What Disney Tip Are you really glad you listened to?

[ConnieB]

I have to thank my MIL for this one......not sure if it's a tip, but it helped a lot with the "can I get this?" situation that can come up every 20 feet.

Grandmother told our girls that with the $ she gave them, they could not spend it until the end of the trip(or last day of each park that we visited twice). We were able to avoid the constant question and they really gave thought to what they wanted for souvenirs.

Just to add to this suggestion....we also said no souveniors until the last day...but we gave each girl one of those very small notebooks and a pencil (Disney of course) to carry with them. Whenever they saw something they wanted, they wrote down the item, the store (very important!) and the price. This helped them to not only remember what and where....but made them start to understand that the "I gotta have this" of the moment fades away after a few days and that item was not as important as they originally thought. My girls are TEENS now and we still employ this method....write it down and if at the end of the trip you still "gotta have" then you know it's a good choice and there have been little or no regrets when we get home on how they spent their money.

The other one I do to promote a "don't buy it just to spend money"...is they are budgeted a set amount of money for souveniors, snacks, etc.....if they spend it all, then fine they had a good time hopefully. But if there is any money leftover, then it's their's to take home and save for something else. As teens, they are more often bringing money home, lol.

Both of these techniques have made their money spending well thought out and not just at Disney. While we don't carry the notebook everyday, they still will see something they think they want and tell me "I'm gonna think about it until next week".....and as you might guess, by next week they've usually forgotten about it. It also gives them time to come home and see if they can't find it cheaper online...or since as teens it's often music or movies, lol....if they can't find it free at the library.

 

[ConnieB]

I don't know if they're doing this at EVERY target.... but at mine, in the dollar bins, they're putting little Halloween things in now. I got my niece a glowing purple fairy wand and nephew a green glowy pirate sword... Since we are going to MNSSHP, they can use them for that OR at one of the EMH parks if they want. That way if they're dressed up, the glow items will either match them or they won't put them down because they'll be playing with them too... and that way they won't say "I want a glowy .... whatever." They were both JUST $1! Even if you're not going for a few months, you could stock up and use them for whenever you go! Hope this helps all you budget conscious people!
If not, let me know and I'll go pick 'em up for you... I'll only charge and extra dollar to send 'em to you.

One caveat to these....they don't glow nearly as bright as the expensive ones (gee, surprise?) nor do they last for hours. But....most kids just want them for a "now" thing anyway, so they do fine. And since the package is only $1, we get a few and it's so much fun to spread some pixie dust and share some with those around us. While the obvious choice is the kids nearby, I love when my girls give them to a grandma/grandpa type and their faces tend to light up even more than the kid does, lol. Glowy things bring out the kid in all of us, lol.

 

[scarlet_ibis]

For those waiting til the end of vacation to buy souvenirs -- just be sure you leave time to get back to everywhere to get them. We also tell the kids to wait til later in the vacation, but it's my sincere fear that we won't make it back to obscure little shops to pick up everything that we saw that we liked, especially if they are scattered around the parks and resorts.

Now that Disney has standardized a lot of the inventory (for better or worse), it's not always such a problem, but my DD wanted a kimono from the Japanese pavilion in Epcot last spring, and that might have been a problem had we not been staying at an Epcot resort. I usually find something at the GF Mercantile, and we're usually only there once the whole trip. DTD is also a big, special trip.

 

[j9psu]

Just to add to this suggestion....we also said no souveniors until the last day...but we gave each girl one of those very small notebooks and a pencil (Disney of course) to carry with them. Whenever they saw something they wanted, they wrote down the item, the store (very important!) and the price. This helped them to not only remember what and where....but made them start to understand that the "I gotta have this" of the moment fades away after a few days and that item was not as important as they originally thought. My girls are TEENS now and we still employ this method....write it down and if at the end of the trip you still "gotta have" then you know it's a good choice and there have been little or no regrets when we get home on how they spent their money.

The other one I do to promote a "don't buy it just to spend money"...is they are budgeted a set amount of money for souveniors, snacks, etc.....if they spend it all, then fine they had a good time hopefully. But if there is any money leftover, then it's their's to take home and save for something else. As teens, they are more often bringing money home, lol.

LOVE these ideas! Thanks for the great tips!

 

[Tink813]

never break in a new pair of sneakers in Disney.... or tennis shoes whatever you want to call them

 

[lmbcdb]

wet wipes in the park bag.

I think I used them as much as (if not more than) the kids!

 

[kevinkatia]

This is actually almost $ 30 per person. I do not know where I got 75 million (perhaps after tax for both). Moreover, being diabetic, the bar would be a kind of dessert waste of money. All-in-all, however, I can put in my budget for our next visit anyway. It is an ideal place.

 

[jusero]

never break in a new pair of sneakers in Disney.... or tennis shoes whatever you want to call them

Amen!!! I specifically told my ex-SIL prior to her, my bro and their three kids' first visit to Disney: buy new, comfy shoes about three to six months BEFORE the trip and break them in. DON'T buy them just before the trip. And DON'T, I repeat ... DO NOT bring flip flops for them to wear in the parks. At the pools and water parks, yes, but not in the parks.

What did she do????? She bought them NEW FLIP FLOPS two days before the trip and didn't pack any other shoes for them. And they were extremely cheap-o flops too. Good googa mooga! You see why she is an ex?

By the end of the very first day, all three kids had horrible blisters between their toes and the along the edges of their feet where the flops rubbed. We ended up wasting about half a day locating the nearest Walmart to buy them real shoes and LOTS of mole skin.

 

[kmsimone]

Get to the park at opening time. Leave mid-day. Return early evening. You can get a lot done first thing before the heavy crowds build.

 

[lindsay0526]

These aren't Disney specific tips, but ones we use when vacationing with our two small kiddos (and we're driving and staying off-site this trip).

-Make meals ahead of time, freeze, pack in cooler the morning you travel. Meals are ready when you need it!

-Take a plastic solo cup or pick up a plastic drink cup along the way to rinse my little one's heads in the bathtub.

-We do grocery shopping before we leave (dry goods, non-perishables), then all we have to do is pop into the store for milk, eggs, and a few other things and we should be done grocery shopping in less than 20 minutes!

 

[yellowshell]

Wow, so many useful tips! This thread is a big treature for peope like me who is going to Disney first time. Thanks for everyone's sharing!

 

[Elmo007]

My favorite tip comes in two parts:

1. Leave the kids home: We thought we would miss them but we were able to move around, stay out late, keep our own pace. It was nice to be on teh late bus without carrying anyone or listening to whining (at least not our own)

2. Leve the spouse home: about 6 months after the adult trip, I went with DD 9 alone. She setthe pace, did eberything she wanted and had all the attention. we did everything and she had a great memory (Spouse not so much)

Part 3 may or may not work. In about 9-12 months I will go again with DD 4 and let her set pace. It will be her first trip.


Main Point - small groups are best. Even better when I am part of each one

 

[DisneyAgain2011]

Can someone tell me which is the best dining experience? We're booked for the princess breakfast in Epcot but would like to do one more. We've got mixed aged kids - preschoolers and preteens??

 

[mommy22pumpkins]

We like the breakfast at CRT but it's pricey and you are already doing a princess breakfast. Our other favorite is breakfast at O'Hanas. Food is served family style, very friendly laid back atmosphere. And entertainment for the little ones when they parade around the room with maracas Very fun for everyone in the family. And the character interaction- Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch is wonderful.

Have fun whatever you decide

 

[ConnieB]

Can someone tell me which is the best dining experience? We're booked for the princess breakfast in Epcot but would like to do one more. We've got mixed aged kids - preschoolers and preteens??

There are quite a few great dining experiences for a mix of kids...since you're already doing one princess breakfast, probably no need to do another (CRT or 1900 Park Fare) so here are a few suggestions:

50's Prime Time Cafe: This is a good place for interacting with the staff...and the food is good ole American comfort food. The staff will literally treat you like family....both good a bad, including a gentle ribbing to get your elbows off the table, having the kids help clear the table, even chastizing you for not eating your veggies.

Sci Fi Diner: You sit in "cars" to eat (2 across and 8 total per car) and watch old time (lot in black and white) cartoons and science fiction trailers. If you have a preschoolers who might be frightened by really bad special effect dinosaurs and creatures from the black lagoon type monsters, maybe not a good choice. The milkshakes here are fantastic...and the burgers were the best we had in WDW.

Boma (at AKL): This is definitely a must for our family.....the food is fantastic, the service is friendly and quick, and even though after all these years none of the foods are as "exotic" as they first were, they're stuff we don't get to eat anywhere else in WDW and for the most part anywhere else either. If you have all picky eaters, not a great choice, but if you have kids willing to try different foods (nothing weird, just different), then this would probably be my top pick. There are several entrees available that a picky eater would enjoy, so if you have just one, probably fine.

O'Hana (at Poly): Breakfast is a character meal (Lilo & Stitch, Mickey & Goofy). They bring platters of food to you and you can get more of whatever you'd like....I could eat the fried potatoes all day long, lol...but they also have scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, Mickey waffles, etc. The juice is to die for and we tease the server each visit to save time and just leave the jug, but no go. Dinner here is also very good, but no characters, but there is entertainment (has varied a little each time, but usually music and sometimes interactive leader). Chicken Wings, pork loin, shrimp, all good. Bread Pudding was the only dessert offered and our family thought it was only ok, though many on this board rave about it.

Garden Grove at the Swan is probably one of the best kept secrets. Really good buffet (heavy on the seafood, but there is beef and chicken choices as well), and because it's not so well known the characters (Timon and Zazu at dinner, Chip & Dale for the weekend breakfast) have plenty of time to spend with each table. Our first time there we had Timon sitting at the table pretending to eat my girls' food, had them rolling in their chairs laughing and he probably stayed there a full 10 minutes...but there was only a few other families and he spent a lot of time with them as well. Zazu didn't spend as long, but came back probably a dozen times to tweak my husband's hair, lol.

Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner is another combo of great food and fun....we love the Skillet with it's pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, mashed potatoes...oh yum! They also have a regular menu, but we skip lunch just to eat the all you care skillet. And the interactive antics with the server and other guests is always great fun. Bottomless milkshakes top it off.

EPCOT has so many great choices depending on whether your kids like or are willing to try different countries foods: Biergarten (Germany) is good food and the floor show is wonderfully entertaining; Chefs de France is a bit fancy for some kids, but mine love it all and the food is quite good too....not sure if Ratitoulle (spelling?) is still appearing, but he's fun! Restaurant Marrakesh has wonderful food and a belly dancer that is great fun to watch (though if you have picky eaters, maybe not a good choice, in which case, be sure to ask when the belly dancer will be outside performing). Teppan Edo is meal and entertainment together, where the chef will perform his cooking right at your table (think Benihana but good food). Tokyo Dining is really great Japanese food! Try to ask for a window table for a really breathtaking view of the Lagoon....and if you time it right, watching Illuminations from there is very exciting. We love La Cellier, but not much doing for kids there, just great food.....we weren't impressed with Nine Dragons or Rose & Crown food, and haven't tried the new Mexican. Coral Reef was more about watching the fish and divers in the floor to ceiling wall to wall aquarium than the food.

Ok, that should give you plenty to think about!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

There are quite a few great dining experiences for a mix of kids...since you're already doing one princess breakfast, probably no need to do another (CRT or 1900 Park Fare) so here are a few suggestions:


Garden Grove at the Swan is probably one of the best kept secrets. Really good buffet (heavy on the seafood, but there is beef and chicken choices as well), and because it's not so well known the characters (Timon and Zazu at dinner, Chip & Dale for the weekend breakfast) have plenty of time to spend with each table. Our first time there we had Timon sitting at the table pretending to eat my girls' food, had them rolling in their chairs laughing and he probably stayed there a full 10 minutes...but there was only a few other families and he spent a lot of time with them as well. Zazu didn't spend as long, but came back probably a dozen times to tweak my husband's hair, lol.



Ok, that should give you plenty to think about!

Just an FYI, if you are using the Disney Dining Plan, the Garden Grove at the Swan is in included in the DDP - that's why it's not hard to get in there.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

Can someone tell me which is the best dining experience? We're booked for the princess breakfast in Epcot but would like to do one more. We've got mixed aged kids - preschoolers and preteens??

DD 14 and I always enjoy Crystal Palace in MK (Buffet with Winnie the Pooh Characters) and Sci- Fi Drive In in Hollywood Studios......check them both out !!!!!!
Happy Planning !

 

[DisneyAgain2011]

Thanks so much. A lot of info to mull over !

 

[mrseace711]

Great thread!! Many ideas to use here for our 1st trip WOO HOOO

 

[babiipiggiex3]

made a mistake of not researching on my last trip
will definitely listen to all these great tips here!

Thanks guys!