Tips for Quickly Entering the Parks

Entering the Park can take some time especially at peak seasons.  At park opening the entrance can get extremely crowded.  Here are some tips to speed up your time at the entrance so you can spend more time in the park!

1. Pack Wisely!-There is a bag check by security guards at the entrance of every single park and lines can get pretty long.  Pack as lightly as you can because this definitely alleviates time there.  Bring only the basics like sun screen and personal belongings.  If you must bring a bag packed with lots of snacks, try to unzip any zippers before hand so the security guards can easily check pockets and pouches.  My mom and I actually found clear purses that make it very easy when going through the bag check.  Security guards have always complimented them because they never even need to open our bags, they just shine a line through and can see everything!
2. Have park hoppers ready!- After bag check comes entering the park! Have each guest already hold their park hopper in their hand to speed up the process. Usually park hoppers have a different disney character on each one, so assign each family member a different character for the entire trip.  Make sure everybody is familiar with the protocol of what happens: Insert your ticket arrow facing in, put your pointer finger on the finger machine, wait for the light to turn green, go through the turn style, and collect your card.  If there are any issues, a cast member is there to help.  Getting this process down really makes things go quickly.
Quick Tip: Assign a "carder" for the entire trip! My parents always gave me and my brothers jobs to do on our Disney trips and my brother was always the "carder".  He has the exclusive and very important job of collecting all of our cards after we entered the park and handing them to my dad for safe keeping.  Not only did he feel special because he had a job, but our tickets never got lost and it sped up park entrance!
3. Separate your party! - Now that my brother and I are older, we usually separate into a couple of different lines.  When we were younger, my mom and me would go on one line and my brother and dad went on another line.  We basically cut our time in half and we would make it a little contest to see who's line would move faster!  Never let a child go on a line by his or herself but splitting up your party with adult supervision can be a great way to speed things up!
4. Bring your own strollers!- Stroller lines in the morning are long and torturous! Everybody is excited to get started and now you have to wait on a ridiculously long line to pay a fee to have a stroller that you only need to return later that night when everybody is exhausted and needs to go home.  Yes carrying a stroller around can be quite a pain, but it saves lots of time and can be taken in and out of the park.  You don't need to pay each day for a new stroller and you don't need to return it.  I spent many years in those strollers and let me tell you, they are not that comfy!

Hope these tips make entering the park quick and painless!

Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party

This is one event that many guests have actually never heard of.  If you have ever walked by Tomorrowland during the time of Wishes you have probably seen this and just thought it was an area for VIPs only and that it is incredibly expensive.  Well actually it is open to all guests and not as expensive as one may think.  Admission is about 28 dollars for guests 10 and older and 15 dollars for guests 9 and younger.  Now let me tell you what this whole event is.  A full all you can eat dessert and coffee bar filled with beautiful and delicious desserts.  Every family gets their own reserved table with a name tag on it.  The best part is that you get an absolutely beautiful view of the fireworks show that nobody else can get in the park besides the people at the dessert party that night.  The party starts 1 hour before the fireworks begin and you are free to enjoy all the desserts before and during the fireworks.

This is how my family and I spent New Years Eve and boy was it spectacular.  Nothing made us feel more special then to walk up to a table with a beautiful decorated centerpiece with our name on it and eating all the desserts we could eat.  The fireworks were amazing (as usual) but our view was the best I have ever had for the Wishes Fireworks Show.  The best part is that you don't need to reserve a spot on the crowded Main Street U.S.A. hours before the fireworks start, and then of course be blocked by somebody right before the show starts.  Only 50 people fill this space so you have a great shot of being able to see the fireworks.  Just as a reminder, if you are celebrating this way on New Years Eve and are 21+, don't expect to get champagne at the Magic Kingdom.  There is a strict no alcohol policy in the entire park and no alcohol can be sold.

The Menu was absolutely delightful. Creamy cheesecakes, light and fluffy chocolate mousses, chewy cookies, light fruit tarts, and airy pastries.  There is also tea and coffee available which are absolutely delicious.  This is an experience you will never ever forget!  It does fill up so reservations are required and you must pre-pay.  I recommended you shoot for at least 4-5 months in advance when booking this especially during peak seasons!

Look at this beautiful view of the castle!

Our private table!

Beautiful Dessert Bar!

For more information on how to book reservations, please follow this link:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/tomorrowland-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party/

Magic Kingdom Character Greetings

There are a couple different locations to find characters in the Magic Kingdom.   Here are some spots where you will be able to find them!

Mickey Mouse- Mickey used to be found in the judge's tent in Mickey's Toontown Fair, but since it has closed he can now be found at the Main Street Theater Hall.  He is usually there the entire day and you can even get FastPasses to see him to speed up your wait time.  Sometimes Minnie makes an appearance with Mickey later in the day, but don't be disappointed if she isn't there!

Disney Princesses (Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White)- Any combination of these princesses  make appearances at the Main Street Theater Hall on a separate line from Mickey Mouse throughout the day.  Again FastPasses are available, but they will be separate from the Mickey Mouse FastPasses.

Classic Characters (Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, etc.)- These characters have been known to be out very early in the morning to greet guests in the Town Square.  When I say early I mean park opening to about an hour after the park opens.  If your children want to meet any of these classic characters, then definitely get their early because lines get long quickly!

Tinker Bell and her Fairy Friends-These characters can be found in Tinker Belle's Magical Nook for an experience like no other.  Beautiful wall art and flowers make this spot a great place for taking pictures with your favorite fairies.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen- These characters usually make appearances in Liberty Square near the Christmas Shoppe.  Check your times guide that is available at the park entrance.

Rafiki, Timon, Baloo, and King Louie- They can sometimes be found in Adventureland across from the Jungle Cruise.  Usually they only make appearances early on in the day and at high peak seasons.

Aladdin and Jasmine- Can sometimes be found outside of Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

Buzz Lightyear, Chip & Dale- Buzz makes appearances throughout the day next to the Carousel of Progress.  Check your times guide because lines can get extremely long for his character. Chip and Dale can be found nearby to Buzz and are often seen dancing in the show with guests near the Tomorrowland Stage.

Woody and Jessie- They have made many appearances in Frontierland near Splash Mountain.  Usually they are only out for a short part of the day.

Alice and her Wonderland friends- They have been known to make appearances near the Mad Tea Party, but sometimes it is not on the Times Guide and may happen at random points in the day.  If your child really wants to see these characters, ask a cast member near by if they know if they will make appearances that day.

Character Dining is also a great place to meet your favorite characters!

Crystal Palace- Located on Main Street U.S.A, this beautiful buffet is home to characters of Winnie the Pooh.  Pooh Bear, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet make rounds every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout this restaurant.  This is a great way to get two things out of the way: eating and autographs! Don't worry if you miss a character because you are at the buffet, usually by the time you are finished eating they have come around again.

Cinderella's Royal Table- By far the most popular restaurant in all of Disney World, and rightfully so.  You can eat fabulous food inside Cinderella's castle while meeting everybody's favorite characters.  Cinderella greets her guests, takes pictures, and signs autographs upon your arrival.  Disney Princesses go around table to table at breakfast, lunch, and dinner to greet guests.  Some of the princesses include Snow White, Princess Aurora, and Belle, but others have made appearances as well.

If you want to learn some tips when greeting characters, please follow this link:
Character Greeting Tips

Tips on Making Reservations

Eating in Disney World is the of the most magical experiences you will ever have--if you have a reservation. Whenever my family goes to Disney World, there is always a family who didn't know they had to make any reservations and is wondering why every restaurant is at least a 2 hour wait or no seating at all available.  Yes many people do just eat at quick service locations, but if you want a nice table service meal, reservations are a must!

Reservations Tips
1. Plan ahead! Every trip my family ever went on, my dad always made an itinerary and booked all of our reservations way ahead of time.  Restaurants like Cinderella's Royal Table must be booked 180 days in advance because of their popularity.  Usually 60-90 days ahead of your trip is a good time to start booking reservations.  Pick a park to go to each day and make your reservations based on that.  Or in peak season, choose what park you go to based on reservation availability for your favorite restaurants.
2. Look at the menu ahead of time! Menu of the restaurants have the menu on Disney's website.  It is a good idea to check this out before booking a reservation.  You don't want to go to a seafood restaurant if your entire family hates seafood or bring your children to a place without a children's menu.  Looking this up allows people to choose their favorite restaurants and allows you to narrow down the restaurant list from the many that Disney has to offer.
3. Make the reservations! Making reservations at Disney is simple! Simply go on their website and go to Dining and Reservations.  Here you can choose your restaurant name, number in your party, date and time.  Then you can keep track of reservations under My Reservations in your account.  How easy is that?
4. Double book your reservations! As long as I can possibly remember, my dad has had 2 reservations for every single meal we have ever had in Disney World.  This is a great tip for a few reasons.  Make reservations in multiple parks this way you can switch parks and still have a dinner reservation.  Also you never know how hungry you are going to be at a certain time.  My dad always made a 5 o'clock and a 7 o'clock dinner reservation because if we were starving we had the 5:00, but if we weren't we could wait until 7:00.  However, always remember to call ahead if you are going to miss a reservation.  It is not considered polite to just not show up without notice to a reservation because reservations are very limited.  Once you have decided your plans, call the restaurant and let them know so that they can accommodate other guests.
5. Never be disappointed! Eating in Disney is very popular, and you are not always going to get the restaurant you want at the exact time you want.  Be flexible and if you really want a specific restaurant, check for cancellations daily until the time of your trip.  Many restaurants also may have a restaurant that is similar to it.  If you can't get one breakfast buffet, there will probably be a different one available that offers similar food.

Hope these tips have helped!  To make reservations and learn more about Disney Dining please check out this link:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

Character Greeting Tips

Character greeting tips:
1. Have your autograph books ready! Autograph books are available at almost every gift shop in the parks and at every hotel. There are the classic autograph books and the new autograph/picture books where the character can sign and you put the picture right next to it.  Always remember to write your name and address in the front of the book in case it gets lost, somebody can return the book to you.  When I was a young child, my parents were pros when it came to character greetings.  They always attached a pen to me and my brother's books and would rubber band the last page we used.  This way every time we met a new character, they had a fresh new page to open up to without any rustling through pages and pages.


2. Have your camera ready! There is nothing worse than being next in line in Disney world and the person in front of you just starts to take out their camera in the middle of their child's visit.  Have your camera and video camera ready ahead of time with plenty of room left on a memory card.  Remember to charge all cameras the night before so they have enough battery for the entire day.  Nothing worse than having your children meet Mickey, and your camera dies!  Disney has also begun photopasses where you get a photo pass card and give it to each photographer to take professional pictures of the entire family! Then later use your card number to look the pictures up online.  Have this card ready so that when you get to the front of the line, you can hand your card right over!


3. Always make sure your child wants to meet the character first! This one sounds silly, but you would be surprised! Many children, especially around the age of 2, are easily frightened by these giant sized characters.  I can still remember being 4 years old and being so excited to meet Mickey for the first time, but as soon as we got up there my 2 year old brother had a melt down and threw our autograph books at Mickey Mouse (yes a true story).  If this happens don't worry! Many kids get afraid when they meet their first character.  But always ask them first because there isn't anything worse than waiting in line in the horrible heat of Florida for a half hour just for your child to break out into hysterics.  Never force your child to see a character that they are really afraid of (such as a villain).  They will always remember that terrible experience and won't want to meet other characters on the trip.


4. Always check the times guide!  When you enter the park, next to the maps are times guides with show times and character greeting locations.  When traveling with children, always check this first.  Characters are out only certain parts of the day and it can be pretty upsetting if your son wants to meet Aladdin and you miss it because you are waiting online for a ride.  Pick a few characters that your children absolutely need to meet and plan around that.  Lines can get pretty long so allow 20-30 minutes per character and try to get there a little earlier than the time on the times guide.  A line usually begins to form even before the character gets there.  Also the times guide is just what it is, A GUIDE! Sometimes characters leave a little bit earlier than the time on there or the line gets closed off because it is too long. Never take the chance if it is something your child really wants to do.


Hope these tips are helpful! Some families just skip over characters but they are what make Disney such a magical place.  Even if you just get a few autographs, your kids will love the experience! My brother and I always went a bit overboard in out 15+ trips to Disney World.  We even compiled a list and found we met over 100 characters, some more than 20 different times! Meeting characters was always so exciting for us and I think it made our Disney trips even more memorable!

Rose and Crown Dining Room and Pub

Location: Disney's Epcot: World Showcase United Kingdom Pavilion

Serves: Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks

Reservations: Recommended

Price: Moderate

Cuisine: Traditional Pub Fare

Disney Dining Plan: Yes

Menu Standouts: Scotch Egg, Fish and Chips, Sticky Toffee Pudding

Like all of the World Showcase pavilions, you will feel as if you have taken a trip right to the actual country.  All of the waiters and waitresses are from the United Kingdom and very excited about their culture.  This restaurant is broken up into two sections: the dining room and the pub.  At the pub, no reservations are required and you can walk right in and usually be seated immediately.  The pub's menu is similar to the dining room, but is a little bit shorter.  To dine in the dining room, usually you need a reservation but the menu is a little larger with more variety.  The decor is classic United Kingdom and makes you feel like you are in a pub.  Obviously this place has some of the best beer in Disney World and is a huge crowd pleaser.  

The menu is the best of the best of British cuisine.  My dad always gets the Scotch Egg and is never disappointed.  Basically it is a hard boiled egg surrounded by sausage!  My brother and I are huge fans of the potato and leek soup .  Obviously one of the most popular items at this restaurant is the fish and chips.  They truly are spectacular because the crust is so crispy, but the fish is moist and tender.  

The Fish and Chips

This restaurant does have a kids menu that has a few different items other than just chicken fingers and hot dogs like fish and chips and bangers and mash.  This restaurant is probably more enjoyable for older aged children or adults, but it is definitely appropriate for the entire family.  For me personally, I love stopping here in the middle of the day for lunch and being able to enjoy the view of the lake in the middle of World Showcase.  Another perk to this restaurant is that even though it is a different cuisine than just American, it is not as adventurous as some other cuisines like Moroccan or French which is definitely a plus for the picky eaters in your family.  

For a further description of the potato and leek soup, please check out my other blog "What's Justine Cooking?": Potato and Leek Soup

For more information about the Rose and Crown Dining Room and Pub, please check out this link:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/rose-and-crown-dining-room/

Kona Cafe

Entrance to the Kona Cafe

Location: Disney's Polynesian Resort
Serves: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
Reservations: Recommended
Price: Moderate to Expensive
Cuisine: Asian/Polynesian style
Disney Dining Plan: Yes








The Kona Cafe has some of the best food the Polynesian has to offer.  It gives traditional American food an Asian twist in a very delicious way.  My family first tried this restaurant last August, and we were not disappointed at all.  The restaurant is casual but the decor is absolutely beautiful.  Classic island colors cover the restaurant and add warmth to this dimmly lit atmosphere.

The menu is extremely diverse and allows diners to be adventurous while still eating foods familiar to them.  The breakfast features a Disney World favorite, Tonga Toast, and other classic American fare with a twist.  Lunch and Dinner consist of delicious meats glazed with sweet and sour sauces, fish and shell fish with tasty sauces, and the desserts with an island flare.  Last time we went my brother and I shared 3 appetizers that were absolutely to die for: the sticky wings, crab cakes, and pot stickers.  The kids menu consists of kids basics like chicken fingers, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers.  Although this restaurant is definitely a nice place for the entire family, it is not as special as a character meal for the kids.  I would say this is the place to go with older children or just adults because the food is spectacular.  Something you should not leave this restaurant without is a cup of their famous kona coffee.  Even if you don't stay for dessert, this cup of coffee is the perfect end to any meal.

Lump Crab Cakes with Jalapeno Lime Cream

Sticky Wings for Two

For a further description of the delicious sticky wings at the Kona Cafe, please check out my other blog "What's Justine Cooking": Kona Cafe Sticky Wings

For more information about the Kona Cafe, including menus, please follow this link: 
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/kona-cafe/