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Dining at Disney, Part 1: Boardwalk, Ohana, Epcot & Hollywood Studios

17 Feb 2010 by Just Precious

JustPrecious2disneyAfter all the hours I spent planning out the “perfect” dining plan for my family in the form of ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) one would think I wouldn’t allow for a change of plans. Not so, not so at all.

Our very first night, Monday,  we made changes. We skipped the Whispering Canyon Caf e and opted for counter service at Cosmic Rays so that we could casually enjoy the beautiful weather, lack of lines, excitement of being there and the fireworks at 8 pm at the Magic Kingdom.  (when at Disney, you don’t have to cancel your ADRs unless they verbally told you that you need to call to cancel in advance. Make note of which are included in this.)  Earlier that day, we lunched at The Bakery at the Boardwalk which was delicious–and way more to eat than a normal counter-service meal at home.

Tuesday we kept our ADR at ‘Ohana for a character breakfast with Stitch, Lilo, Mickey and Pluto. This meal certainly lived up to the hype. Our reservation was at 7:50 and I highly recommend this time. around 8 am a line formed and by 9 am, when we were leaving, there was a wait, even for those with a reservation. The 7:50 crowd was quite and allowed a lot of time for the characters to visit with us. Breakfast is interactive with a family photo (which we declined, we didn’t want to pay extra when the same pic was taken on our camera) and a line dance around the restaurant with the characters. The food was excellent! It was typical Disney Breakfast faire, but there was no buffet (this is key with a young family of 3 and only 2 adults). Instead, the server brings an all-you-care-to-eat plate overflowing with fruits, eggs, potatos, bacon, Mickey Waffles*, and more. The service, which was fabulous, was a warm welcome to our visit to Disney. ‘Ohana’s is a great way to start your Disney vacation. We skipped lunch that day (I mean, really, breakfast could have been 3 meals!) and opted for turkey sandwiches in our room for the kids in the early evening. That night we hired a babysitter** and headed over to Epcot for a little grown-up time.

Earlier that day, I asked the concierge to recommend a Sushi place for us. I later learned that I should have relied on my Passporter more because while the book highly recommnends the restaurant in The Dolphin, we went over to Japan with a reservation for 7:15. The Huz and I are very specific when it comes to Sushi restaurants: if we don’t sit at the Sushi bar and interact with the Sushi chefs, we don’t usually enjoy our time. So upon arriving and being told there is no longer an eat-at-the-Sushi-Bar option, we were already considering a different option for dinner. Tokyo Dining is a really large, cold room with a “stage” sushi bar. The service was impressive, including a manager coming to our table to discuss allergies. We ordered 2 rolls, which were pretty good, but nothing unbelieveable-OMG-you-have-to-go-here and the menu was much smaller than our local place. At Tokyo Dining, every half hour or so the dining experience is interrupted with a live-video of the sushi chef making and instructing how to sushi. But the restaurant is so loud that even if you wanted to learn while watching a video you could no doubt pull up on YouTube, you may be hard pressed to hear it. We decided our dinner should become our appetizer and left to search out another international dining experience.

Which took us to Italy’s Tutto Italia at about 8:15. While Epcot was still busy, for a Tuesday night in January, we were told that they were no longer open for dinner. What a turn-off. So we turned around and walked, unsure where to go, and certainly worried that everyone stopped serving dinner early. But, wait, this is Disney, right? And isn’t every night supposed to be a celebration? A party?

When we first entered Epcot that night, we hit the wine kiosk in France right away, so in hopes of finding it still open, we headed in the direction of France. And thank goodness we did! After grabbing a second glass (I so wish I remembered the name of the wine!), I calmly walked over to begged the hostess at Les Chefs Du France for a table. But of course we are open! And we have a great table for you! So, this is really important for all of my Epcot-going readers. You want a table for two, right at the window at 8:30. Its the most romantic night: picking at a French Cheese tray while sipping French wine in France with a perfect view of  Illuminations fireworks. We closed the restaurant down, and had phenomenal service all the way to the Merci, au revior from Jacques.

On Wednesday we enjoyed good old cereal in the room and headed over to Hollywood  Studios. We kept it easy with lunch at the ABC Commisary which is just what I imagine dining at a busy NYC Commisary to be. You better get your order in, quickly, and correctly. The woman who took my order was fantastic, if you were ready and set to order. And when the kitchen staff messes up your order, she’s listening in with half an ear to help it get fixed. The food was typical commisary /quick service food. I think this was the meal when we realized our jeans would no longer fit us if we kept up with eating this way. Especially because after walking “home” from the Hollywood Studios, we stopped at the candy shop for ice cream (which are counted as “snacks” on the Disney Dining Plan–you even get a topping and a waffle cone!)

For dinner we went back to Epcot, this time to China’s Nine Dragons and were disappointed. The food was very American-Chinese and rather bland. The restaurant is new to the dining plan and has a way to go before perfecting it. We were very limited in our choosing and extremely confused regarding the meal plan they offered. The waitress was a bit rude about it, too. There was also a major lack of vegetables on the menu. The kids meals were all-American.  (Who ever heard of meatballs on a Chinese menu??) Even if they don’t offer fried noodles in China while you wait for your meal (and I really don’t know if they do, maybe that’s just and American thing), something would have been nice while we waited. The restuarant was b-u-s-y, large and very pretty and warm. On the positive side, we made it in and out and had plenty of time to explore, but we really did waste a Table Service meal at the Nine Dragons.

After Illuminations we walked back to the hotel (such a great perk of staying at an Epcot resort), grabbed decaf coffees with a our travel coffee mugs that allow you free refills at the resort all the time and watched the end of an act on the boardwalk (loved the free entertainment every night!) The Huz went down to the bar that night after putting the kids to bed, while I relaxed with my feet up.

Part 2 includes dining back at Epcot, again, more character meals and one of our favorite dinners: The Whispering Canyon Cafe (yes, we did finally get there!)

*At Ohana we were informed that Mickey Waffles are made with apple juice instead of sugar. They weren’t just delicious, they were [semi]healthy. I tried to make them today at home, but Bisquick doesn’t allow for me to leave out the sugar.

**Our babysitter, Nancy H., was fantabulous. A full-time Nanny with grandkids, she brought a suitcase-full of activities, took notes, and had the kids in bed on time. More about KidsNiteOut.com soon.

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Before you go to Disney: Make an Autograph book

04 Feb 2010 by Just Precious
Showing off Buzz Lightyear's "stampnature"

Showing off Buzz Lightyear's "stampnature"

Disney World was not our first Theme Park. Living in South Eastern Pennsylvania, we’ve visited Sesame Place, Dutch Wonderland, and Hershey Park. Our family has also been to two Sea Worlds (Orlando and San Antonio) and plenty of parties with characters to meet and greet. And each time had a commonality: our kids had no interest in meeting and greeting.

While for all of those trips it didn’t really matter, for Disney World, I wanted the kids to see the characters. I wanted the pictures, the hugs, the love. I worried about my kids being scared of a giant mouse like they were Cookie Monster. I was concerned they’d shy away from Pluto instead of hugging and joking. So, I researched for ideas that would help my kids get to know the characters.First, we saw every Disney movie our library had in stock. This kind of preparation takes time, weeks, months even. And we watched Disney’s free planning DVD the night before we left, showing other kids hugging, high fiving and joking around with the characters.But the most pivotal part of their character relationship was the autograph book. Having an autograph book gave them something to do with their hands if they didn’t want to hug. And it gave the boys a purpose to their visit. You can buy Autograph books at Target and area bookstores. Amazon has plenty. Or, be simple, inexpensive and unique and make your own.  

Pluto signing an autograph book (yes, he really uses his eyes.)

Pluto signing an autograph book (yes, he really uses his eyes.)

I purchased 4×6″ spiral sketch books with thick covers at ACMoore (any craft store will do) and went to their scrapbooking section where I found an entire section of Disney stickers, 40% off. I selected a few: some had Disney terms like “the happiest place on Earth” and “the place where dreams come true” , others had pictures of the popular characters. I also purchased a few sheets of Mickey ears stickers with alphabetic letters.

On the first few pages I included stickers with the character’s stickers. There was a Mickey page, a Minnie, a Goofy and a Donald… The covers had the kids’ names spelled with the ears stickers and a title. And the inside cover included quotes about Disney. There were about 50 blank pages.

Stitch needed a bigger pen

When I gave the books to the boys, I also gave them additional stickers. The stickers made for great busy-work when awaiting meals and while on the plane (and would have been wonderful in line, had there been significant lines.)

JustPrecious2disneyRemember to bring a writing utensil. We found that Sharpies worked well because the characters could grip them easily. Some characters, like Buzz Lightyear, have autograph stamps.

And include a return address somewhere in your book. I didn’t get to test this, but I’ve heard that if an autograph book is found in the parks, they are often signed by all the big-shots before being mailed to your home.  (Almost wanted to bring an extra book and lose it,  just to test this one.)

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Magic Kingdom, with Kids, at Night, with Disney Tips

04 Feb 2010 by Just Precious

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Every book and website I read while preparing for Disney, and every e-mail sent to me as a HARO response, prepped us to take our kids to Disney World first thing in the morning. “Be there at least 15 minutes before they open” one said. Another warned that we should always leave early, avoiding parade and fireworks crowds.

Well, last week I was at Disney World. We arrived Monday, about an hour and a half late due to weather. So rather than checking in at 11:30 , we checked in at about 1.  I was tempted, based on all of the suggestions I had received, to just explore our resort in the afternoon and then hit Magic Kingdom bright and early the following morning.

I am SO glad that I didn’t listen to the hype. Instead, we unpacked, grabbed lunch (YUM!), changed into warm-weather clothes (note to anyone going in January/February: bring a jacket, pants and longsleeves. Layering is great, but its cold at night!!) and boarded a bus from our resort (Boardwalk Villas) to Magic Kingdom.

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There were no lines. Again. There were no lines. Sure, its January, slow season, but we walked right onto Stitch’s Great Escape (which our kids will never, ever let us do again) and then Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Next, we waited to see Buzz Lightyear in person. We waited less than 5 minutes. And the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway’s wait was another 5 minute wait (though we used the parent-pass, see below, so that was a little longer.)

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From Tomorrowland, we strolled to Mickey’s Toontown Fair. While the boys waited to ride Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, Little and I shopped the gift shop (poor thing, she was the only one without a hoodie sweatshirt or a hat. She just had to get a new Minnie Mouse sweatshirt.) Following the ride, we entered Mickey’s Country House which is connected to the Judge’s Tent, a character meet and greet spot. This line was a little longer, about 10 minutes and they don’t allow strollers. Because Little was sleeping, I waited outside the “tent”, so sad that I wouldn’t be there when my kids first saw Mickey. But by some amazing chance, Little woke when the boys were still waiting, they were next in line.

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In the Judge’s tent, they you wait in one of those hidden, curvy lines that could get really long; they let about 5 “parties” at a time in to Mickey’s room. (in our case, Minnie was in there, too.) We were the first group of the 5 or so families, so instead of entering the room and watching other’s greet Mickey and Minnie first, the door opened and Middle ran right in to Mickey’s arms. It was straight out of a commercial, and it was the epitomy of the perfect beginning to our vacation. Middle didn’t just believe in the Magic, he was living this magic. That hug will forever be in my mind’s eye, and I treasure the fact that Little woke up in time for me to be witness it.

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Following our character greet and pictures, we moved on to Fantasyland where we waited no more than 10 minutes for Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Peter Pan’s Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Its a Small World. (After Pooh, the Huz commented privately to me that these are the rides that make him dislike Disney World. Which was interrupted by Middle shouting “that ride was SO cool!” “Ahem,” I cleared my throat. The Huz shrugged, smiled and admitted to being way wrong.  Its a Small World was considered “long and boring” but all but Little who was enthralled through the entire boat ride. )

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It was about 7:40, so we asked a Cast Member who was on Stroller Parking duty (my goodness! They do a great job at that!) to suggest a spot to see the fireworks show, Wishes, which was loved by Big, hated by Middle and slept through by Little. For dinner we ordered counter service from Cosmic Ray’s and ate outside on the Tommorrowland Bridge as some of us enjoyed the show.

It was the beginning of a remarkable, magical vacation. And I’ll be sharing much, much more in the next few weeks. For now, a few Magic Kingdom, Florida, tips:

  • Parent Pass: If any of your kids is too small to go on a ride, or just doesn’t want to, walk as a family up to the gate to enter the line and request a parent pass. One adult will go with anyone who wants to ride while another stays back with those who aren’t riding. Once the initial riders are finished, use your pass and switch adults, this time going through the FastPass line. Here’s the great thing: 3 people can use Parent-Pass with one pass. So my roller coaster crazy kids got to go on rides multiple times with minimal waits, even when the standard lines were long. You can use this pass at the same time as you are using a FastPass somewhere else.
  • JustPrecious2disneyLooking for a good place to see Wishes? Consider the Tomorrow Land bridge, close to the Main Street shops so you can see Tinkerbell. Just consider the wind first. Monday night the wind was so strong that the fireworks were pushed behind the trees.
  • Have a child afraid of fireworks? Try bringing your ipod with headphones. It won’t entirely drown out the noise, but it allows a little distraction that helps. (FWIW, by the last 7th night, Middle finally felt the love for fireworks. Soarin’ helped, too.)
  • Staying on property? Note that there is no free wifi, thus my absense from blogging, tweeting, and facebooking last week. You can hook up through an ethernet cord for $9.95 a day in your room or get wifi for $4.95 in the lobby. Yeah, that was annoying.

Its all fresh in my mind and I have so much to share in the next few days. What Disney World questions can I answer for you?

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Counting down to Disney. Our ~~loose~~ plans. (AKA I need some serious Disney planning advice)

18 Jan 2010 by Just Precious

The countdown has started, and I’m feeling so not ready. Expect to see a lot of Disney-related blog posts in the next few weeks.

We booked the Disney Dining Plan, which includes one table dining (which means one sit-down service), one counter service (fast-food or QSR style) and one snack (and that would be my daily coffee.)

Actually. Its not. I thought the coffee would be the daily meal snack, but then I learned that you can buy a resuable cup in your resort and refill it for free, as many times as you want to, in your resort. So that’s my morning coffee. Which leaves a “snack” a day, per person.

Back to the plan. I’ve made 6 of our 7 ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations). Still trying to settle on the last one.

Day 1: Arrive early afternoon and grab lunch in the airport.  Use the Express Check-in, briefly find our room (can anything be brief at Disney?) and head over to Magic Kingdom. Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe at 6:50. Tell me, is this a good time? Will we make it to a park to see fireworks or a parade? Am I killing myself with this idea? I didn’t originally want to go to MK the first day, thinking it would be too rushed. But the huz thinks there’s just no way to arrive at WDW with a 6 year old and 4 year old and not run run run to Magic Kingdom.

Day 2: Character breakfast at Ohana at 7:50. Then we’re spending the day at Magic Kindom. We’ll pack a lunch of sandwiches and go until we  need a break. Dinner that night will be counter service either at the hotel or at Epcot.

Day 3: We have no ADRs for this day.  Hoping to just stumble on something we like, though we’ll likely eat breakfast in the hotel room, pack a lunch and do a counter service meal. We’re planning to visit Hollywood Studios and see where the day takes us. Figure that after Day 2 at Magic Kindom, a day of laidback, unplanned park-hopping may be in order.

Day 4: This is the day we’re planning to sleep in and not rush to a park. I do have an ADR at Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios at 2:15. This is the last reservation to see the characters (have to visit with the Little Einstiens!) and also get the Fantasmic Package. But I wonder, is it worth it? Its kind of our day off, so is it crazy to go into a park for lunch, then leave, then come back at 5ish for Fantasmic? hmmm??? I feel like this plan wastes one of our 7-day passes.

Day 5: No ADRs again, but I need to make one. My parents will be joining us and I need a great dinner spot. Fun for all of us, definitely with a parade, show or something fun. We’ll eat breakfast in the room, and have a picnic lunch. This is our second Magic Kingdom day. The Huz and I will also head to Le Cirque this evening, just the two of us (wahoo!) Let’s hope we’re still awake when the show starts.

Day 6: We’ll start with a character breakfast at Tusker’s in the Animal Kingdom. Breakfast is at 8:10 and the park doesn’t open until 9, so I hear this is a fabulous way to start our visit. With my parents, we’ll explore the Kingdom and enjoy the safari. Lunch will be picnic and dinner will be counter service at Epcot.

Day 7: I plan to do Epcot this day, but I’m still not certain. We’re staying at The Boardwalk Villas, which means we’re right next door. Just not sure if this is worth a day for a 4 year old, 6 year old and 6 month old. Anyway, ADR is for dinner at the Garden Grill in Epcot at 5:10. Hmmm… still considering changing this day. Maybe we should just spend our last day at Magic Kingdom? We could still do Garden Grill and just explore Epcot in late afternoon on both day 6 and 7, right?

Day 8: We’re leaving in the afternoon on the eighth day and I’m not entirely certain what to do with this day. We only have 7 days of tickets. I have an ADR for Chef Mickey for breakfast. But then what do I do for the rest of the morning before we pack up and go?

And this is why I’m stressing. I’m wondering if we should just skip Fantasmic and Hollywood & Vine and not go into any of the parks on Day 4, then use the 7th-day ticket on Day 8? Or are we crazy to spend a 1-day ticket on Day 1 and another on Day 8, when we really only have half days?

 Oh my goodness!! All these crazy thoughts going through my mind. If you haven’t planned a trip to Disney before, please make note that its, seriously, a full-time job. Seriously. Its sick.

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