|
|||
Brought to you by...
John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
Terri writes: "I absolutely look forward to your newsletter every Monday morning. I just have one question for you. I'm hoping you can help me with it. Our family goes to Disney World at least once or twice a year. My husband is a diabetic and has to drink diet and caffeine free drinks. We noticed when we were there in December that they are not to easy to come by. Is there someone we can contact about this problem. Diabetes is a fast growing problem and quite a few people have it. Water gets old after a while. I'm hoping Disney will soon get with the program. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated." You can find several ways to contact Disney here. When you arrange reservations (407/WDW-DINE), let them know about your special needs. A call to the restaurant a day before you arrive to eat can allow the chef to prepare for your meal. Be sure to ask for low-carb/sugar-fee desserts if your menu doesn't list any. Servers will try to accommodate you. |
Resources
|
||
You must pay in full when you book the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Disney's Spirit of Aloha and Mickey's Backyard BBQ dinner shows. If you cancel within 48 hours, Disney will refund all of your payment. If your package includes a Dinner Show, you will need to give Disney your credit card number. Disney will charge the cost of the dinner to your card if you don't show up or you fail to cancel.
Rob and Sandy write: "What is the earliest time for breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and are you admitted to the park early if you have an early reservation for breakfast?" First seating is at 8:30 AM. Specially marked buses leave the resorts a half hour early for the breakfast.
Beth, our travel agent, writes: "The Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk were sharing buses. I don't know if they always do or not, but it means that it takes longer than you might think to get to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, or elsewhere. We walked out the door of the Yacht Club at 4:15 (for a 5:20 priority seating in the Magic Kingdom) and just missed the bus. We waited an extraordinarily long time for the next one, then had to visit two other hotels, one of which had a wheelchair person that needed to be boarded, and we ended up making it to the Crystal Palace at about 5:22. You're supposed to be there at least 15 minutes ahead of time! We lucked out, though. They weren't as busy as they are sometimes, and we only had three people so they were able to seat us in under five minutes."
Diane writes: "In an issue of the Disney News, Beth spoke of the 3 tiers of dinner reservations for the Candlelight Processional. If you buy a top tier ticket, does that get you closer to the stage? We did wait in the long stand-by line last time, and we were barely in the theater." Those who purchase a dinner package sit in a reserved seating area in the front of the theater in the center (behind vip's). It doesn't matter what dinner package you buy. Seating in the reserved area is first-come, first-served. So don't dawdle after your meal!
Kim writes: "In all our visits the character meals are the best way to meet and greet and get autographs, especially Chef Mickeys, as they stop at your table and sign and pose and shake hands and hug etc. Its too easy to lose sight of a child in the crowds."
Lisa writes about Caribbean Beach: "I just wanted to say I was shocked that the food court at the resort was selling slices of white bread for 49 cents a piece. Disney should be ashamed of themselves! I don't mind paying a little more for the food because I know you pay for convenience, but that's a little much. Thanks for listening." Lisa, Disney sells hamburger buns for 80 cents!
James writes: "We are visiting Disney this fall and your book has provided lots of information. I do have a question though. When we booked our vacation we were told that they usually sell out in about 3 min for the Princess Breakfast. can you go to the breakfast and hope for any no show seats?" Yes, I would visit the restaurant to see if there were any last minute "no shows."
Duane writes: "I get your newsletter every week and it has been very helpful. I also appreciated the special email you sent out in June regarding the price increase in tickets and your recommendation to buy them now. I took you advice and bought the Park Hopper Plus special that Omar had before the price increase. I just found out some bad news regarding Disney, or at least bad news for my trip. I wanted to make sure you knew about it before another family's plans get ruined like mine did today. You see, I have been following a calendar for the last 4 months that reminds me when I can make priority seating arrangements. Our trip is the first week in November and so far I have been able to get great reservations for The Hoop Dee Do, Chef Mickey's, The Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill and the Princess Storybook Breakfast. The last one I needed to make was for Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast, which is the hardest to get. My Calendar says to call 7:00 am the morning of September 5th so we can dine there on November 4th. If I am unable to get a reservation for that day, I could call on the 6th, the 7th, the 8th or the 9th and still possibly get a reservation for one of the other days we will be there. I felt pretty confident about getting a reservation until this morning when a friend of mine, who is going to Disney the week before me informed me that Dining Services changed their reservation policy a week ago and now you can book this breakfast 180 days out. I immediately called dinning services and could not get a reservation for the day I wanted. In fact, I could not get a reservation for any day that we are there. They are already all booked up. Boy do I feel cheated! I followed the rules they set. Disney did not even give me a chance to come up to bat. I have not been able to get a answer out of them about how they posted this information to the public. Weekly, I get all kinds of emails from Disney, you would think that they would email guests who have reservations and who have made priority seating arrangements to let them know they changed their policy. Hopefully you can get the word out to your group so that others who are waiting to call on a certain day, don't wait until 60 days prior like I was doing, and end up losing out. Could you lend any advice on a approach I should make to Disney about squeezing me in, or do you think it is a waste of time? They told me to just keep calling every day to see if someone cancelled.Thanks again for your help," Yes, call everyday and hope for a cancellation. Reservations can be made 180 days in advance by calling 407/939-3463. If you are staying at a Disney-owned and operated resort, you can make up to 10 days worth of reservations when you call. You will be asked to provide a valid reservation number to do so. Otherwise, or if you're staying at a non-Disney hotel, you will have to call back each morning to make the reservations for the day 180 days later. You can make reservations up to one year in advance for Mickey's Backyard Barbecue. Disney books reservations 5 to 10 minutes apart. If 6:30 PM is unavailable, try 6:35 or 6:40 PM. -------------------------------- Ellen writes: "Just read about Duane and his trouble getting a princess breakfast at the castle. I had the same problem, and thought we would have to settle for a dinner instead. Fortunately, I called the day before I was leaving for Disney and I got a cancellation! Tell him to keep calling at various times---say a few prayers---and hopefully the "dining reservation gods" will smile on him and he will get what he wants. At our breakfast I spoke to at least 2 families that got their reservations at check in---only 48 hours in advance. There is hope---keep trying!" -------------------------------- Duane wrote us back: "I wanted to update you on my mission to get reservation for Cinderella's Breakfast. I did as you suggested and called to see if they could squeeze me in. They explained that they only have 30 tables and only seat for 2 hours each day, and that they do not overbook. They explained that I needed to just call every day, and hope for a cancellation. I was able to get the cast member to be empathetic with me and she suggested that I call guest services and tell them my situation and that maybe they could help. Well I did that and I was nice to the person again getting them to be empathetic with me. After a 40 minute phone call and a complete education about priority seating and Disney's way of doing things, as a final option, the cast member offered to put my name on a waiting list. I have never heard of such a list but figured what the heck so I gave her my info. Well tonight at about 8:30, my cell phone rang with a call from Disney! They had a cancellation for a party of 4. Needless to say, I took the reservation, which happened to be on the day I originally wanted! I think this proves again, you can catch more bees with honey than you can with vinegar! Thanks for the advice!" Duane, I'm sure your experience will be of help to others. Thanks for letting us know.
Gina writes: "A tip for the readers from our recent trip... If you want a hot breakfast that is inexpensive go to a counter service (in my case it was at the All-Star Music Food Court). I took my daughter through the line with me and ordered a kids breakfast. It was like $3.85 and included some choices: I got eggs, bacon and a biscuit. I think you could get pancakes instead of eggs. My 3yr old and I split it. (She doesn't eat much) I don't see why anyone can't order a kids meal at a counter service. (I don't remember if they posted an age)." Thanks for the tip, Gina. I see no reason why you can't order a child's breakfast, either!
Yvette writes us about our dining tips: "Hi John, Just made reservations at the Crystal Palace without a hitch and the reservationist was extremely nice ... I have a large party - 10 people - and got priority seating. EXCELLENT!!! Thank you so much for the information."
Tina wrote us about the difficult time she had getting priority seating arrangements: "Just wanted to follow-up with an incident I wrote you about. I had some issues with the dining reservations people messing up my reservations. Well yesterday I had phone calls from not one but two people from Disney following up with me in regards to my e-mail. They stated that the person I spoke to had been sent back to be re-trained and that they were very sorry that I had such difficulty. They also gave me a direct line number if I should have any other issues during my stay. I wasn't even expecting a response, never mind phone calls."
Georgina writes: "Some friends who were [also] staying at Disney changed a few of our reservations, which I made months in advance, to include themselves!!! (Rude of my friends, yes) but I can't believe the reservations line did this without requiring I do the calling especially on the much desired and very difficult to get reservation at Cinderella's breakfast... This may actually be a benefit for those who want it, and have a hard time getting a seating...but just to make people aware. Thanks for the tips to help us save money!"
Carmon writes: "I want to mention that there is a KrispyKreme donut shop in Orlando. We found it and bought a dozen and ate them for mid day snack and breakfast with milk and fruit. It was cheap and easy on those early mornings."
Debbie writes: "I thought I read somewhere that there is now a dining experience featuring Disney Villains. Is this true and if so, where is it located? Thanks for the info.....I love all the great information you provide in your newsletter, keep up the good work!" The Villains Character Dinner at the Grand Floridian is no more. They are now featuring Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, Suzy and Perla. Thanks for the pat on the back.
Dawn writes: "I wanted to comment on decent restaurants in MGM. I can't believe that they are eliminating character dining from Hollywood & Vine. It was the best experience that we had while at WDW. Keep your tips and hints coming. I love it. It's the most fun you can have on a Monday!"
Melissa writes: "The only problem I had with my dining experience at Disney was the waiting part. Our wait was 45 minutes to an hour long and that was with priority seating," Sara writes: "Just a quick response to Melissa's letter. It could have been the time of the year and the time of her priority seating that made the wait that long. We have never waited over 15 minutes, and we have 4 children. We always have a party of 6 or more. When at the parks, I always hear people complain that they made a reservation, but it is not a reservation. They tell you this when you make you seating time. When I make priority seating arrangements, I arrange it around the rides and shows not necessarily breakfast, lunch, or dinner time. I usually make any meal time later than the times we usually eat at home. Very rarely do I book priority seating for dinner in the parks; if I do, it is a VERY late dinner. Take the Magic Kingdom for instance: We are usually in Tomorrowland during the afternoon parade (the kids don't mind missing the parade they have seen many times already - but they absolutely refuse to miss the Spectromagic), and so I will make a late lunch reservation around 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm, the time we finish with tomorrowland. The last lunch reservation is 4:00 pm for the Crystal Palace if I remember right. This is slow time for eating, and you also get cheaper prices than dinner. It is also late enough that we can hold off eating anymore until we are out of the park. Even then, it is usually only a snack. But, I will admit. We go during the fall months. The weather is beautiful, hot, and the crowd is minimal. We have missed the Crystal Palace during its refurbishing this past fall. We can't wait to see it again. It is my family's favorite restaurant. If anyone has tasted the restaurants of MGM and has really found it fantastic, let me know. We have done Hollywood and Vine. We love Minnie and Goofy dancing, and the characters are very interactive with everyone (not just the kids). But, we would like to try something different, and I read about the other restaurants and always end up back at the H and V. We have tried many restaurants at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot (the BEST restaurants are in the countries) My family was not thrilled with Norway, but you just have to be open to eating new and different things. If you have any finicky eaters, I would not recommend this restaurant. I thought it was great, but the dessert was not included in the buffet so we all split one. The only countries we have not had a chance to get to yet are Germany and Japan. If anyone has any opinions about these, let me know. Our favorite is Canada. We only live an hour away from the actual country, beautiful place. I think Canada is our favorite because it is the one we ate at on our first wonderful trip to Disney World, and my husband is a steak lover. Although if given a chance to eat alone (no children) again at Bistro de Paris, my husband and I would do it in a heartbeat. Disney offers the BEST service, but this restaurant goes even above and beyond Disney's best service (It is a very romantic atmosphere and pricey $$$$$, but well worth it)... Chefs de France is a little less cost and also great. The little French pastry shop is Ooh-la-la scrumptious. The BEST desserts; great to grab and eat during Illuminations. China if you like Chinese food, which we do, so we liked. Mexico is good. We actually like the little outside walk up place better. But we're Mexican food critics because we eat authentic Mexican food here at home (My husband makes the BEST tamales). Restaurants in the Magic Kingdom. Tony's Town Square restaurant was SLOW. We spent two hours in there. I think it was just our waitress though. Everyone else was in and out much quicker. With the refurbishing of the Crystal Palace, they had Winnie the Pooh and friends there. We had PLENTY of time with the characters. By the fourth or fifth round, they would just kind of wave at us and move on. The food was really good though. The Liberty Tree Tavern is like having Thanksgiving at Disney World. Their lunch is good, but their dinner is better, and that is when they have characters. If I am going to spend time and money, there might as well be characters around. Cinderella's Royal Table is only worth it because your children get to go up inside the castle just like you did when you were a kid. At least, that's why I had breakfast there. To be honest, I think it took the magic and mystery away from the castle for my kids. I think they expected more, and I did try to prepare them. I have 3 girls though, and who could go to WDW as many times as we have and never take them to a Princess breakfast? We will probably do it again sometime for them. I don't think our son cares as long as there is food. I am trying to think of other restaurants we have tried... OH, we ate at the Garden Grill Restaurant, pretty good food; a lot of the basic American dinner foods people eat at home. The nice thing is, it is from their Land pavilion and fresh. The kids got a kick out of the revolving restaurant. Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian, NOT worth it. A LOT of money for VERY little food. We also did not like the service, a first for us at Disney. Chef Mickey's - definitely a kid/family place. Downtown Disney - House of Blues - Super food, decent price. Rainforest Cafe - we've done both Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney, nice atmosphere. Just a few personal opinions." Thanks, Sara, for the great feedback. Jeannie writes: "Japan was the best meal my family had while visiting last fall. We had 20 different dinner reservations and this is the one that stands out in our minds the most. About your question regarding MGM restaurants, Sci Fi is cute, but the food is mediocre. We love Hollywood & Vine. I really don't like the menus/prices of the other restaurants there. Although the ABC Commissary looks as though it would be good, but we have never tried it."
Lee writes: "We just got back from six days in sunny Orlando during the mid winter recess! We were surprised that it wasn't more crowded. But i guess a lot of people were stuck up north with cancelled flights because of the blizzard in the northeast. We barely had to wait on any lines at Disney or Universal. We stayed at All - Star Movies. It was a great time! I highly recommend the Liberty Tree Inn at Magic Kingdom and The Coral Reef restaurant in Epcot for dinner!"
Jeannie writes about her trip to WDW: "We also took advantage of many of the Characters Meals--our thoughts--don't go to the Mickey's Back Yard BBQ--it's food was awful and it was a Barn Dance! ... The Princess Breakfast at Norway was terrible. Far too crowded to move and the food was mostly meat. The characters that came out were not as genuine as at other meals--they seemed somewhat crabby! The Once Upon a Story Princess Breakfast was very good. The characters were wonderful and so was the service. Restaurantosourus was wonderful! Good food and great service. Hollywood and Vine was wonderful as always. There were three other tables full in the whole place. Each character must've spent 15 mins with us alone! Boma [at Animal Kingdom Lodge] was delicious. It was a real treat sampling food from another country. Teppanyaki Dining Lounge at Japan was our favorite. The Japanese chefs were very impressive and the food was magnificent. The Hoop Dee Doo was as good as ever! We also ate at the Sci Fi-what a riot! Whispering Canyon Cafe was way over priced for what you got, but the dining experience was great! Planet Hollywood was ok--very busy! The food was very good! Our waiter needed a 12 hour sleep though we think-he lacked enthusiasm and needed to sit down most of the time. Rain Forest Cafe was as good as always! We ate at Pecos Bill's and was quite surprised on how excellent the food was! The food prices were still outrageous, but most of the food was lovely... But the best part of our trip - honestly - was talking to many different people and letting them know how little we paid! I must have copied your e-mail address down 50 times for people--I couldn't believe how many people who didn't know about your web site! They were amazed at the deals. These were people from the UK, Canada, Florida, etc. Incredible! I hope I brought you lots of business! None knew about discounts or anything! ... Take care John, and Thanks!"
Melissa writes: My family and I took our first trip in June of last year. We had priority seating reserved for dinner each night and one morning for breakfast. We dined at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. The food wasn't that great for the price, the service was fine, but the characters made the whole experience worth while. It was pretty crowded but my kids had personal time while Winnie the Pooh twice and three separate times with Piglet and Eeyore. We were able to tape up to seven minutes on our camcorder each time. Tigger was "The Star" and quite busy, his visit with us was short and fast compared to the others. I remember a bright orange blur zipping pass. :) Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater in MGM Studios was great! My kids enjoyed the sci-fi movie clips as well as sitting in the vintage car. The food and service was excellent as well! Our waiter offered and took pictures of us from different angles in the car. Donald Duck's Restaurantorsaurus in Animal Kingdom was a wonderful experience! My family and I are big breakfast eaters so we really got our monies worth at this place. I might add that the taste and choice of foods were spectacular too. Our waiter was a very funny guy, he played games with our kids and interacted with the characters when they came by. It was quite enjoyable to videotape. We were down to the last day of our visit so my two year old son was tired and having a rough morning (he was a little fussy). Donald Duck came right over and started to wipe his tears. I guess my son was a little surprised by that so he stopped crying immediately (unfortunately when Donald left he started up again). Overall I think the characters spent sufficient time with my kids. The only problem I had with my dining experience at Disney was the waiting part. Our wait was 45 minutes to an hour long and that was with priority seating, (Crystal Palace was the longest wait). Sitting in the sun wasn't desirable either (especially with the kids constantly asking, "What's taking so long?) Is this wait time usually expected when you have reservations? I look forward to reading your newsletters every week!!" With priority seating reservations (now called "advance reservations"), you arrive at your assigned time and receive the next table available for your size party. Eating at peak times at buffet-style meals, where guests can get seconds and thirds, can cause quite a wait.
Barbara writes: "1. SciFi Theater experience - Our favorite restaurant in MGM to take grandkids. Food is good and menu for kids and adults. Great pasta and kids love eating at a Drive-In sitting in a car. 2. Hotel restaurant called The Outback (not Outback steak house). This restaurant is in hotel across from downtown disney. [... We consider it our favorite - Pricey but quality. You get what you pay for. Great place for special adult occasion. The concierge at the Courtyard Marriott recommended it and even gave us coupon." Amy writes: "I was very disappointed with the Sci-fi diner. We were so looking forward to the drive-in experience and I honestly have to say it was the worst food I have eaten at any Disney eatery. As bad as the food was our waiter David B. was AMAZING and very attentive...no complaints about the service."
Choose a page and jump: Looking for something in particular?
Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information contained on our site. Always check to be sure. The views and opinions expressed by others do not necessarily reflect the views of AffordableDisney.Com. Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and other companies mentioned on our site and in our newsletter are registered trademarks of their respective companies. The use of these trademarks is for editorial reasons only. No endorsement by the Walt Disney Company or any other company is implied. |
