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John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
NOTE: News sources remove their articles rather quickly. If you receive a "File Not Found" error message, search the source's archives for the story. The source's URL is posted in its entirety to make it easier to track down the original article and avoid dead links. Be sure to copy and paste the entire URL in your web browser's address window. Certain news organizations require a free registration to view their articles online.
M. Swain asks:
At the Studios, visit the Animation Courtyard. At
Epcot, each meal is a character meal at the Land's Garden Grill in Future
World. In the Animal Kingdom, look for the characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey.
"Walt Disney World is planning to add actresses playing Tinker Bell
and her friends from an upcoming series of Disney Fairies' movies -- and
might be creating a new attraction based on them."
"A federal lawsuit filed by Disney Enterprises Inc. has cast a Clermont couple
as villains who exploited the trademarked likenesses of Winnie the
Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger, too, to enrich their family business, Kool Klown
Party People Inc."
"Figment, that beloved purple dragon [at] Epcot... has been retired
from meeting and greeting kids (and the young at heart), according to several
cast members in the park."
This mother would rather be a Disney princess while the men in her
family would rather be buying swords or shooting something!
"Your honor, I thought I saw a pussycat! Tweety may finally air his signature
complaint in front of a judge, after an Italian court ordered the animated
canary along with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and his girlfriend Daisy
to take the witness stand in a counterfeiting case." -------------------------------- Kim writes: "In all our visits the character meals are the best way to meet and greet and get autographs. Its too easy to lose sight of a child in the crowds. We bought our Disney Autograph books at our local Disney store, and on our first night we always go to Chef Mickeys where the characters stop at your table for pictures and autographs. That way we have quite a few the first night and its not a big line to get them. Any of the character meals are a great way to get autographs." -------------------------------- "With multiple new lines of T-shirts, toys and other products already out or on their way, Disney is capitalizing on the notion that Tinker Bell's spunky persona, mysterious back story and pinup-girl looks give her an appeal to Disney's usual safe-for-families market -- and a little beyond." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 08/18/07) Being a Disney character may be dangerous to your health! "Thousands of performers at Disney parks around the world must deal with physically demanding conditions and injuries from their heavy and sweltering hot costumes, overzealous children and other hazards." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 03/04/07) "Recruited by Disney to promote Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Year of a Million Dreams campaign, Leibovitz persuaded her famous friends to dress up as classic Disney characters. The first images in this ongoing series will appear in the March issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, GQ, Conde Nast Traveller, Cookie and The New Yorker." (Source: usatoday.com, 01/25/07)
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Auditioning for Disney Characters: "The audition is part of an 18-city tour that started in three cities Thursday. It will cross the country through Nov. 8 and include a stop in Puerto Rico. The audition here was the only one in the state and came to the smallest U.S. city on the tour, Casting Director Saroya Zadeh said. Other cities included Boston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia." (Source: mlive.com, 10/20/06)
Rosemary writes: "John: I have enjoyed your website as I have been planning our 10 day Disney World adventure since last summer/fall. Now to the big story regarding customer service - it has a happy ending! I waited in the Judge's Tent for an hour to see the princesses. During this time, folks would pass me to catch up to their families. My daughters and husband were over at Ariel's Grotto so I was the lineholder. There are no signs posted as to the expected wait times or that your group must stay together. If you have never waited in this line, there are a series of turns in the line that bring you to a new "room" so you never really see an end. Well, all of a sudden I found myself ushered into the room with the princesses! And my children are not with me! I had suspected I was close so I had called my husband and they were en route, but were not fast enough to catch up to me before I went in. So I told a lady there, 'My daughters are on their way. They'll be here in a minute.' She said we had to all be together in the line the whole time, there was no line holding allowed and that I just had to go! I left the Princess Room and was very upset! I had just wasted an hour of my time! I went back to the head of the line to speak to the posted attendant. I told her what happened, she said there wasn't anything she could do, so I asked to speak to someone who could do something about it. The manager arrived explaining they were working on signs to advise families to stay together and advising of wait times and told me the lady shouldn't have told me to leave and that I could go back and see the Princesses still. I told him, 'I didn't wait in a line an hour so I could see them, but so that my daughters could see them!' By this time, my daughters were with me looking forlorn and disappointed. I pointed out that the signs were not there, that no one had advised me of the families staying together deal and that people had been passing me in order to catch up to their family. I just told him it was disappointing to waste an hour of my time and not get the opportunity for my daughters to see the Princesses. 'Isn't there anything you can do?' I pleaded. He said, 'Come with me.' So he took us in the back way and we got to see the Princesses and we all lived happily ever after! The point I want to get across to the folks reading this is: First, if you go to the Judge's Tent STAY TOGETHER AS A GROUP! Second, if you experience disappointment at Disney World just talk to one of the Cast Members. I'll bet he or she will do everything in their power to right the wrong. In this case, this gentleman did the right thing and he didn't have to. But it only took 4 minutes and saved the day! Rosemary's comments evoked a heated response from Keri:
We always publish a disclaimer at the end of our newsletter: "Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by others in THE DISNEY NEWS do not necessarily reflect the views of AffordableDisney.Com." To be fair, Rosemary didn't see any signs warning her to keep her group together. The manager handled the situation appropriately:
The castmember who originally asked Rosemary to leave could have defused the whole situation by allowing her to wait on the side for her children to arrive. On the other hand, I understand Keri's feelings. Donna and I have stood and waited many times for what seemed like forever to see an attraction when a group of friends and family would run up at the last minute to join the person waiting in line. It is really aggravating when you're hot and tired and you feel that those who jumped in front of you might get a better seat! So let's remember the golden rule: STAY TOGETHER AS A GROUP! Oh... and by the way... I do publish comments at times that are controversial to encourage readers to respond! So if you read something that you disagree with, send your comments to johngross@affordabledisney.com and I'll publish them in the newsletter. Thank you, Rosemary and Keri, for writing.
Pooh got his own Hollywood Walk of Fame Star April 11, 2006.
You can now find Nemo at the Magic Kingdom! He makes his way down Main Street before the afternoon parade begins and he's meeting guests by the Seven Seas Lagoon. (Source: wdwmagic.com, 06/03/03)
Pam writes: "... Pooh and friends are not at the [Grand Floridian Character] Dinner. Disney has offered a new dinner with Cinderella. I do believe that they did this in order to appease those vacationers who cannot get into the castle for breakfast with her." Thanks, Pam, for letting us know. Cinderella's Gala Feast features Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, Suzy and Perla. Adults: $23.99; children 3-11: $10.99. Dessert and non-alcoholic beverage included.
Suzan sent us this tip about making autograph books: "My son (age 5) took an autograph book to Disney World for signatures from the characters. First, we went to a craft store and bought a scrapbook along with scrapbooking extras (stickers, etc.) He designed his book before we left. This way we didn't have to buy one at Disney (much more expensive) and it is personalized by him, for him. We had put Disney stickers in it, so he tried to get the characters to sign on the pages that had their stickers. You know when you get your pictures back from being developed and they sometimes have that single sheet with thumbprints of all of your pictures? Well, my son cut all of those out and we taped, into his autograph book, the picture that corresponds with that character signing his book. Most of these include my son posing with them. They are quite small, but he really enjoyed doing this, and he likes pointing the photos out to his friends and family. This way we can keep all of the full size pictures in one album, yet he still has references in his autograph book." Thank you, Susan, for the great tip! Readers are invited to share their tips with us. Send them to: johngross@affordabledisney.com . Thanks!
Carmon writes: "John, I was out of commission for a few weeks and just read three of the Monday updates. I have some follow-up to some of the postings. Sharon advised that the Cinderella [character breakfast] price went up. I am ok with that, although I am not rich. BUT, I must say that I found this to be one of the best character breakfasts at Disney. We went to this breakfast twice and were thrilled with the food, (there were 8 of us, male and female) and the amount of time the characters spent with our kids, both boys and girls. Our waiter brought out seconds of anything we wanted, especially the fried donut type treats. We made this our main meal of the day and ate an afternoon snack and small dinner later. We loved the entire experience."
Here's the new official web address for the Muppets: http://muppets.com/ "Kermit the Frog and the Muppets will get their own line of U.S. Postal stamps in 2005. The set of 11 stamps will honor the late Jim Henson and his Muppet friends and is scheduled to debut in March 2005." "Elastigirl plus Mr. Incredible and Frozone -- the superheroes from the Disney presentation of Pixar's "The Incredibles" -- have made their theme park debut greeting guests inside the newly reopened The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney-MGM Studios." (Source: Walt Disney World Press Release, 11/16/04)
"Another animated figure -- the yet-to-be-hatched Chicken Little --
also debuted in the parks: on a limited-edition Disney Dollar and on a gigantic
new mural [at MGM]." Chicken Little will premiere in theaters summer, 2005.
Patti writes: "Hi John, I heard a rumor the other day and I was hoping you could clear it up. I was told that the characters no longer walk around the park like they used to. That now they have body guards with them. All this is because some little kid said that one of the characters touched him inappropriately. If this is true, don't you think that things are getting a little out of hand these days? It's really a shame that kids even have to be aware of things like this. Thanks for your help John! You are an amazing person to share all the information that you do with others!" Well, maybe just a little amazing! :) Thanks, Patti! I contacted Beth, our travel agent, about the rumor since she just visited WDW in October. Beth writes: "I didn't notice anything unusual at all - each character just had the usual cast member at his/her side to fight off enthusiastic children and guide the character so they didn't trip - but I think that incident that was referred to happened after I went. The person claimed that she was "groped" by the character. Of course, those of us who are familiar with them know that they have huge, paw-like things on their hands in most cases, and can't even see to walk much less grope someone. The claim is absurd, and as soon as a judge sees these costumes I think it will be thrown out of court. But anyway, I haven't heard that they are doing anything beyond the usual accompanying cast member that they've always had, and that's for the character's safety, not the safety of the public. What I am worried about, though, is the possibility of a strike! They are apparently going to try again to settle on Monday, but the teamsters have already gotten enough votes to approve a strike - and that means the bus drivers, characters, and laundry personal. Other unions are in this, too, though, so I don't know who all it would effect." We'll keep everyone posted on the strike possibility.
"The Walt Disney Company has completed its previously announced acquisition of the "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" properties from The Jim Henson Company... initiatives actively under consideration include live action releases, theatrical productions, computer-generated three-dimensional animation projects and attractions and parades at Disney's theme parks." (Source: Disney Consumer Products, 04/28/04)
Sharon writes: My family just returned from a trip to WDW... we took our daughter to breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. Upon checking in at the restaurant, we were informed that beginning that morning the price had increased to $19.99 per adult. After experiencing the breakfast, my husband & I agreed that we would not attend that breakfast again unless we had a little girl who absolutely could not live without seeing Cinderella. Our 2 year old was excited, but she could have lived without it. The food was nothing worth bragging about (especially for $19.99 per adult), and we were completely done with our meal and our dishes cleared before the first character even made it to our table. We also attended Winnie the Pooh & Friends at Tony's Town Square and really enjoyed that one - the food was excellent and so was our singing waiter Michael! The character visits were well-timed and spaced throughout the meal. But if we had to recommend one character meal to experience, it would definitely be Chef Mickey's. We had dinner there and had an absolutely wonderful time. The characters visited our table more than once so our daughter got lots of one on one time with them, the food was great, and the atmosphere was fun & upbeat. Warning to some patrons - Chef Mickey's is very loud. The majority of patrons were families with small children and the noise and excitement levels were both high. But if that doesn't bother you, I would highly recommend it, either for breakfast or dinner. Thanks for the great feedback, Sharon.
Dannie writes: "Last year, we spent nearly three days of our trip to WDW looking for Mulan. It seemed as if everyone, cast members and guests alike, knew that she would be either at the China Pavilion in Epcot, or at the Great Movie Ride in MGM, but no one knew when. Several very helpful cast members explained that no one knows which characters are supposed to show until a couple of hours beforehand. Since Mulan was the one character our daughter had talked about the entire trip, we knew we had to find her. On our last day, I finally found a cast member with some news. She said that while the cast members who work with the characters don't usually know which characters they will have until that day, Guest Services for each park always knows. So if you really absolutely, positively must find Goofy or Pluto or Aladdin or Mulan, talk to the people in Guest Services... they can tell you exactly when the character is supposed to show and for how long. That didn't help us all that much. Mulan didn't show for her first two scheduled appearances, and was 30 minutes late for her last one, but at least we saw her! Also, if you have the phone numbers for each park's Guest Services, you can call after each park opens to learn where and when your must-see character is going to be." Thanks for the tip, Dannie!
Julie sent us a wonderful tip for getting reservations at Cinderella's Castle: "I am a long time Disney fan, and a DVC member since 1997. The first few trips to Disney World, I really wanted to have breakfast at Cinderella's castle. I would wait exactly 60 days and call to make reservations. After numerous attempts at not getting through or not being able to make a reservation, I encountered a Disney employee who shared a secret with me. They set aside some 10% of the seats. If you call to make reservations that morning you've got a pretty good shot at getting in. It's worth every penny and every ounce of effort to get there. Thanks for all the great info you've give me over the past year. Hope this can be of some help to new comers."
Gullivers at the Dolphin is now offering a character meal. Disney Characters Schedule at Epcot: Disney had removed the Characters from the pavilions at World Showcase in Epcot and put them on a bus that circulated the Lagoon at scheduled intervals. Apparently, the bus is still running, but Disney has now returned the Characters to various pavilions and you can get their schedule here. The site uses frames, so you will need to click on the "Epcot" link at the top of the page and then click on "characters" in the left menu to access the schedule.
Eileen writes: "Recently my family of 5 (myself and my husband, my daughter 13, my son 9 and my daughter 6) returned from an eleven day trip to WDW. We stayed at the Contemporary Hotel. I have to be totally honest with you, this has been our sixth time to WDW (with our last trip 3 years ago) and both myself and my husband noticed a huge change in things at the resorts and park areas. In prior trips we have stayed at Caribbean Beach and Dixie Landings hotels. Much to our surprise, staying at the Contemporary was not any nicer of a hotel than the moderate priced hotels. We found that some of the people that worked at WDW were not as friendly or courteous to their guests and the maintenance of the grounds (i.e., grass overgrown, trees and shrubs not trimmed, light bulbs out along Main Street and on different rides) were not being kept up to par. Disney has also ventured into a contract with Nestle, so wherever you go and buy coffee, you are getting Nescafe (instant coffee). This was a huge disappointment for my husband, since he drinks coffee all the time. I guess it was quite a shock seeing things very different from our prior trips where there was a large work force and everything in WDW was immaculate. We did have a problem at Cinderella's Castle one evening for dinner: My daughter who is 13 is considered an adult at WDW and can not eat off of the children's menus. She found nothing to her liking on Cinderella's menu and asked for a cheeseburger. Our waiter refused to serve her a cheeseburger because it was on the children's menu. Even though the table RIGHT next to us had a girl who was 15 years old eating off of the children's menu. (Of course, it was a different waiter)...Needless to say, my daughter did not eat dinner that night with the rest of the family. The total bill was $140.00, which I have to say was not "Well Spent" and did not feed our total family. Besides our trip that was just "OK", I have to commend you on your publication. All the tips that you give are well worth taking and very helpful. We did use quite a few of them, [like] room discount codes for the Contemporary and discount airfares)...Keep up the great work...very informative." Sorry to hear about the lack of maintenance. What a terrible experience at the character meal! $140 and you couldn't even get a cheeseburger. I know you didn't want to cause a fuss, but I would have given the waiter a piece of my mind and called the manager over. Thanks for your feedback and kind comments.
Tony writes: "The character breakfast at Artist Point, the restaurant in the Wilderness Lodge, is being discontinued as of June 2001. My family [went] last year and [we] are planning a trip the beginning of June. On May 25, I received a call from WDW informing me although we had made our reservation in April, that they will no longer be offering a character meal at that time [and] that our breakfast reservation had been cancelled. They offered to let us schedule a character meal at another location, but of course by now they are already booked! I was very disappointed to be treated this way. Luckily we had already booked character meals on other days. I would now recommend that people try to book at least 2 character meals, just in case. They are fun, and your kids are sure to get a chance to interact with the characters...It beats chasing them down, or waiting in line to see them." Good thing you had other reservations! That's a great tip - making more then one reservation just in case. Thanks for the feedback.
Mrs. Kettlewell writes: "I just read the Disney News and I thought I would share a few things that on our trip to Disney World we thought was a great deal. We tried the character meals at each kingdom and the best one for the money was the Crystal Palace. The entire experience was a 10+! From the food to the service and even the characters making the rounds was so super we are still raving about it six months later. People with small children will love it! The one to skip with small children is the one at The Land at Epcot. It was with Chip and Dale. For one thing the set up for dining was not really a buffet, but rather family dining where they brought out family size servings. The entire experience would be better for older children and adults. The other one that was great was the one at the Animal Kingdom. The only thing that we did not come prepared for there was when you arrive they ask you to get your picture taken. We assumed it was a special that was included into your meal. Wrong! I [didn't] know that it was another $30.00. However, it is something our family has appreciated to look back on our trip. The last one we ate at was the MGM Hollywood and Vine. This was another super place for people with small children to attend. The food was great, the service was super and the characters were so great especially goofy! They dance and entertain during your dining experience. We found the buffet meals for lunch to be economical for our family. We ate an early character meal at the cheaper rate and then we hit some of the cheaper places later with the children. Some nights we made it out of Disney to eat since we had a vehicle. We can't wait to go back!!!!!!! Next time we would like to stay on the grounds. The last time we stayed off the grounds and for the amount of time we actually spent in our rooms it was super. We were there long enough to sleep and shower! Your tips are super and we enjoy them!"
Sandy writes: "In a recent newsletter a person wrote about an autograph book that their child had made. I can't find any directions for it. Can you help me?" You can buy the autograph book at WDW resort gift shops and parks, at Downtown Disney, or online at Gifts of a Lifetime.
Ruth writes: "Hi, I am planning to go to Disneyworld with my family in January of 2001. I have found by searching the internet that I should make reservations now for a character meal when we are there. What is the best restaurant for Children ages 5 and 6 for meeting the Characters and having fun? I would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks" These are considered the best:
Adele writes: "Just wanted to share this with you - my family and I visited Orlando from 8/22 thru 9/4/01. For the first 6 days we stayed at the Days Inn Suites located on Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee. We booked in May and paid Rock bottom prices - It was 52.60 for a one bedroom suite. We had a L.R with a Murphy bed, sofa and its own TV, the kitchen with micro, dishwasher, refrig, table and chairs for 4. The bedroom had 2 double beds, a large closet, sink area and TV. With 3 children in ages 4, 7 and 16 - the second TV was great! The other nights we stayed at the Caribbean Beach. Going by the recommendation in your book, we ... got a great rate of $79 instead of the usual $129. Since we were in Florida for 15 days, we purchased Annual Passes which we saved money on ... also. Since we already have the Annual Pass, we plan on returning this year. Your book was great!! I followed so many of your suggestions. I made character breakfast reservations in advance and had no trouble. The only downside of our trip besides the extreme heat (90's every day), was while we were at MGM, someone stole the autograph books from the stroller pocket. I have to say that park personnel were very helpful - promised to get us new ones with the autographs and send it to our hotel or to our home. The next day after returning from the parks we were surprised to find 2 new books with personalized autographs waiting for us on our table. The kids were ecstatic. It only got better, about 1 month after returning home, we received our original books in the mail from Disney!! Thanks again for the great book." That was wonderful getting your autograph books back! Glad we were able to help.
Laura writes: "Thanks for the suggestion of asking for a supervisor. This year's biggest incident with a rude cast member was at the Character queue for Buzz Lightyear and Woody. After waiting over an hour to meet them, as the children were told to walk up, Buzz left. The (grumpy old) cast member told us when we were done with Woody (who then left), that we'd have to leave, and that Buzz wasn't coming back. My six year old boy started crying, and being pregnant, it was only a few more minutes before I was crying with him! Another cast member outside the queue saw us crying, and we explained what happened. She said that didn't sound right, but sometimes they have space-suit problems and she'd check it out. I told her I didn't want to stand in line another hour, just to find out he wasn't coming back! She came back in just a couple of minutes, and said it was WOODY that had a suit problem, and that Buzz would be back in a few minutes - THEN she escorted us back up the exit and to the front of the line. Most of the people in line heard Stephen crying (and were waiting for the same reason), so they were understanding. No Buzz would have made for a very pathetic 6 year old for some time to come!! Next time I'll definitely ask for a supervisor!! Thanks again!"
Laura writes: "We just got back from DW (again, with help from your book). We had a wonderful time, of course. My daughter (7) was disappointed that the past 3 visits we haven't seen Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). After our return, I e-mailed DW, and they are going to send my daughter an autographed picture! Upon learning she has siblings, the DW employee asked about our other children and which characters they would like. She's sending all 4 children their own pictures!!
She also told us that the ONLY way to see Princess
Aurora now is at Cinderella's breakfast. We've avoided that so far simply
because of cost, since ALL of us have to pay, even though my daughter's the
only one who WANTS princesses. She told us of Alice in Wonderland's tea party
at one of the resorts ... the parents don't have to attend, so you are only
paying for the children's meals and fun."
Louise writes about the Disney Autograph Book: "Price wise, the Disney Autograph book is not that expensive (I think, somewhere around $6.00). When we went on one of our trips, we had the autograph book signed by each of the Disney characters, took a picture of my husband or me with the character, and put the picture on the opposite page. This was my daughter's (age 27!) gift from Disney World. She was delighted! If you're going to get Disney character autographs, I think it is worthwhile to go ahead and get the Disney autograph book!"
Becky writes: "Thanks for the wonderful information in your book. It's really helped me to be able to plan and make the best of our days. I'm sure we won't get everything done that I'd like to, but... Count-Down Calendar A great idea for anyone who is going to visit with young children! I made my son and niece (who's going with us) 30-day Disney Countdown Calendars. I found great clip art (including Disney logos) on the net. I used a word processing program that has drawing capabilities, set up a 7- column table. The calendar begins 30 days before our trip, and I've included a different character on each day along with the date and a check-box. I tried to use a good mix of characters they know and those they might not. On a corresponding sheet I listed clues as to who the character is in case they don't know. Surprisingly, my 5-year old does not want to do just that day's, but he starts from the beginning each time and works up to the day he gets to check off. During the days of our trip, I used such images as Mickey in a plane on the day we fly to Orlando, an image from each park on the day that we plan to visit it (I used Mickey on the day to MK, Sorcerer Mickey for MGM, Tarzan for AK, and Mickey as a Ghost Trick or Treating on the day we do "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween." Autograph Book I purchased an inexpensive ($3.50) small photo album that you can add to (mine had screws, but the ring-type would also work). I then used the photos that I had downloaded, resized them slightly smaller and printed them out. I then cut the paper to match the size of the photo sleeves, punched holes in and placed them at the front of the book (I also included some blank pages) for characters to sign. I then tied a piece of dental floss to the clip of a Sharpie pen and then onto the ring/screw. Once our pics our developed, I'll then move the autograph page to correspond with the picture, or I may cut it down and place it in one of the plastic photo holders. Parks Hours/Events at a Glance I set up a table (you can use a word program or a spreadsheet) and plugged in the hours of the parks and special events and tips during the time we'll be at WDW (found most on the WDW site). On the back, I listed the locations of the best places to find characters. I then copied this onto pink paper for my husband and I to carry in our fanny packs. (I've attached a copy if you want to place on the site and anyone can copy and update as needed)." Thank you, Becky, for sharing your ideas with us. Click here to see the table. Use it as a model to create your own schedule in a word program or spreadsheet. Modify the notes and times to coincide with events during your visit. For Disney's park hours and events, click here.
Sheila writes: " I thought I read somewhere that someone had printed out an Autograph Book for the characters to sign ... is there such a thing? We are planning our first trip to Disney Oct. 7-14 and my kids would love to get everyone's autograph!" Buy an autograph book at your local store. Download character pictures from the clip art link from our Disney Goodies page. Print off the pictures and paste them into your autograph book. Have each Disney character you meet sign the page with his picture on it. You can easily find Disney decals and stamps to decorate the autograph book covers. Also consider buying the Epcot World Showcase Passport book on sale throughout Epcot. Your kids can collect a stamp from each country's pavilion and you can have the Disney characters sign the Passport book. You may also want to make a scrap book filled with Disney's reservation letter, photos, brochures, postcards, used tickets, etc., that you pick up on your trip. Use Disney stamps, decals, and clip art to decorate the pages and covers.
A customer writes: "At Epcot, we took your advice and did the Passports! We even got some for our family that lives in FL and had been to Disney at least 10 times--they didn't even know that they could do that! We also took your advice and made autograph albums with the Disney clips that you can download from the website! All of the characters raved about them!! And Dale even took our daughters' books over to Chip and showed him so that he could sign too! Frollo and Capt. Phoebus spotted the girls books on their way to take a break and walked over to where Belle was signing and signed the girls books at the same time. All in all, I must say we had a wonderful vacation thanks to you!!"
John writes: "My family is planning to take a trip back to Disney World on December 2 - December 10, and had a question around Priority Seating (PS). When is the earliest you can make PS for Character Breakfast (Donald's Dinosaur - Animal Kingdom) and for restaurants in MGM and EPCOT. I have tried to locate this information, but have been unable to locate it on the Internet. I believe 60 days is the earliest for Character Breakfast, and 7 days prior for the restaurants in MGM and Epcot. Is this correct? Thanks" Priority seating reservations (arrive at your assigned time and receive the next table available for your size party) for Disney restaurants and character meals can be made up to 60 days in advance by calling 407/939-3463. Traditional reservations are required at the Swan and Dolphin restaurants, Portobello Yacht Club, Fulton's Crab House, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue dinner show, the Polynesian Luau, and the All-American Backyard Barbecue at Fort Wilderness. Reservations for the Hoop- Dee-Doo Musical Revue and the Polynesian Luau can be made up to two years before you arrive. Reservations for the All-American Backyard Barbecue at Fort Wilderness can be made one year in advance. Disney books reservations 5 to 10 minutes apart. If 6:30 PM is unavailable, try 6:35 or 6:40 PM.
A reader writes: "We only plan to go to one dinner show when we visit Disney World. Which of the top three would you recommend. We have a 12 year old daughter." With a 12 year old, we recommend the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Kids love it!
Bridget writes: "Could you give me information about how to sign up for either a dinner or breakfast with the disney characters? My seven year old daughter would like to do this and can I make a reservation before we get to disney world? We will be there from may 27, 00 to may 31, 00 and we are staying at the Doubletree on disney property. Also do you get a choice of who to book the reservation with as far as characters go?" Because character meals are so popular, it is strongly recommended that you make arrangements up to 60 days in advance by calling 407/939-3463. Buy an autograph book in advance to collect the characters' signatures. They are not sold in the restaurants. Choose the restaurant that has the characters your child would like to meet. Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace (on left side of Main Street)
Cinderella's Royal Table (Cinderella Castle on the
second floor)
Liberty Tree Tavern (at Liberty Square) Epcot
Garden Grill (at Future World in the Land Pavilion) Disney-MGM Studios
Hollywood and Vine Disney's Animal Kingdom
Restaurantosaurus (in Dinoland)
Resorts
Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club Resort)
Chef Mickey's (Contemporary Resort)
'OHana (Polynesian Resort)
Olivia's (Old Key West)
Gulliver's Grill (Swan Hotel)
Lois writes:
"we went to WDW in Dec. of 99 and did MANY character
meals. The best by far was breakfast at the Crystal Palace. The food
was great and the Pooh friends were cuddly!
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