Character Dining

You are planning your perfect Disney trip.  You are researching the parks, rides and dining experiences.  As you research you come across character dining.  The question becomes, is it worth it?

The answer is YES.  YES.  Oh, and YES.

This is a really fun way for your kids to interact with the characters.  You get some great pictures/video and the food is usually pretty good.  Plus, if you are on a time crunch and can't stay at the parks long, it saves having to wait in line for the character meet and greets.

As I've said before, you MUST set your budget prior to planning...otherwise you can blow it out of the water pretty quick.  But, there are ways to make this happen.

• Keep in mind that most of the character dining experiences are usually buffet, which means children under 3 are free.
• Go during breakfast or lunch.  There is a price break between these meals and dinner.
• If you are going during the offseason, prices tend to be reduced a bit.
• If your budget is tight, consider getting pb&j and making lunch in your hotel room.
• If you are staying onsite, and not renting DVC, look for the special offers that include free dining (currently running for the fall months).

One great resource to check out menus and pricing is Allears.net.  Visit the Walt Disney World website and look at all the options.  Read through the trip advisor reviews. There are many options, with different character selections, that will be perfect for your little prince or princess.

Maximize Your Day: Magic Kingdom

 I have not used Fastpass+ so I do not know how that will affect things.  This is as of August 2013.

Kids are not exactly the most patient species on the planet. They don't understand the concept of waiting in line.  They don't understand why we need to hurry across the parks. They don't understand that time is limited and we want to see everything!

If it's your first visit to Magic Kingdom, walking through the tunnel under the train station and stepping onto Main Street USA gives you goosebumps.  The sights, sounds, smell are incredible.  There is a buzz of excitement in the air.  And you just want to see and do everything! Heck, you feel that way if it's your 20th time!

The question becomes, how do you meet the characters, ride the rides, see the parades and all with little ones in tow?

After some trial and error, I have put together an outline that allows us to ride the rides and see the characters in a fairly efficient manner.  Please note, this outline is not foolproof.  It is just a guide that has worked well for us.

Arrive before rope drop (the official opening of the parks) Try to get there at least 15 minutes early.
Head into Tomorrowland (save the Main Street USA browsing for later in the day).  It may be tempting to have your kids pose with the characters up front, but there are other photo ops throughout park.
Once in Tomorrowland, fastpass  Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin then head back to Fantasyland.
Ride Pooh first; this ride ALWAYS has a huge wait.  First thing in the morning it will be 5-10 minutes.
Exit Pooh and go back to Peter Pan's Flight. You will have a 10-15 minute wait.
Next up is Prince Charming's Carrousel. This is about a 5 minute wait.

At this point, check the time to see if you need to return to Buzz.  If you have time, there are 2 options; head into New Fantasyland and ride The Journey of the Little Mermaid or ride the Tea Cups.

Parents, if you want to ride space mountain (see 40" Tall Dilemma) send one parent to get the fastpasses while the other heads of to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Once exiting Buzz, head to the right for the Buzz Lightyear meet and greet.  The wait is usually 15-20 minutes.

At this point you should be about 1.5 hours in--5 rides and a character meet and greet.  Not bad.

Mom and dad, if you opted to ride Space Mountain than I would suggest the following itinerary.  

Tomorrowland Speedway (there is a 32" height requirement) next.  If you have two or more and one kiddo is too small, consider the rider swap.

If you did not ride the Tea Cups, you may want to do those now. Then I would go to Carousel of Progress and next The People Mover.  

By now it is lunch and nap time.

Mom and Dad if you by-pass Space Mountain I would suggest the following itinerary.

Head over to Adventureland.  Fastpass the Jungle Cruise.
Next ride Aladdin and then Pirates of the Caribbean.  Please note, if you have a sensitive child Pirates may be a bit much.  You might want to send one parent on ahead of time to check it out.

Next up is Swiss Family Tree House or the Enchanted Tiki Room.  Or, you can meet Aladdin and Jasmine.

Head back to the Jungle Cruise.  At this point it is lunch and nap time.

Upon returning in the afternoon feel free to mix or match the following.  If the Move-It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street party is scheduled for the day...make this a must do.  It is so much fun and my little guys love dancing with the characters.

If you missed Adventureland in the morning, use the suggested guide above.

OR

I would hop the train upon entry and ride back to Frontierland.  

Mom and Dad, decide if you want to ride Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain and get your Fastpasses.  Then mosey on down to the river and take the raft over to Tom Sawyer Island.  This is a fun place to let your kiddos run!  When you arrive back, go see the Country Bears.  It's cutesy and folksy and gives you a chance to cool off and sit a bit.  At this point it should be time to ride.

One parent go to the Fastpass queue and the other, head down to the Woody and Jessie meet and greet. You should both finish up about the same time.  Switch and the other parent go to the playground.

Hop the train and ride on down to Storybook Circus. This is really geared towards our little ones.  Here you can ride The Barnstormer (note kids must be 35" tall) and Dumbo.  Dumbo has an awesome queue and you may have a hard time getting your little one's out.

There is also Casey Jr's Splash and Soak Station. This is a nice way to cool off.  But you may want to wait until after you meet Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy over in Pete's Silly Sideshow.

The other must do's that we incorporate are the Riverboat in Liberty Square, pictures with Mickey in the Town Square Theater, and Wishes fireworks.

There is so much to see and do.  Check out the listing of characters and their meet and greet times.  Also, look at the day's activities and see what is on the list that you want to incorporate.

If at all possible, I would highly recommend spending a couple days at Magic Kingdom (even if it means forgoing another park).  There is just SO MUCH to see and do and absorb.

Veterans...what are your thoughts?  How do you maximize your day?

Rides: One child can ride, the other can't. Now what?

In the previous post I discussed what to do when all of your kiddos were too small to ride.  But what happens when you have a child(ren) who can ride and a child(ten) who can't?

The one thing to keep in mind is that Disney is truly geared to families. They offer a fantastic option of the rider swap. Basically, your party stands in line and when it's time to board you inform the cast member that you wish to ride, but have a little one who can't.  The cast member will then board your party and instruct you to either stand aside and wait, or give you a rider swap pass (similar to a fast pass).  Then, when your group arrives, it's your turn to ride and you don't have to wait in the long line.

Perfect, right?!

Just keep in mind that every ride may be different.  Be sure to ask the cast member at the beginning of the queue what the policy is.

Why travel to Disney when the kids are little?

One of the things I hear parents say most often is that they want to wait until their kids are older to go to Disney World.  The main reason is that they want their kids to remember the experience.  I say why wait?  Go now!

Reason 1:
Kids are free until their 3rd birthday.  This applies to both tickets and buffet meals. If you are traveling on a budget, this is an excellent way to save a few $$$.

Reason 2:
Memories that last a lifetime.  Will your child remember every single event?  No.  But you probably will.  And what you don't remember can be relived through photographs.  I first went to Disney at age 3.  I was so confused upon returning as an adult and not seeing the Skyway. I thought maybe I had made it up, until I saw old pictures.

Reason 3:
It's easy.  This may sound strange, but it actually is.  Going to Walt Disney World has got to be one of the easiest vacations with little ones.  Trust me on this.  Everything is geared towards kids.  And, with rare exception, there are few companies out there that go to the extra mile to create an overall experience.

Reason 4:
It's fun for both kids and adults.  Most of us love watching our children's faces as they experience new things.  But it goes beyond that.  There are great restaurants and even a bit of a nightlife (I will post later about child care at Disney).

Reason 5:
Meeting the characters.  Our kids watch Disney movies and the Disney channel so they are pretty familiar with most of the characters.  When my 1 year old saw Minnie Mouse for the 1st time, he simply lit up.

We only have one life.  I figure, why not enjoy it?  If we always wait for the perfect time, the opportunity might pass us by.