Character Dining | Ears of Experience

Yacht and Beach Club Pool

People may steer away from traveling to Disney World in the summer. There are many good reasons to go in the summer though.

1. Longer hours. You can utilize early hours and evening later hours when it is cooler

2. PLAN. You can pre-select fast passes ahead of time (60 days for those staying on property and 30 days for anyone else). Use these to stand in less lines and on more attractions. I don’t usually suggest holding off using fast passes for later in the day because then you cannot add any at the parks but in the summer months, it makes sense. If you can get to the parks when they open, you can easily ride five to seven attractions that are high crowd attractors, before the bulk of the crowds get in. Most guests do not arrive before 10:30AM. Don’t do the ones you have pre-selected fast passes for unless you have time or want to ride it multiple times. Pre-select three rides later in the day (evening) for ones that are high attractors. You can then do some shows late morning before it really heats up, have lunch at the park or head back then and enjoy the pool and the other offerings at the resorts.

3. Having a sit down meal for lunch during hot days is a nice break. Eat at a grab n go (quick service) for dinner to spend more time at the pool and get in the park when it cools down.

4. There are less ride refurbishments. Most things tend to be open.

5. If you can travel the second week in August and beyond, the crowds will be even less. The kids are either back to school or back in their towns for fall sports practices.

6. It is great time to visit the water parks as part of your vacation and we are giving free water park tickets with most packages for the summer months.

7. Up to 30% off resort stays this summer and we can package it with tickets and dining plans.

8. There are still plenty of character dining options available. I did a quick search in mid-July and there are character breakfast reservations for Be Our guest, Princess meals, breakfast with Mickey and friends, etc.!

9. Kids will not miss school and the pools at the resorts are a kid’s dream!

10. Most of all, have a plan. Work with someone who does this as their specialty or do it on your own if that is the type of thing you like to do. Have a plan regardless; meal reservations, fast passes, park flow. This will make a trip in the summer, fall, winter, or spring so much more relaxing.

Discover the magic of Walt Disney World® Resorts and parks on a Walt Disney World® Family vacation, and share the joy of Mickey Mouse and company with your kids. Let Ears of Experience plan the perfect Disney trip for you and your loved ones. Contact us today at 1-877-80MOUSE. We look forward to sending you on the magical vacation of a lifetime.

http://www.themouseexperts.com/

To feed off last week’s blog on Crystal Palace and why I am such a fan of Character dining, I thought I would explain in more detail. I am a big fan of time management; using my time the most efficiently yet still having an incredibly good time and still being flexible. I find by being a time manager, I am able to be more flexible, if that makes sense.

My kids have always beenvery big into the Characters when traveling to Disney destinations. Next to being on a Disney Cruise Line® ship, there is only one other way to have a unique meeting experience with the characters. That is through character dining, where the characters take the time to interact with members of your dining party. You won’t feel rushed in getting the photo and autograph and it is all done in a good atmosphere. You’re not out in the hot sun, you’re not hungry, and you’re not at the end of a seemingly endless line of people.

The time management part of me is two-fold. We have to eat, but we we would also like to see the characters. Why not do them together so we can quickly get back to the parks, rides, shows, and attractions? While they are eating, the kids are able to see, interact, and get photos and autographs of their favorite characters. This can be a nice break during the day or a magical beginning to a day at the parks.

Everyone wants to see the Fab 5 (Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto). A great place to do this is at Chef Mickey for breakfast or dinner. You will typically see all these guys there (characters are always subject to change) and it’s right off the monorail, either on your way to or back from the Magic Kingdom® Park. As I mentioned before, a favorite spot of mine is the Crystal Palace restaurant in the Magic Kingdom® Park, which is where you will find all of the Pooh Characters. If you can, make an early reservation so you will be able to enter the park ahead of the regular crowd. This will also let you experience the Main Street, USA® Area virtually to yourself as you walk to an early breakfast before the park opens.

There are many options when it comes to character dining. The hottest ticket is Cinderella’s Royal Table, which takes place in Cinderella’s castle. Here, you dine with princesses in a magical setting, creating an unforgettable event for any young child. Can’t get in? No worries, there are plenty of other options to meet the princesses. I have been twice to Norway’s Akershus restaurant located in the Epcot® World Showcase. The breakfast there is wonderful and the experience with the Princesses is a little more interactive. Their breakfast and lunch menus both have traditional Nordic food, but for those with finicky children, the breakfast menu did include some American fare food.

In summary, there are many benefits to character dining, such as time management, personal interaction, and unforgettable memories. And remember, if you are on the dining plan, these meals will only count as one table service (subject to change).

So sit back, put the camera and autograph books on the table, and let the kids have a blast while you grab that extra cup of coffee.

Discover the magic of Walt Disney World® Resort and parks on a Walt Disney World® family vacation and share the joy of Mickey Mouse and company with your kids. Let Ears of Experience plan the perfect Disney trip for you and your loved ones. Contact us today at 1-800-80MOUSE. We look forward to sending you on the magical vacation of a lifetime.

http://www.themouseexperts.com/