Category Archives: Dining

Mousekeeping & Tipping

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I have written a previous article about the cast members at Disney. Now it is time to focus on the people who make your hotel room your home.

Mousekeeping is the term WDW uses for its housekeeping staff. These people work very hard every day to make sure you come back from the park to a clean room full of surprises. They are happy to leave extra towels, coffee, or shampoo if you ask. They set up the kids toys in a fun way to make coming back to the room magical. The mousekeeping staff deserves a tip and is allowed to take it. One way to make your mornings go more smoothly is to put your tips for each day into an envelope before you leave for your trip. Make enough envelopes for each day of your trip and write your little housekeeping thank you note on them. Continue reading →

Opening Date Set for New Fantasyland!

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The main section of the new Fantasyland expansion will open on December 6. This will include Under the Sea – Voyage of the Little Mermaid Ride, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel’s Grotto, Gaston’s Tavern adn Bonjour Village Gifts. Previews and soft opening are set to begin November 19. Will you be lucky enough to be there to ride? If you are, make sure you make your reservations for Be Our Guest in late August!

Storybook Circus already opened in July and contains the new double Dumbos, Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station & Barnstormer – Starring the Great Goofini.

 

The ways cast members make your trip magical…

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I had a friend ask me why I like vacationing at Disney (and I wasn’t allowed to answer making the kids happy)! After some thought, I said that I would continue to go to WDW until I found another vacation destination that gave me the same level of customer service as Disney. I definitely surprised him with my answer and I think I even surprised myself. Continue reading →

Update: Disney’s Photopass Service

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I love Disney’s Photopass Service. I think that it is totally worth the money if you utilize it correctly and plan ahead. Our first few trips, we didn’t use photopass and I regret that because we have so few pictures of our whole family. The photographers will take pictures with your camera, but their photos will be better!

To get the most bang for your buck, stop at every photographer you see in all the parks. Let’s be honest, you can’t have too many pictures of your family in front of the castle! There are photgraphers in every park. Here is a map and some tips of all the photopass photographers. Disney Photopass Map

Continue reading →

Having the kids involved with planning

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My kids help with our trip planning even though they are only 5 & 7 years old. We discuss when to go, where they would like to eat, which characters are important for us to see, what rides are a must, what parades we have to watch. This helps us plan our time there and what is a priority for each of us. At Christmas, the main goals were Rapunzel and Santa. We planned 2 mornings in Magic Kingdom to be in line for those characters as soon as the park opened. For Star Wars weekend, the goal was to do Jedi Training and see the Hyperspace Hoopla. This upcoming trip, we are excited about Storybook Circus, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom & Agent P!

I think it is important for them to realized that this costs us money and we have to save and plan each time we go. Continue reading →

Rumor has it…

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Rumor has it that WDW will be offering free dining to the general public starting Thursday July 12!

This is always one of the best discounts available at Disney. The amount of rooms at each hotel for this offer is limited. Remember, if you already have a trip booked during this time frame, you can apply the promotion by calling Disney. Your arrival date must be within the promotion dates. You will also be charged the new ticket prices, if you booked before June 3.

Dates this will probably be available:

Update 7/12/12: The dates are accurate. Remember you have to arrive for your trip within that window to receive free dining. Also, to get free dining you must book a 6 night/7 day vacation.
9/30-10/4
10/19-11/1
11/9-11/15
11/24-11/29
12/10-12/13

Here is the link:  free dining

Oh no…I don’t have dining reservations!

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If you read my previous post about the importance of dining reservations and are now freaking out, don’t worry! There are wonderful restaurants throughout WDW that will have open tables for walk up customers. I would not recommend going without dining reservations, but I am anal retentive and like to have my schedule planned out! Do not expect to get into character meals, these are always booked and impossible to get in unless you have lucked out with a cancellation! Epcot is always a good choice because there are so many restaurants. Yacht Club & Boardwalk are walking distance from Epcot & a long walk or boating distance from Hollywood. Contemporary, Grand Floridan & Polynesian are on the monorail line, so you can head there from Magic Kingdom and Epcot very easily! You can always call the reservation line – (407) WDW- DINE or use your smart phone and book through the internet!

Restaurants where you can get a table with little or no wait: Continue reading →

The Importance of Dining Reservations

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If you are new to WDW, you will see all sorts of information on Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs). If character meals & where you eat are important to you then I would highly recommend doing your dining reservations as soon as you book your trip. You can book dining without being on property and even before you book your trip.

Here is how it works: Continue reading →

Fun For Adults

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Who says Walt Disney World is for kids?! I would love to go without mine just once…doubtful but maybe someday! Part of the fun of a Disney vacation is to see you child’s face when they see Mickey and ride the tea cups. But, we adults would like to have a little fun too. I did a day at Epcot in college with some friends and I have to say it was a blast!

There are so many adult oriented things to do at Disney this post could go on forever, so I will give you a sampling of some. Continue reading →