A Tale of Two Holidays ... with a Two Year Old 12/24 UPDATE!

[JennisSilly]

Yay for taking your daughter. Are you going to be doing MNSSHP?

Most likely . We did it this past year at Disneyland, and even at 6 months she really loved it! We didn't stay very long (she goes to bed early) but we did a ton while we were there!

I'm envious your trip will allow you to do both the MNSSHP and the holiday celebration! We're going in mid-October so won't get to overlap the two :/

 

[ariel1025]

Most likely . We did it this past year at Disneyland, and even at 6 months she really loved it! We didn't stay very long (she goes to bed early) but we did a ton while we were there!

I'm envious your trip will allow you to do both the MNSSHP and the holiday celebration! We're going in mid-October so won't get to overlap the two :/

How fun!! We did a big 4th of July celebration at my parents place (in Kansas) when James was 6 months and he was completely into it - including the fireworks!

Ahhhh, I wish I could say James goes to bed early. Most nights he isn't asleep until 9:30ish. We've tried adjusting his bedtime and it always backfired with him waking up around 5 a.m. I just can't do wake up calls that early So, for now we are leaving it. He goes to bed easily at that time and sleeps until a decent hour in the morning so I'll take it.

Do you know where you are going to stay for your trip?

 

[JennisSilly]

Do you know where you are going to stay for your trip?

Ah see we are early risers (out of the house by 6:30am) so I'm sure that contributes to her early bedtime

We know we'll be staying at AKL. It's a HUGE family trip (my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins) that will likely include 25-30 people. We will be "putting up" my parents and likely one of my cousins. I would love to stay on the concierge level so we can do the sunrise safari (we did the Wyanama (sp) sunset safari on our honeymoon). So I may get us a room up there and my parents a reg room.

I wanted to do Beach Club, but my parents are dying to stay at AKL and I know DD will LOVE the animals!

 

[ariel1025]

Ah see we are early risers (out of the house by 6:30am) so I'm sure that contributes to her early bedtime

We know we'll be staying at AKL. It's a HUGE family trip (my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins) that will likely include 25-30 people. We will be "putting up" my parents and likely one of my cousins. I would love to stay on the concierge level so we can do the sunrise safari (we did the Wyanama (sp) sunset safari on our honeymoon). So I may get us a room up there and my parents a reg room.

I wanted to do Beach Club, but my parents are dying to stay at AKL and I know DD will LOVE the animals!

The animals are exactly why we are so excited to stay at AKL before our cruise next month DS could spend hours at the zoo ... needless to say our annual membership has been worth it

What an amazing trip to look forward to with so many people! I completely forgot about the safari option when staying concierge, I will have to add that to my list of pros for staying there next year

 

[PixieMama]

Joining in!

How cool you'll get to experience both MNSSHP and MVMCP in one trip! I've been to WDW 5 times (and planning a 6th visit)... including the upcoming trip makes 3 visits in October. We've done the Halloween party before and will probably do so on this trip, but I reeeeaaaallly want to plan a trip during the holidays. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love seeing all the fall decorations at MK, but I can only imagine how beautiful everything looks decorated for Christmas.

We did the Halloween party in mid-Oct, so I have no idea how the crowds are at the end of the month. Maybe if you arrive early enough on your arrival day you could make it to the party on the 30th? I would think the 31st would be the most crowded out of those days (30th, 31st, 1st)

Anyway, your DS is adorable and I can't wait to hear more of your plans (and which resort you decide on!)

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi Shannon! I was just getting caught up on your cruise PTR when I saw you had started this one and I just had to come over and let you know that I'm of course joining in! How exciting to be planning a trip with so many great events! I think it is so neat that you're going to be able to do MNSSHP and MVMCP during the same trip! I've never been to either, so I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you! I know that James is going to love them though! I think you're taking him at the perfect age! Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

 

[ariel1025]

Joining in!

How cool you'll get to experience both MNSSHP and MVMCP in one trip! I've been to WDW 5 times (and planning a 6th visit)... including the upcoming trip makes 3 visits in October. We've done the Halloween party before and will probably do so on this trip, but I reeeeaaaallly want to plan a trip during the holidays. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love seeing all the fall decorations at MK, but I can only imagine how beautiful everything looks decorated for Christmas.

We did the Halloween party in mid-Oct, so I have no idea how the crowds are at the end of the month. Maybe if you arrive early enough on your arrival day you could make it to the party on the 30th? I would think the 31st would be the most crowded out of those days (30th, 31st, 1st)

Anyway, your DS is adorable and I can't wait to hear more of your plans (and which resort you decide on!)

Thanks for joining me on my planning adventure

I have always, always, always wanted to go during the holiday festivities, but we let the rumor of horrific crowds deter is every time we discuss it My hope is that although the parties and FWF will probably be crowded, the rest of the time won't be

We've been to MNSSHP and loved every second of it. Including the time of year that we went (first week of September). The crowds and weather were perfect for us. I'm hoping we won't regret changing it up this year

Hi Shannon! I was just getting caught up on your cruise PTR when I saw you had started this one and I just had to come over and let you know that I'm of course joining in! How exciting to be planning a trip with so many great events! I think it is so neat that you're going to be able to do MNSSHP and MVMCP during the same trip! I've never been to either, so I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you! I know that James is going to love them though! I think you're taking him at the perfect age! Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

Hi Courtney I'm so glad you're joining me again!

We know that we love MNSSHP and would highly recommend it to anyone. I'm just hoping we won't regret going to one of the last parties

 

[ariel1025]

Ok, with the resorts kinda sorta decided, the dates set in stone (as long as we can get a reservation when the time comes), and all the special events agreed upon, let's get down to the real fun ...

Meal planning

The first question that comes to mind - should we get the dining plan? And, the answer is ... I don't know This will be such a different dining adventure and James will probably dictate a lot of the decision making for us. I know that toddlers can be fickle, so there's no guessing what foods he will like at that time, how long he will sit still or even IF he will sit still for a long meal. So, that means we won't have days jam packed with ADRs and signature restaurants etc. However, restaurant planning is probably my favorite part of the process so let's get down to business shall we?

After perusing many, many, many TRs that involve toddlers it has become clear that we will probably have the best bet of getting him to last through a meal if it involves characters

Not a big deal to us - we enjoy the character meals and always plan one or two anyway. The problem is, we always plan the same ones. This trip I want us to venture out and try new things right along with James. So, since we have so much time before the trip, we have decided we want to look over all our options before defaulting on our "originals"

Let's start with character meals in the parks ...

Crystal Palace

We've never been here before, but will be trying it for breakfast before our cruise next month. I think the restaurant itself looks beautiful and I love that there's the option of getting a before park opening reservation if we do breakfast. I'm also quite the fun of Tigger so him being there is a big plus on my list too I'm not particularly a fan of buffet for lunch so I've kinda ruled that one out. Candi, is a fan of buffets in general so he is game for eating here for any meal Currently James isn't a fan of Pooh and the Gang but he loves breakfast foods so I think his vote would be for breakfast

Overall, I think this definitely makes the priority list for breakfast or dinner. And, we shall see if it becomes a must-do for breakfast after our meal here next month

Continuing on in MK we have Cinderella's Royal Table:

Ever since our honeymoon we have made it tradition to eat here for breakfast on the first day of every trip. We love being here before the park opens and watching everything come to life as we enjoy our meal. And, let's be honest, it's pretty cool to eat inside such an iconic part of the park As far as the food goes, we've always found it to be good. Our favorites are the stuffed french toast and the cheesy potatoes. However, I've read that the menu has changed and it appears those items are no longer available The new menu really doesn't look appetizing and neither do the lunch or dinner menus. What to do, what to do?

Overall, I think that it will remain a potential for breakfast because it pains me to break tradition ...

Did I miss any character meals in MK? Have you bee to CP or CRT and think I would be crazy to skip it? What are your experiences at either place?

 

[PixieMama]

DH, DDs, and I have been to WDW twice... both times we had the DDP. DH likes it because everything is paid for, he doesn't have to think about money for food. We did 3 character meals on our first trip in '07... I don't think we could've swung paying for one of them, had we not been on the dining plan. I think character meals are great! Sure beats standing in line to get pics and autographs!

We've done breakfast at CP twice and love it! (I've also had lunch there, and while I was pleasantly surprised with the food I prefer breakfast) I've got 3 words for you: Puffed. French. Toast. I am not ashamed to admit I could eat a whole plate full (or more!) of those! YUM!

Have never been to CRT, so I can't comment there. I do think it would be a neat place to have an early breakfast!

 

[ariel1025]

DH, DDs, and I have been to WDW twice... both times we had the DDP. DH likes it because everything is paid for, he doesn't have to think about money for food. We did 3 character meals on our first trip in '07... I don't think we could've swung paying for one of them, had we not been on the dining plan. I think character meals are great! Sure beats standing in line to get pics and autographs!

We've done breakfast at CP twice and love it! (I've also had lunch there, and while I was pleasantly surprised with the food I prefer breakfast) I've got 3 words for you: Puffed. French. Toast. I am not ashamed to admit I could eat a whole plate full (or more!) of those! YUM!

Have never been to CRT, so I can't comment there. I do think it would be a neat place to have an early breakfast!

We've been on the dining plan and not on it. Like your DH, mine prefers to be on it. It somehow doesn't seem so expensive to him if it's paid for ahead of time

I've heard great things about CP (and the puffed french toast!) so I'm very excited to try it next month.

CRT is an awesome experience, but I'm super bummed that they took our two favorites off the menu. The remainder of the food is typical breakfast fare (bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit etc) and with that menu I think I have to jump on the "not worth 2 credits/price" bandwagon

 

[ariel1025]

Continuing on with the Great Character Meal Debate of 2013 we head over to my favorite park - Epcot!

The Garden Grill

We've never been here, and, in fact, I often forget that it exists I'm not sure if that means it has no appeal to me or I just think Soarin' when I think of the Land Pavilion

It appears they only serve dinner now, which is fine by me. As mentioned previously, I'm not a fan of lunch in the buffet/all-you-can-eat aspect.

Looking at the menu the food actually doesn't sound too bad - it's definitely foods we typically enjoy. And, I believe many of the foods come from the "crops" they grow in the Living With The Land Ride - anybody know if I am correct with that Well, if I am, that's pretty cool

The characters also appeal to me. James is (currently) a major Mickey Mouse fan and I've heard that Chip 'n Dale are super fun to interact with. And, being a Midwest girl at heart (born and raised in Kansas!) I love the idea that they are in their farming finest

What's worrisome for me is that this restaurant definitely doesn't get stellar reviews for the food. The ones I've read are mediocre at best. On the other hand, almost everyone raves about the character interaction here. Perhaps because it isn't usually very crowded

With all that said, I think this will make the potential list for dinner. I've learned you can't always believe what you hear/read and more than once we've disagreed with the popular review on places

Next up is a restaurant we've tried before, for breakfast at least Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

This was another reservation we did previously for the "before park opening" experience. We really enjoyed being in Epcot before it opened to the public - almost more than MK However, our overall experience was hit and miss. We ended up waiting almost an hour past our ADR time, which made no sense to us since we had the first ADR time available. The food was good, not great and some of the characters really interacted with us, while others clearly couldn't get away from our table quick enough We did really like how the fruit/breads etc were buffet style and the hot foods were brought to our table family style. And, though they weren't as great as the ones at CRT (to us), the cheesy potatoes were super yummy

Neither the lunch or dinner menu sound that appealing to us so they are not making the list for sure.

Even though I'm leaning more towards no on this one, I can't quite mark it off the list for breakfast just yet So, for now, this stays on the list of possibilities


Have you eaten at Garden Grill before? Can you persuade me to give it a try? Or should we run for the hills and not even consider it What about Akershus - been there? Am I crazy to eliminate lunch or dinner as an option?

 

[PixieMama]

We have not been to GG. I don't think I've even looked at their menu!

We did lunch at Akershus on our '07 trip... DDs were 4 and 6 at the time. I made the ADR solely for the purpose of meeting all the Princesses. I didn't even think of the food until about a month before our trip. I don't know what I was thinking, because DDs and I are all picky eaters! I tried to change our ADR to breakfast but no such luck. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the meal. So unless you're a fan of Norwegian food, you may want to stick with breakfast, LOL!

 

[lbuzz52]

Hi there!
You are planning one of my dream trips. I cannot wait to take a long Oct/ Nov trip and hit both parties! Unfortunately, i'll probably have to wait until my children get out of school.
We have been that last week in October though- i loved it. the crowds were pretty low overall. I wouldn't suggest a party on arrival day. I'm always tried from getting up early to travel. plus, if something happens to make your flight delayed you are just out of luck. Halloween night is busy. I'd try the 1st. A couple years ago, they have a fun activity at the Boardwalk on halloween night- a few trick or treat stations, crafts, a character or two, dancing- it was not very crowded at all.
For food and wine, it can get boring for a toddler, but not enough so to skip it. I would either plan on splitting it up and hitting one side of WS at one time and the other at another time or fill that kiddo up and let him nap in the stroller while you sample to your heart's content. You can use your snack credits- and many times they are over normal value of a snack credit.
can't wait to hear more!

 

[ariel1025]

We have not been to GG. I don't think I've even looked at their menu!

We did lunch at Akershus on our '07 trip... DDs were 4 and 6 at the time. I made the ADR solely for the purpose of meeting all the Princesses. I didn't even think of the food until about a month before our trip. I don't know what I was thinking, because DDs and I are all picky eaters! I tried to change our ADR to breakfast but no such luck. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the meal. So unless you're a fan of Norwegian food, you may want to stick with breakfast, LOL!

I've never looked at the GG menu either - until now. I figured since I was on top of my planning game and had so much time I was going to review all the menus before making decisions this time

Yeah, the Akershus menu is certainly not appealing for me for lunch or dinner. My DH, on the other hand, is a brave soul when it comes to eating and wouldn't mind checking it out

Hi there!
You are planning one of my dream trips. I cannot wait to take a long Oct/ Nov trip and hit both parties! Unfortunately, i'll probably have to wait until my children get out of school.
We have been that last week in October though- i loved it. the crowds were pretty low overall. I wouldn't suggest a party on arrival day. I'm always tried from getting up early to travel. plus, if something happens to make your flight delayed you are just out of luck. Halloween night is busy. I'd try the 1st. A couple years ago, they have a fun activity at the Boardwalk on halloween night- a few trick or treat stations, crafts, a character or two, dancing- it was not very crowded at all.
For food and wine, it can get boring for a toddler, but not enough so to skip it. I would either plan on splitting it up and hitting one side of WS at one time and the other at another time or fill that kiddo up and let him nap in the stroller while you sample to your heart's content. You can use your snack credits- and many times they are over normal value of a snack credit.
can't wait to hear more!

Hi there Since James isn't in school yet, we figured it was now or 18 years from now before we could take this kind of trip

I hear ya about being tired on travel days, which is why I am so hesitant on that night for the party. I might be trying to leave a day earlier because of that

Thanks for the heads up about the Boardwalk - I will definitely look into that

 

[ariel1025]

Continuing on with our search for great character dining brings us to Hollywood Studios. It appears there is only one option here


Hollywood & Vine

This is a restaurant we visited (for dinner) on our honeymoon and it was, by far, our worst dining experience We had to wait over an hour past our ADR time without the option of going elsewhere without paying a cancellation fee because we were on the F! package. I was accused of lying by the hostess about having a reservation - for some reason I put the reservation under my maiden name, but when I checked in I gave her my married name, when she said we didn't have a reservation I said try "married name" and she accused me of seeing the list and reading a name off there Our waitress, while very busy, was also very horrible. We were seated, went through the buffet and finished a plate each before our drink order was taken. When I asked for a straw it was basically thrown at me. We never got a drink refill. And we waited for 30 minutes after finishing our meal to get our check

Now, with all that said, it is still on my radar to eat at on this trip Not because I believe in second chances, well, I do, but that's not why. It's because James is thoroughly in love with Little Einsteins and they are some of the characters there. Ah, the things we do for our kids

The question is, lunch or dinner? I know, I know, I said I don't do buffets for lunch and that's what they offer. But, we have so many options for breakfast already that I think I may allow this one to be a lunch option as well

Have you eaten at H&V before? What was your experience? Do you recommend breakfast or lunch?

 

[ariel1025]

Ok, so I am such a Goof I just realized that Hollywood and Vine isn't a character meal for dinner. So, yeah, it's only an option for lunch

Moving on ... the last of the parks Animal Kingdom

Once again, it looks like this park only has one option and it's Tusker House

This has been on our "wish list" so many times that I'm basically declaring it a final choice for breakfast on our Animal Kingdom day

I know that they also do character dining for lunch and dinner, but breakfast really peaks our interest. As mentioned previously, I'm not a very adventerous eater, so I'd rather stick to more typical foods. Plus, there's no gaurantee that we will still be around for dinner and I already have my lunch venue chosen for this day

Have you eaten at Tusker House for breakfast before? What were the character interactions like? Any "must try" foods I need to put on my plate?

 

[PixieMama]

Sorry, I've not been H&V or TH.

That's horrible about your experience at H&V on your honeymoon! I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to go back there.

 

[ariel1025]

Sorry, I've not been H&V or TH.

That's horrible about your experience at H&V on your honeymoon! I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to go back there.

Yeah, to make matters worse it was our dinner the first night (in the parks). Needless to say, Hubs was not feeling the Disney magic

 

[ariel1025]

Let's wrap up this character meal debate shall we? With parks out of the way, that only leaves one place to go ... the resorts!

First up Cape May Cafe @ The Beach Club

I think the characters dressed in their beach attire is adorable and the food definitely sounds good. And, Mickey is there, which is a bonus since he's James' (current) favorite character. My only issue, ok two, are that it can be such a pain getting to a meal at the resorts early in the morning and we are interested in eating here for dinner already. I'm not sure if I really want to head to the Beach Club twice. Well, actually, three times if you count ... wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here Then again, if we end up staying here .... hmmmm, decisions, decisions

All that was my long, drawn out way of saying this is a breakfast contender

Next up we have Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary

I did this breakfast way back on my very first visit (1998) and had such a fantastic time. I know that the food gets very mixed reviews. But, I think it would be such a sentimental thing to bring James to my very first character meal

No surprises here, but this is a breakfast contender as well


Jumping on the monorail and heading across the way bring us to 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian

Ok, how can you not wanna go eat somewhere that is named Supercalifragilistic Breakfast No? Just me? Ok, well, I do! Yes, this is probably more for me than my two guys. I mean really, I'm sure they have no interest in meeting Mary Poppins, but hey, that's a perk to being the planner

Here's my issue though, I also really want to try this place for dinner too. I mean, come on, the stepsisters making a ruckus during your meal. How does that not sound like fun Again, this is totally for my benefit and not theirs

But, you've already heard my concerns about going to the same restaurant twice ... what to do? What to do?

For now, they both remain as contenders!

And, wrapping up this debate is 'Ohana at Polynesian

Dining with Lilo and Stitch? Yes please! Dining with a view of the castle? Absolutely! 'Ohana a definite choice for breakfast? Not so fast! You know where this is going right? Yeah, we already want to eat here for dinner. And, there's that whole same restaurant twice issue I have .... But, you know it's a contender anyway


And, with that, my endless babble about character meals comes to a close ... for now I mean, I'm gonna have to talk about it once we really narrow down our choices

Have you eaten at any of the above places before? Thoughts? Any character meals that are a "must do" for you? Any place you would kindly like to steer me away from? How many character meals do you typically do on a trip?

 

[PixieMama]

I have been to 'Ohana, but only for dinner. LOVED it. Would be going back on our upcoming trip if DH and I were not doing the luau. Breakfast with Stitch is a definite must-do for our next family vacation, as he's one of my youngest DD's favorites.

I've also been to Cape May, but again, only for dinner. It was really good... and DH are going here on our October trip!

I've been to dinner (are we sensing a pattern?) at Chef M's... we had no complaints about the food. I know the Fab 5 appear here. But what characters are at Cape May? If the choice is to see all of the Fab 5 or just Mickey and Minnie in beach attire, I think I'd go with Chef M's.

I've never been to 1900PF, but if I had to choose, I would go for dinner. For one reason: the stepsisters. The interaction we had with those characters at MK was one of the best we've ever had... they were hilarious!

I think we only did one character meal on our 2010 trip (breakfast at CP)... but on our 2007 trip, we did 3 (breakfast at CP, lunch at Akershus, dinner at Chef M's) Breakfast at CP is one we love... we've only done it twice, but it feels like it should be a tradition of sorts. We've always done a late-ish breakfast, but I'd really like to schedule one prior to the park opening so we can get in and walk down an empty Main Street!