our ADRs. There are plenty of restaurants I’d like to visit, but overall I’m not fussed about when specifically we go to them. There are, however a few must-dos..
1. Crystal Palace – You can book for breakfast at Crystal Palace before the Magic Kingdom opens, meaning first access to the park (you can get some great empty park photos and avoid the early queues). Book this for your first proper morning at Disney World (we arrive at Disney late afternoon/early evening, so won’t be venturing into the park straight away due to jet-lag) so that on your first steps into the Magic Kingdom – especially if you’re a first-timer – are completely clear, and you can enjoy the park in all its glory before the masses descend. My girls who have never been to Disney World before will love this!
2. Chef Mickey’s – I last visited Disney World when I was 5, so most memories are fairly foggy, but one of my few clearer memories is Chef Mickey’s. Mickey, Minnie and the gang come to the tables, pose for photos, and perform the famous napkin dance!
3. Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau – probably the best dinner show at Disney.
4. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – located in Norway at Epcot, if travelling with little girls who love the princesses, this is one for you. Not only do all the princesses hang out here, but of all the princess meals in Disney World, this is the best value for money.
5. Sci-Fi Dine In – set up like an old fashioned drive-in movie theatre, you eat your dinner in car booths while classic Disney plays on the big screen.
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I have a load of dining myths to test on our trip, so we’ll be eating at all of these plus many more, but for now.. Get booking!
With our 180 day countdown fast approaching, we’re starting to consider our dining plan options for our trip.
Dining plans are essentially your meal tickets: depending on what you have, you can get certain meals, simple.
Now you don’t have to have a dining plan. Some people prefer to just pay for all their meals as and when, it all depends on your budget (and appetite!).
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, here are some basics for Disney beginners:
1. There are two types of meals, Quick-Service (QS) and Table Service (TS). Quick Service, aka Counter Service, is what it is says on the label: anywhere where you serve yourself or order fast-food style, whereas Table Service is anywhere with a proper restaurant format: waiters take your order etc.
2. ‘Snacks’ can be found everywhere, and cover a tonne of things from coffee to ice-cream to popcorn to cupcakes.
3. Credits rollover – if you don’t use your snack credit one day, get two the next day! Some TS restaurants require 2 TS credits, so depending on your dining plan, you may skip a big meal one day to save your credits, or if like us you’re planning on taking a day or two out of the park, the credits from those days can be used later in your stay.
4. At breakfast, QS credits cover an entree and a non-alcoholic beverage, and TS credits give you an entree and non-alcoholic beverage OR a buffet (if available)
5. For lunch or dinner, QS credits get you and entree, a dessert and a non-alcoholic drink, and TS credits cover an entree, dessert and non-alcoholic drink OR a buffet (if available)
6. Kids aged 3-9 have to order kids meals, but there is nothing to stop anyone over 10 ordering a kids meal.
7. Children under 3 are not covered by Dining Plans, but they can share from an adult meal at no additional cost, or order their own meal for the regular price.
8. Depending on which resort you stay at, you can have in-room dining or pizza delivery!
9. At any counter service restaurant you can ask for a cup of ice water for no charge.
10. Like a particular meal? You can ask for the recipe!
11. To be in with the best chances of having the best meals, make sure you make ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations).
There are 3 main dining plans – Quick Service Dining Plan, Disney Dining Plan and Deluxe Dining Plan.
Quick-Service:
2 x Q-S meal credits, 1 x Snack Credit and 1 Refillable Resort mug per person per day
Disney Dining:
1 x Q-S meal credit, 1 x T-S meal credit, 1 x Snack Credit and 1 Refillable Resort mug per person per day
Deluxe Dining:
3 x T-S meal credits, 2 x Snack Credits and 1 Refillable Resort mug per person per day.
When choosing a dining plan, think about whether or not you’ll save money by upgrading. If you are on the Quick Service dining plan, but plan to pay for a TS meal daily, it may be cheaper for you to move to the Disney Dining plan. Alternatively, if you fork out for Deluxe Dining but your kids prefer to eat counter service, you might find you’ve wasted a lot of money on food you didn’t have. Visit the Disney World Official website to find menus and prices, work out what you might end up spending, then compare it to what your considered dining plan might cost. Disney Food Blog have a list of all the places to eat in the parks, along with menus, reviews, and details of what dining plans they accept.
For our party, we’ll be using the Disney Dining Plan. This gives us the option of a table-service meal everyday, and as we’ll be spending a few days out of the park, the rollover credits give us the opportunity to have some of the better meals that require two credits.
My best piece of advice to you is to do your research – it’s fun, I promise! 🙂
Yes, you read right – totally free!
Pop on over to Disney’s customised map maker to create your own park maps, which you can print off at home or have delivered to your home address (US only though – shame!)
It couldn’t be simpler – pick your favourite attractions to be highlighted on your map for each park, select a theme, and print/ship! Disney veterans may know exactly which rides to hit up on their trips, but if you’re a Disney first-timer, you can choose a ‘pre-set menu’ of attractions; there are suggestions designed specifically for pre-schoolers, big kids, teens or all ages.
You can create maps for each of the four parks, and everyone in the family can make their own! It’s a great way to make the kids feel like they are contributing to the planning process, and if you’re making a scrapbook of your trip, why not make one selecting your favourite rides and attractions!
Look how cute they are!
Lottie Does 