A few pointers after taking my 3 yo granddaughter

[travellerr]

• Bring your own stroller – Disney rental strollers are great but there is still a lot of walking to be done past the stroller turn in point when leaving the park
• Schedule character meals as near lunchtime as possible (10 -2) – this give maximum flexibility for sleeping in and/or nap time
• “Family style” is much easier to deal with than “buffet” at the character meals
• Character meal reservations before 9 am are difficult to meet unless the restaurant is in your hotel
• For the character meals we attended I would rate them as:
o Chef Mickey’s – Contemporary Resort – 2 star – breakfast buffet was nothing special; the characters didn’t spend much time with the kids; professional photos before being seated; extra charge for photo pack
o Cinderella’s Royal Table – Magic Kingdom – 5 star – absolutely excellent – get the princess costume treatment just before meal time; professional photos taken before being seated included in the price
o Ohana – Polynesian Resort – 3 star – family style meal was very good, but the Stitch and Lilo characters were more scary than entertaining, Mickey and Goofy are there to offset things; professional photos available before being seated and included in the price
o Garden Grill – EPCOT – 4 star – good food, rotating dining area, plenty of character interaction; no professional photographer
o Crystal Palace – Magic Kingdom – 2 star – nice venue but the characters move quickly through the area; food is ok but buffet; no professional photographer
• If there is any question of party size, make your reservations for the higher number – it’s easy to change to fewer people
• For our next trip we will be sure to check on:
o 1900 Park Fare – Grand Floridian Resort – Alice’s Tea Party
o Grand View Tea Room – Grand Floridian Resort - Perfectly Princess Tea Party
• Pixie Hollow – EPCOT – was the best place to catch Tinker Bell
• EPCOT was the best place to interact with the characters overall – smaller lines and better areas to meet them
• Disney Hollywood was a big disappointment – too hot, no shade, lousy food at the ABC commissary, cheesy rides that are not up Disney standards – a real disappointment
• EPCOT is the place for a quieter day – lots of shade, fountains to play in and good places to sit and snack but there are still plenty of interesting things to do
• The Grand Floridian made for an excellent lunch venue – a short boat ride from the Magic Kingdom, then a quiet, peaceful and tasty lunch before heading back to the room for a nap

Overall a very magical trip - we are planning the 2012 trip now!