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I am sooooo excited!!! Â Our family just booked our Disney trip for this December, and I can hardly wait to go! Â The last time we went my littlest was five months old, and I literally nursed her in the parade route on Main Street, hidden between a light pole and a trash can. Â (What was I thinking?)
Anyways, it's time to go back and I'm just so excited. Â (My hubby is not a Disney fanatic and doesn't get it, but I grew up in Florida just two hours from Disney, so it's like going home!) Â I'd love to hear your tips on top restaurants at Disney – we're working on getting a few reservations made and so far the Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace is the only one on our list. Â (My eleven year old still wants to visit Winnie for breakfast . . . but please don't tell him I shared that with you!)
And, if you'd like to request a free Disney Vacation Planning DVD, head on over HERE to request yours.  They did offer free Disney dining plan for the dates we're going, which is what made us finally decide to plan the trip!  (Did I mention I can't wait?)
This post contains affiliate links.  I do however really love Disney and am so very excited to go!  See my disclosure policy & read more about Passionate Penny Pincher.
Oh you lucky dog!! I LOVE Disney!!! Here are my dining tips: 1) book only breakfasts or dinners, that way if you decide to go to a different park, you have time to change parks for your reservation 2) DO THE PALACE!!!! And you better be up at 7am on the first day you can book…. keep trying if its all out b/c most people do 2 or more and then cancel when they pick a definite date 3) do Akershus – but ONLY for bfast!!! traditional American bfast, but Norweigian lunch and dinner (roast pork ribs with rutabega mash, anyone?) 4) 1900 park fare is nice, but we have had to wait a LOONNNGGG time both times 5) Ohana is a good meal – lots of meat, do not go late to this one, no characters, but Hawaiian style dining and still fun for kids 5) the Sci-Fi drive in is a cool atmosphere, but they show cheesy sci-fi movies from teh 50s and 60s and they were a bit scary for my 3 and 5 yr olds. if you go, get some of those glow in the dark straws from $ tree with glow sticks in them, bc they sell glowing drink thingys. 6) you only need the middle plan that is one counter service, one sit-down, and one snack… you will have TONS of food and probably some left over. We even had leftovers when my 2 yr old (free) didn’t get dining since we didn’t have to buy her a ticket. OTHER TIPS: take your own stroller.. umbrella style is best for riding busses. If you have a double umbrella that will stand up while holding a backpack on it, that is the best thing! We had a Jeep Liberty one and it was awesome. We got a small cooler at Dollar General that fit right under teh stroller and carried water and capri suns and snacks for my really picky daughter. You can take in anything except alcohol. Go to Dollar Tree or Dollar General and buy rain ponchos for everyone and store them in your stroller bag. Get some of the really cheap ones that are clear plastic and also the better quality vinyl ones. Use the clear ones to cover your stroller so all your stuff doesn’t get wet. Take some clothes pins that will clip on your stroller. Buy battery operated clip on fans for any little ones that might fall asleep in teh stroller. And take a very light blanket to make them some shade (use the clothes pins again). Take a change of clothes for each kid and a t-shirt that all adults can fit into. Throwup on your shirt is no fun and neither is buying a $25 t-shirt. Use a space bag _those that you suck all teh air out of – to store your clothes and it is super flat and stands up nice and straight in your back pack. Fantasmic is awesome!!! get in line early. Bring LOTS of glow bracelets and such from $ Tree b/c they sell tons of glowing stuff and it is really expensive. I got out the bracelets every night… i also gave a couple to kids around us… OK – that is all i can think of now:) I knwo it sounds like a lot, but we took one backpack, one double stroller, and one small cooler and we have it down to a science with just me my hubby and our two girls 🙂 Of course grandparents are a big help too:)
Oh – I forgot – order trading pins on ebay… that is so much fun for kids and the cheapest in the park are like $7 each, but you can order them for $1 or less on ebay in batches. Then you buy a lanyard ($5.95 when we were there) and put the pins on it and then trade with cast members! Kids loved it!!
Thanks for the tips on the trading pins: we’ve never done that but my daughter got several while on the Disney cruise – what a great idea!!!
Chef Mickeys for breakfast.. The best experience out of our 6 table service meals…
We did do Chef Mickey’s last time and will definitely do it again – my little girl was just tiny, and I’ll never forget Mickey getting a napkin because her face was covered in baby food and sweetly cleaning her up – have I mentioned I love Disney?
We love the t-Rex cafe at downtown Disney. It is Chase’s favorite restaurant probably anywhere. The food is good and it isn’t too outrageous by Disney standards.
Oooh – I gotta add that to the list Heather!
We just got back from Disney a few weeks ago. During the day we packed pb&j and carried a camelback to avoid having to buy lunch at the park but we allowed ourselves to splurge for dinner. When we were at MK we took the monorail over to Epcot and did dinner in the Italian pizzeria. It was reasonable ($30 for a good sized pizza and drinks) and really good. The night that we were in Hollywood studios we went to a place that was a 50s style restaurant that included consistent reminders to eat your veggies and get your elbows off the table. It was an awesome experience and the food was just like childhood (all the good comfort classics). It was a little more expensive but also worth it just for the experience. Also in MK there is a burrito place over by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We did lunch there one day and it was very filling and comparable to burrito places outside of the park.
Thanks Megan! Pirates of the Caribbean was absolutely my favorite ride as a kid (as close as I would get to a “roller coaster” – HA!), but I never realized that had a place to eat there!
One of our favorite (non-character) places to eat was the 50’s Prime Time Cafe! It was alot of fun! Whatever you do, don’t put your elbows on the table, or you could end up with your nose in the corner like my 9 year old did! (just for fun, of course) We had a great meal and great service! Would definitely do lunch there again!
A friend of ours mentioned that one as well – thanks for the tip Shelley!!!
Laurie,
Definitely use your dining plan table credits to book character meals. They are very expensive by themselves. For Character meals we have done the following: Cinderella’s Royal Table at Grand Floridian, Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, Winnie and Friends at Crystal Palace, Princess Breakfast at Norway, Chef Mickey’s (my least favorite but most people love it), Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at Grand Floridian. For non-character meals we have eaten at Mama Melrose at Disney Studios and Canyon River Grill at the Wilderness Lodge. I would recommend all those places again. For quick service meals we like the Land in Epcot (it is like having a sit down meal) and Columbia Harbor House in Magic Kingdom. There is also a great smoothie place to use your snack credit in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. It is across from the Epcot raceway. There is a great website http://www.wdwinfo.com that lets you search restaurants by park and meal plan. I semi laid out our meals everyday with what choices were in the park we were going to that day.
Hope this helps!
Holly
Thanks Holly! I’ll check out the website – I’m a little overwhelmed (I remember my favorites as a kid and a few of the ones that we loved when we went four years ago, but there are so many choices!)
1900 Park Fare is a character meal with Cinderella and her peeps! It can be part of your dining plan and it was our favorite on our last trip. We just booked yesterday to go during fall break (plus a couple of days!). I am excited as well!!!! I highly recommend the tour planning at TourGuideMike.com. We did that for our last trip and it truly was the best $20 we spend on the entire trip. His plans had us riding more rides than we ever had and we did not miss an event! We are all about catching all the special little things around. We loved his counter service tips as we had some terrific lunches on that trip at some out of the crowd spots. When we went in December we REALLY loved the Mickey Christmas Party. And don’t forget to head over to Hollywood Studios for the light display after dark one night when you are there. Its quite neat.
I’ll check out Tourguidemike.com – I’m so excited and almost forgot about the Christmas Party!
We are going in December too for my brother’s wedding. We just went last October and are so excited to be going back! If you find 1900 Park Fare on restaurants.com, please let me know!
I gotta go look!
That is so cool! We love Disney (& the dining plan too)! We went at Christmas last year. It was great! The Crystal Palace is great. Some of our favorites are Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge, Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary, Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios, 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian & Ohana at the Polynesian. Except Whispering Canyon, they are all character meals – which our kids love. I saw the comments about the cruise. We’re doing our 1st Disney cruise next year (can’t wait!), but unfortunately, free dining isn’t offered during that time for us to use for an extended stay at a resort. Bummer! 🙂 Have fun!
We loved Ohanas too & Chef Mickey’s – I think I’ve seen 1900 Park Fare at Restaurant.com (gotta go check now – there rates just went to 80% off!) Thanks for all the great tips – I hadn’t seen quite a few of the ones you mentioned!
I love everything about Disney World, so excited for you! In my opinion, Epcot offers the best dining, but Downtown Disney has great dining too!
A friend told me there’s a really good quick service meal in Downtown Disney – maybe Wolfgang Pucks? I gotta stop talking Disney …. I’m so excited!
Did you book through a travel agent? When are your dates? I am a Disney travel agent, so any questions…just ask. Did you book free dining? You really really need to make dining reservations if you plan to eat at any table service restaurants. I would suggest you look at allearsnet.com and join disboards.com for any information you need. I suggest eating at Donald’s Breakfast Safari at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. If you want to do a princess meal I suggest Akershus in Epcot. A photo is included in the price at Akershus. I suggest having a loose plan but not a concrete plan other than dining reservations. I love the dining plans. I also like park hoppers. The ability to leave an over crowded park is fantastic.
Angela – I remember you saying that you were a travel agent before when I mentioned it and COMPLETELY forgot! We got a letter about reduced rates and I called the minute I could (I was afraid I’d miss it!) We just went directly through Disney. Ughhh – I wish I could have done it through you! Okay – I may be emailing you w/ my questions 😉
I can transfer your reservation over to me if you would like. What was the reduced rate? If you aren’t going during blackout dates, it still might be cheaper to do free dining. Let me know what you want to do and I will be more than happy to help.
Thanks Angela! Heading over to email you now 🙂
You should try the cruise, we did it a few years ago and the kids loved it. The service is unmatched, to any other cruise line, and if you take the Bahamas cruise , they have their own private island they take you to. It’s like having main street in a tropical paradise.
The cruise just sounds amazing MJ. My 8 year old actually just got back from it – on my kids 8th bday my parents take them anywhere they want to go, and she (wisely!) chose a Disney Cruise! I’m hoping I can convince my hubby to take us all on one in a few years . . . especially because it sounds like it’s great even as the kids get a little older!