BOO TO YOU, SANTA!! A November 2012 PTR!-Upd 10/24,pg.14-#205 Costumes and T-Shirts!
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DisneyDad79
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Forgotten, but not gone, I have returned from hiding to update this PTR for the first time in two weeks!!
I would love to give you a solid and valid explanation as to my absence, but I really dont have one.
I guess it has been fairly busy at work and honestly, doing the PTR loses some appeal if Im not being paid for it. (This same rule also applies to bowel movements.
) So please accept my apologies and allow me to divulge our planned wardrobe, including our MNSSHP costumes!
So we are planning to completely immerse ourselves in Disney and this includes themed shirts for each day of trip! We will be making the majority of these through one method or another, but mostly by using transfers. DMom is a really good costume maker, although she doesnt get much practice these days. If I can find the picture I will post the unbelievable Gizmo costume she made me back in the day. I imagine she will get the brunt of the actual seamstress-ing that will go into whatever is needed to make the costumes. DW and Dsis are also very creative and talented so Im sure they will contribute greatly as well.
I know some of my faithful followers are too cool
for themed shirts (but somehow not too cool for a fanny pack??), but I am all about family unity, even at the expense of fashion. I figure I dress at the absolute height of fashion the rest of the year, so why not slum it a bit for Disney World. 
It will be nice to see how the unwashed masses live.
Without further delay:
Shirt 1: Dalmatians
Im not entirely sure how we will make these. The easiest would be just taping black construction paper on white shirts, but Im not sure how well that would hold up to a day of touring the parks. Im all for doing it Cruela style, but some people seem to think thats, well, cruel.
Shirt 2: Tie Dye Faces
I think we are inclined to just buy tie dye shirts and then use transfers to put the faces on. The process of making a tie-dye shirt just seems like too much of a messy pain. Each person will be sporting a different character of their choosing from the big six. (I really hope you are not hating on Daisy right now!)
Shirt 3: Cuties
Yeah, I am more than secure enough to rock a cutie shirt! Again, will probably just buy shirts and use iron on transfer paper and everyone will be able to pick their own character.
Shirt 4: Paper Dolls
We will design these ourselves on the computer and color them in and add Mickey ears.
We will probably add The Bidwell Family above or below. We will then hold hands in the Magic Kingdom forming a human wall and refuse to move until either world peace has been achieved or our fast pass window is open, whichever comes first.
Shirt 5: Finding Nemo
Once again, we will use transfer paper and each person will get to choose his or her own aquatic friend.
Shirt 6: Mickey Zen Tangle
DW is into drawing Zen Tangles. For those of you who dont know, its kind of a form of art/meditation. She is planning on drawing one inside of a Mickey head outline. Im pretty excited about this one as she has done some pretty cool designs in the past and Im sure this will be 100% unique!
Shirt 7: Character Bodies
I think this will be the one shirt style that we will all just buy premade. We all agreed that the transfer paper would not be big enough to make this idea work as a DIY project.
Shirt 8: Princes and Princesses
Like many of the other designs, we will use transfer paper and each person can choose a character. This is probably the least set in stone and could be replaced if a better practical idea comes up.
And finally, drum roll please
Alice in Wonderland Costumes!
The current plan is for DW to be Alice, me to be the Mad Hatter, DD as Cheshire Cat, DMom as the White Rabbit, DSister as the Queen of Hearts, and DS as either a Tweedle or the Caterpillar. We kicked around a bunch of ideas, but ultimately this won out as it is Disney themed and all the characters are fairly recognizable. Im sure it helped the cause that this is DWs favorite Disney movie and DD watches it more than any of the others.
As we complete these I will certainly post pictures of them!
So what do you think? Any great ideas we are missing? Have any of you managed to convince the family to where themed shirts, even if for only a day? What about costumes? (Some of you need not answer that last question as you are probably too busy watering your blanket...)
Up next, Character Meet & Greets
I would love to give you a solid and valid explanation as to my absence, but I really dont have one. I guess it has been fairly busy at work and honestly, doing the PTR loses some appeal if Im not being paid for it. (This same rule also applies to bowel movements.) So please accept my apologies and allow me to divulge our planned wardrobe, including our MNSSHP costumes! So we are planning to completely immerse ourselves in Disney and this includes themed shirts for each day of trip! We will be making the majority of these through one method or another, but mostly by using transfers. DMom is a really good costume maker, although she doesnt get much practice these days. If I can find the picture I will post the unbelievable Gizmo costume she made me back in the day. I imagine she will get the brunt of the actual seamstress-ing that will go into whatever is needed to make the costumes. DW and Dsis are also very creative and talented so Im sure they will contribute greatly as well.
I know some of my faithful followers are too cool
for themed shirts (but somehow not too cool for a fanny pack??), but I am all about family unity, even at the expense of fashion. I figure I dress at the absolute height of fashion the rest of the year, so why not slum it a bit for Disney World. It will be nice to see how the unwashed masses live. Without further delay:Shirt 1: Dalmatians
Im not entirely sure how we will make these. The easiest would be just taping black construction paper on white shirts, but Im not sure how well that would hold up to a day of touring the parks. Im all for doing it Cruela style, but some people seem to think thats, well, cruel.
Shirt 2: Tie Dye Faces
I think we are inclined to just buy tie dye shirts and then use transfers to put the faces on. The process of making a tie-dye shirt just seems like too much of a messy pain. Each person will be sporting a different character of their choosing from the big six. (I really hope you are not hating on Daisy right now!)
Shirt 3: Cuties
Yeah, I am more than secure enough to rock a cutie shirt! Again, will probably just buy shirts and use iron on transfer paper and everyone will be able to pick their own character.
Shirt 4: Paper Dolls
We will design these ourselves on the computer and color them in and add Mickey ears.
We will probably add The Bidwell Family above or below. We will then hold hands in the Magic Kingdom forming a human wall and refuse to move until either world peace has been achieved or our fast pass window is open, whichever comes first.Shirt 5: Finding Nemo
Once again, we will use transfer paper and each person will get to choose his or her own aquatic friend.
Shirt 6: Mickey Zen Tangle
DW is into drawing Zen Tangles. For those of you who dont know, its kind of a form of art/meditation. She is planning on drawing one inside of a Mickey head outline. Im pretty excited about this one as she has done some pretty cool designs in the past and Im sure this will be 100% unique!
Shirt 7: Character Bodies
I think this will be the one shirt style that we will all just buy premade. We all agreed that the transfer paper would not be big enough to make this idea work as a DIY project.
Shirt 8: Princes and Princesses
Like many of the other designs, we will use transfer paper and each person can choose a character. This is probably the least set in stone and could be replaced if a better practical idea comes up.
And finally, drum roll please
Alice in Wonderland Costumes!
The current plan is for DW to be Alice, me to be the Mad Hatter, DD as Cheshire Cat, DMom as the White Rabbit, DSister as the Queen of Hearts, and DS as either a Tweedle or the Caterpillar. We kicked around a bunch of ideas, but ultimately this won out as it is Disney themed and all the characters are fairly recognizable. Im sure it helped the cause that this is DWs favorite Disney movie and DD watches it more than any of the others.
As we complete these I will certainly post pictures of them!
So what do you think? Any great ideas we are missing? Have any of you managed to convince the family to where themed shirts, even if for only a day? What about costumes? (Some of you need not answer that last question as you are probably too busy watering your blanket...)
Up next, Character Meet & Greets
There is NO POSSIBLE WAY I could get my DH to go along with themed shirts everyday! Honestly it would be difficult for me too. I don't normally sport a tshirt in the heat and the plain colored tanks for women are not always the most flattering. Plus I like options when I get up in the morning. Having all our clothes preplanned would make packing easier though!
THey all sound relaly cute though! We have made Tye Dye Mickey shirts several times, it is pretty easy! THere are instructions on the boards! You pretty much BRAND yourself as a DIS'er when you do it too!!! We had 2 or 3 people comment on our shirts and tell us they wore theirs a day or two before!
Great ideas! I can't wait to see the Alice costumes! Sounds fun!
Plus I like options when I get up in the morning. Having all our clothes preplanned would make packing easier though! THey all sound relaly cute though! We have made Tye Dye Mickey shirts several times, it is pretty easy! THere are instructions on the boards! You pretty much BRAND yourself as a DIS'er when you do it too!!! We had 2 or 3 people comment on our shirts and tell us they wore theirs a day or two before!
Great ideas! I can't wait to see the Alice costumes! Sounds fun!
DisneyDad79
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There is NO POSSIBLE WAY I could get my DH to go along with themed shirts everyday! Honestly it would be difficult for me too. I don't normally sport a tshirt in the heat and the plain colored tanks for women are not always the most flattering.
THey all sound relaly cute though! We have made Tye Dye Mickey shirts several times, it is pretty easy! THere are instructions on the boards! You pretty much BRAND yourself as a DIS'er when you do it too!!! We had 2 or 3 people comment on our shirts and tell us they wore theirs a day or two before!
Great ideas! I can't wait to see the Alice costumes! Sounds fun!
Thanks! I'm kind of looking at it as a best of both worlds type of thing. I would imagine that after a day of touring in our team shirts some/all of us might want to put a fresh non-team shirt on. I've also heard that coordinated shirts can get you some extra attention from CMs and Characters so hopefully that will ring true!
DisneyDad79
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The apathy of my followers (with one notable exception
) is staggering! Ive been wracking my brain trying to figure out where things went so horribly wrong and I came up with one undeniable truth: Its not my fault!
Now I dont know who to blame for this free fall, I just know its not me. My guess is that it is some kind of government conspiracy aimed and keeping me from becoming too powerful. You have probably all posted comments hundreds of time, only to have them deleted by The Man and told to stop responding or the next thing deleted would be you! All I can say is that I will keep fighting the good fight in this dog-eat-dog world of pre-trip reporting!
With the apparent conspiracy in effect, it appears that this PTR is dying a slow and agonizing death. Hopefully this update will give it just the boost it needs to go from life-support to the morgue. Then on Sunday I will do another update that will cause the PTR to rise from the grave! I know, its not a very original idea, but at least Im copying from the best!
The subject of todays post is character meet and greets!
I expect meet and greets will factor heavily into our trip as the kids really liked them last time and they make great photo ops. It also is an endeavor that feeds my need to collect while not costing any extra money.
By my count there are currently 71 characters that appear regularly in the park and at character dining, 1 (Merida) that will be joining soon, and 33 that were unique to last years holiday parties.
That gives a total of 105 potential characters if last year is indicative of this year (especially in regards to the parties). Now there is a credible rumor that Thumper and Miss Bunny are going away
and I would say it is safe to assume that Wreck-It-Ralph will have some character presence in the parks when we go since the movie comes out on 11/2.
Now I wont go through the process of putting every character down, but if all goes according to my preliminary plans we should meet about 68 characters!
The break down would be 24 at meals, 17 at the parties, and 27 during regular park hours. Now this is an ambitious goal, but I think it is pretty doable with 9 total days in the parks and several character meals. The top priorities would be Mickey and Minnie (of course!), Queen of Hearts, Alice, and the Mad Hatter (during the party while we are in costume), Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Beast, Snow White, Woody, Buzz, Peter Pan, Mike, Sully, the Seven Dwarves, and Maleficent. We would also love to meet Cruela, but I have read that two villains is the most you can hope to meet after the Villains Mix and Mingle and QofH and Maleficent are just a bit higher on the list.
We also plan to try and hit Characterpalooza at Hollywood Studios so you never know who we might meet there!
We are in the process of making autograph books for the kids and I will post a picture of those once we are done. Again, I know that is an ambitious number of characters to meet, but between the advice on easywdw.com and Kennythepirate.com I think we will be well prepared!
Now I know of at least one follower who is quite averse to waiting in line to meet a character, but that follower also wont dress up and would leave his youngest child behind before his fanny pack, so this just adds to the list of things we dont see eye-to-eye on.
For the rest of you, do you place any importance on M&Gs? Do you have a particular interaction that stands out? What is the longest you will wait to meet a character? Any tips for fun things to say/ways to pose with the characters? I look forward to the response of one of my followers and a chilling silence from the rest of you!
Up next, Dining!!
) is staggering! Ive been wracking my brain trying to figure out where things went so horribly wrong and I came up with one undeniable truth: Its not my fault! Now I dont know who to blame for this free fall, I just know its not me. My guess is that it is some kind of government conspiracy aimed and keeping me from becoming too powerful. You have probably all posted comments hundreds of time, only to have them deleted by The Man and told to stop responding or the next thing deleted would be you! All I can say is that I will keep fighting the good fight in this dog-eat-dog world of pre-trip reporting! With the apparent conspiracy in effect, it appears that this PTR is dying a slow and agonizing death. Hopefully this update will give it just the boost it needs to go from life-support to the morgue. Then on Sunday I will do another update that will cause the PTR to rise from the grave! I know, its not a very original idea, but at least Im copying from the best!
The subject of todays post is character meet and greets!
I expect meet and greets will factor heavily into our trip as the kids really liked them last time and they make great photo ops. It also is an endeavor that feeds my need to collect while not costing any extra money.
By my count there are currently 71 characters that appear regularly in the park and at character dining, 1 (Merida) that will be joining soon, and 33 that were unique to last years holiday parties. That gives a total of 105 potential characters if last year is indicative of this year (especially in regards to the parties). Now there is a credible rumor that Thumper and Miss Bunny are going away and I would say it is safe to assume that Wreck-It-Ralph will have some character presence in the parks when we go since the movie comes out on 11/2. Now I wont go through the process of putting every character down, but if all goes according to my preliminary plans we should meet about 68 characters!
The break down would be 24 at meals, 17 at the parties, and 27 during regular park hours. Now this is an ambitious goal, but I think it is pretty doable with 9 total days in the parks and several character meals. The top priorities would be Mickey and Minnie (of course!), Queen of Hearts, Alice, and the Mad Hatter (during the party while we are in costume), Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Beast, Snow White, Woody, Buzz, Peter Pan, Mike, Sully, the Seven Dwarves, and Maleficent. We would also love to meet Cruela, but I have read that two villains is the most you can hope to meet after the Villains Mix and Mingle and QofH and Maleficent are just a bit higher on the list. We also plan to try and hit Characterpalooza at Hollywood Studios so you never know who we might meet there! We are in the process of making autograph books for the kids and I will post a picture of those once we are done. Again, I know that is an ambitious number of characters to meet, but between the advice on easywdw.com and Kennythepirate.com I think we will be well prepared!
Now I know of at least one follower who is quite averse to waiting in line to meet a character, but that follower also wont dress up and would leave his youngest child behind before his fanny pack, so this just adds to the list of things we dont see eye-to-eye on.
For the rest of you, do you place any importance on M&Gs? Do you have a particular interaction that stands out? What is the longest you will wait to meet a character? Any tips for fun things to say/ways to pose with the characters? I look forward to the response of one of my followers and a chilling silence from the rest of you! Up next, Dining!!
I am hoping this trip to meet Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie in Morocco. We have never seen them before. We also would like to see Rapunzel. Her line was SOOOOO long when we went last year. No way will I wait for 2 hours for that. I like extra magic hours for the abundance of charaters and SHORT lines!
Every year we do MK EMH at night and Mickey and Minnie meet behind the castle in their classic black and red. I LOVE that picture. It is a must for us! We do charaters during parades too. Once you have seen a parade, no need to see it again everyday! Line really clear out then.
My daughter loves meeting Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, they are always such GREAT characters. And the Evil step mother(Lady Tremaine) was one of her favs. I like the 'people' characters, they add to the experience. Peter Pan told my DD that adults have "coffee breath". It was FUNNY!
Great stuff! I look forward to your dining preview!
Every year we do MK EMH at night and Mickey and Minnie meet behind the castle in their classic black and red. I LOVE that picture. It is a must for us! We do charaters during parades too. Once you have seen a parade, no need to see it again everyday! Line really clear out then.
My daughter loves meeting Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, they are always such GREAT characters. And the Evil step mother(Lady Tremaine) was one of her favs. I like the 'people' characters, they add to the experience. Peter Pan told my DD that adults have "coffee breath". It was FUNNY!
Great stuff! I look forward to your dining preview!
Sorry for the lack of follower responses lately. "The Man" has indeed been monitoring all of my communications, including my brainwaves. I didn't dare post anything until I received my special tin foil hat. I just got it in the mail, so we're all good now.
We have done so many character meals, autographs, etc when the kids were little that we don't really do them anymore. I'm still debating whether we will try to do any character M&G during MNSSHP, since they have special characters. I guess it depends on whether the kids are interested. We do like the Disney Visa one at Epcot and may do it next time. That one is nice, especially for the picture that you get.
I can say that trying to meet characters can be dangerous. One of your followers, who shall remain nameless, once chased a double-decker bus around the world showcase to get Tigger and Pooh's autographs. Dozens of innocent tourists and a handful of CMs were injured in her pursuit of the bus. The "World Showcase Incident of 2000" (which is what Disney calls it) was so traumatic that they discontinued the double-decker character bus in Epcot. True story
Can't wait for your dining update. I love talking Disney dining
We have done so many character meals, autographs, etc when the kids were little that we don't really do them anymore. I'm still debating whether we will try to do any character M&G during MNSSHP, since they have special characters. I guess it depends on whether the kids are interested. We do like the Disney Visa one at Epcot and may do it next time. That one is nice, especially for the picture that you get.
I can say that trying to meet characters can be dangerous. One of your followers, who shall remain nameless, once chased a double-decker bus around the world showcase to get Tigger and Pooh's autographs. Dozens of innocent tourists and a handful of CMs were injured in her pursuit of the bus. The "World Showcase Incident of 2000" (which is what Disney calls it) was so traumatic that they discontinued the double-decker character bus in Epcot. True story
Can't wait for your dining update. I love talking Disney dining
DisneyDad79
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I am hoping this trip to meet Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie in Morocco. We have never seen them before. We also would like to see Rapunzel. Her line was SOOOOO long when we went last year. No way will I wait for 2 hours for that. I like extra magic hours for the abundance of charaters and SHORT lines!
Every year we do MK EMH at night and Mickey and Minnie meet behind the castle in their classic black and red. I LOVE that picture. It is a must for us! We do charaters during parades too. Once you have seen a parade, no need to see it again everyday! Line really clear out then.
My daughter loves meeting Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, they are always such GREAT characters. And the Evil step mother(Lady Tremaine) was one of her favs. I like the 'people' characters, they add to the experience. Peter Pan told my DD that adults have "coffee breath". It was FUNNY!
Great stuff! I look forward to your dining preview!
Thanks for the feedback! I don't think Genie appears regularly, but the three Aladdin characters as well as Abu all appeared at last year's parties so good luck!
DD4 was a little timid around the face characters last year, but loved to furry characters. She is really starting to come out of her shell so I'm hoping she will be more receptive to the various princesses we meet. DS1 has never met a stranger so I'm sure he will love just getting the attention!
Sorry for the lack of follower responses lately. "The Man" has indeed been monitoring all of my communications, including my brainwaves. I didn't dare post anything until I received my special tin foil hat. I just got it in the mail, so we're all good now.
We have done so many character meals, autographs, etc when the kids were little that we don't really do them anymore. I'm still debating whether we will try to do any character M&G during MNSSHP, since they have special characters. I guess it depends on whether the kids are interested. We do like the Disney Visa one at Epcot and may do it next time. That one is nice, especially for the picture that you get.
I can say that trying to meet characters can be dangerous. One of your followers, who shall remain nameless, once chased a double-decker bus around the world showcase to get Tigger and Pooh's autographs. Dozens of innocent tourists and a handful of CMs were injured in her pursuit of the bus. The "World Showcase Incident of 2000" (which is what Disney calls it) was so traumatic that they discontinued the double-decker character bus in Epcot. True story
Can't wait for your dining update. I love talking Disney dining
I completely understand. I think a lot of the mind reading/controlling comes from satellites owned by Major League Baseball. At least that is what they showed on the Simpsons and that is gospel as far as I'm concerned.
It's not a big surprise that the person I think you are referring to had complete disregard for the safety of others. As a recent soiree that we were all in attendance, I'm fairly certain she pushed DS1 down a flight of steps and then made him face plant off of chair onto a hard wood floor. She tries to claim that she was not around for either incident, but I have my doubts!
I was hoping to have a more definitive list of our dining plans by now, but my group has been having trouble setting up Disney planning meetings. It's cool though, as that will give me an opportunity to use the feedback from the many foodies who are following the PTR to help make decisions! I should have that up no later than Thursday.
Thank you andGreat trip report thus far!
to my PTR!! It looks like you have a ticker that is very close to ours! When and where are you staying? Are planning to try to hit a party while you are there? Glad to have you aboard! 
khertz
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So what do think? I know a few of you are planning to attend, what are your priorities? Will you wait in line for Santa? Any character(s) you would really love to meet? Are you as stoked for mediocre cookies and hot chocolate as my family? As always, I will eagerly await your responses!
Well, we are not doing the Christmas party this year of course, but we did attend in '09 and loved it!! The cookies & hot chocolate were nice, but not a highlight for us. For all the $$ you are paying, it's not really "free," now is it??
We didn't do any of the special character meets, but we were a group of adults. If we were taking DS to a party, those character meets would definitely be high up on the list like yours! I wouldn't wait in line for Santa at the party. I believe he is at the MK every day, so you could save that for another day and spend your party time doing other things. The parade & fireworks are FANTASTIC! Definitely the highlight of the party for me! Shirt 6: Mickey Zen Tangle
DW is into drawing Zen Tangles. For those of you who don’t know, it’s kind of a form of art/meditation. She is planning on drawing one inside of a Mickey head outline. I’m pretty excited about this one as she has done some pretty cool designs in the past and I’m sure this will be 100% unique!
This sounds really awesome! I can't wait to see how they come out when you post your TR. I so wish I was artistic enough to tackle this, much less all of the other DIY shirts y'all are doing! Well, that and I wish my husband would agree to actually wear them.
I'm thinking of doing some kind of shirts for DS's birthday for us to all wear since we will be in MK for his birthday, but step 1 is getting DH to wear it!
DisneyDad79
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- Jan 10, 2012
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Well, we are not doing the Christmas party this year of course, but we did attend in '09 and loved it!! The cookies & hot chocolate were nice, but not a highlight for us. For all the $$ you are paying, it's not really "free," now is it??
Trust me, I could care less if we get cookies and hot chocolate! It's always great to hear about positive experiences so thanks for your input!
This sounds really awesome! I can't wait to see how they come out when you post your TR. I so wish I was artistic enough to tackle this, much less all of the other DIY shirts y'all are doing! Well, that and I wish my husband would agree to actually wear them.
I am not artistically inclined at all, but luckily the DW, DM, and DSis all are. I don't really have any problem wearing the themed shirts, but I'm awesome enough to pull it off. If I was 10% less awesome it might be a whole different situation...
DisneyDad79
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Ok, this is the update you have all been waiting on and the one I think (and hope) will draw the most responses and suggestions. I am of course referring to our DINING PLANS!!!!!!
It’s funny how one of the after thoughts of many vacations is a source of great debate and planning among Disney lovers. Because I am hoping for (and need) a fair amount of feedback I have decided to break this in to two updates, one for table service and one for counter service. Since our ADR date is fast approaching (5/5) I will start with table service.
First off, we are hoping for free standard dining and are willing to pay to upgrade if free quick service dining is offered. If no free dining is offered then we will have to see what, if any, room discounts are offered and go from there. Based on the fact that the summer months just got a decent room discount, I have to believe that something will be offered for the time we are there. So with those hopes in mind we are planning on having nine table service credits to use during the course of our trip and don’t plan to do any two credit meals. Character dining and themed restaurants will figure heavily into our plans as none of us are really foodies. That said, I am hoping we have at least one great meal where the food is the most important aspect.
So now that I have set the table (pun intended!), let’s go on with our plans. I had thought by this point we would have our decisions made, but good meeting times have been hard to come by recently so we haven’t had a lot of time to actually discuss the different options. Luckily I have a legion of faithful followers that can now help us make more informed decisions! I do think we have our choices whittled down to about 23 places with one having a possibility for 2 meals. I will break it down into five categories: Virtual Locks, Strong Consideration, Moderate Consideration, Unlikely (But Possible), The X-Factor.
Virtual Locks:
Akershus Royal Banquet-Epcot
This place seems to be a great alternative to CRT in regards to meeting characters and with the included photo package is one of the best “values” on the DDP. Not sure about the food, but the princesses make up for it.
Crystal Palace-Magic Kingdom
We ate here last time and really enjoyed it. Both kids love the Pooh characters and this is an easy way to get them all seen! We are debating on doing this as a pre-opening breakfast or a lunch with BBB before park opening. DD4 seems iffy about BBB so we are leaning towards the breakfast if we can get an 8:05 reservation.
Tusker House-Animal Kingdom
We had this last time as well and loved it. The food was really good and it was a nice place to meet some of the Mickey pals. We will defiantly try for a pre-park breakfast here as the proximity to the Safari is awesome.
1900 Park Fare (Dinner)-Grand Floridian Resort
Great group of characters (Cinderella and family) and chance to check out what looks like a pretty amazing resort make this a very high priority. I have no knowledge of the food, but it is well rated on Trip Advisor, so I imagine it is at least decent.
If you are keeping track at home, that gives us four meals down, five to go. While nothing is set in stone, I will be surprised if we don’t make reservations for all of the above meals. That said, I would still love feedback based on your experiences!
Strong Contenders:
Boma-Animal Kingdom Lodge
All accounts I have read seem to rave about the food and atmosphere here. Add that to the opportunity to explore one of the coolest resorts at WDW and it seems like a really nice option. (Not to mention the highly regarded Zebra Domes!)
Ohana-Polynesian Resort
Another option that gets solid reviews for food and atmosphere, we would definitely be leaning towards dinner here. The characters at breakfast are Lilo and Stitch
, both of which the kids don’t know and Dsis actively hates. 
If we choose here we would be hoping to watch the Electric Water Pageant and Wishes after dinner from the beach.
Chef Mickey’s-Contemporary Resort
Obviously a great place to meet characters and enjoy breakfast.
Being one of the more famous WDW restaurants also helps, as does the chance to poke around another cool resort!
Garden Grill-Epcot
I love the concept of the rotating restaurant and I hear the interactions with Chip and Dale are great! No idea about the food, but it seems like a pretty good option. The one hinges heavily on whether we decide to do the Camp Fire Sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness. Since you can meet Chip and Dale there it would take away one of the big draws for this option.
1900 Park Fare (Breakfast)-Grand Floridian
It might seem odd to choose a place twice in one trip, but the characters are completely different and include DW favorites, Alice and the Mad Hatter.
Via Napoli-Epcot
I’ve heard good things about this restaurant and we are all fans of Italian food, especially pizza!
T-Rex-Down Town Disney
The theme looks amazing and both kids love dinosaurs! Of the options available for a night at DTD, this is the only one being strongly considered. Of course there are also a couple highly regarded CS options there as well.
Now I know you don’t all have fancy-schmancy accounting degrees like I do, so I will do the math for you. There are seven options above that will more than likely fill the five slots we have available. Something has to give. If you only comment on one restaurant, make it from this category as your feedback will help greatly in filling out dining plans.
Moderate Consideration:
Le Cellier (Lunch)-Epcot- This is a pretty close contender with Via Napoli, I’m just not sure it would be as universally liked among our group.
Cape May Café-Beach Club Resort- A good alternative to Chef Mickey’s, but it has fewer characters and a slightly less convenient location.
50’s Prime Time Diner-Hollywood Studios- Probably out best TS option in the Studios, but it doesn’t quite resonate as much as some of our other TS options. If it was part of the Fantasmic Dining Package it would be much higher on the list.
Les Chefs De France- Epcot- Like the idea of seeing animatronic Remy, not sure how much out team would like the food. With so many great Epcot options I don’t think this quite makes the cut.
Unlikely (But Possible):
Kona Café-Polynesian-Just not likely to beat out Ohana this time around
Whispering Canyon Café-Wilderness Lodge-I hear good things, but we would probably do a CS at Trail’s End if we make it to WL.
La Hacienda De San Angel-Epcot-Another victim of the huge number of choices at Epcot. That said, we do all enjoy Mexican food.
Rain Forest Café-Down Town Disney-We ate here last time and enjoyed it, I just think we would strongly lean toward T-Rex if we eat a TS in DTD.
Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre- I think this sounds cool, but I hear the food is mediocre and the rest of the fam would be far less interested.
Coral Reef-Epcot- Like the idea of the giant aquarium, but again, there are just so many options at Epcot.
Hollywood & Vine-Hollywood Studios- Character’s we don’t care about and food that is said to be mediocre, but it is on the Fantasmic Dining Package so it is not out of the question.
The X-Factor:
Be Our Guest-Magic Kingdom
There are so many variable here. Will it be open? Will we ba able to get reservations? Will this be a character meal? How many credits will it be? And so on. If it is open, and we can get in, it would have a very strong possibility of knocking out one of the other meals. We will cross that bridge when/if the time comes.
So I know that is a lot to digest (Again, pun intended!). Maybe I should have broken this in to more bite size chunks (Intended!). Take your time and let your thoughts marinate a bit (Intended!). After you have had ample time to chew on it (Intended!) please let me know what you think. What would your top nine TS meals be? Are there any we are over or under rating? Are there any great options that we totally missed? Your opinions and recommendations will help create a recipe for dining success (Intended!)! Remember, lot your stomach be your guide!
Up next…Counter Service & Snack Credits!!
It’s funny how one of the after thoughts of many vacations is a source of great debate and planning among Disney lovers. Because I am hoping for (and need) a fair amount of feedback I have decided to break this in to two updates, one for table service and one for counter service. Since our ADR date is fast approaching (5/5) I will start with table service. First off, we are hoping for free standard dining and are willing to pay to upgrade if free quick service dining is offered.
If no free dining is offered then we will have to see what, if any, room discounts are offered and go from there. Based on the fact that the summer months just got a decent room discount, I have to believe that something will be offered for the time we are there. So with those hopes in mind we are planning on having nine table service credits to use during the course of our trip and don’t plan to do any two credit meals. Character dining and themed restaurants will figure heavily into our plans as none of us are really foodies. That said, I am hoping we have at least one great meal where the food is the most important aspect. So now that I have set the table (pun intended!
), let’s go on with our plans. I had thought by this point we would have our decisions made, but good meeting times have been hard to come by recently so we haven’t had a lot of time to actually discuss the different options. Luckily I have a legion of faithful followers that can now help us make more informed decisions! I do think we have our choices whittled down to about 23 places with one having a possibility for 2 meals. I will break it down into five categories: Virtual Locks, Strong Consideration, Moderate Consideration, Unlikely (But Possible), The X-Factor. Virtual Locks:
Akershus Royal Banquet-Epcot
This place seems to be a great alternative to CRT in regards to meeting characters and with the included photo package is one of the best “values” on the DDP. Not sure about the food, but the princesses make up for it.
Crystal Palace-Magic Kingdom
We ate here last time and really enjoyed it. Both kids love the Pooh characters and this is an easy way to get them all seen! We are debating on doing this as a pre-opening breakfast or a lunch with BBB before park opening. DD4 seems iffy about BBB so we are leaning towards the breakfast if we can get an 8:05 reservation.
Tusker House-Animal Kingdom
We had this last time as well and loved it. The food was really good and it was a nice place to meet some of the Mickey pals. We will defiantly try for a pre-park breakfast here as the proximity to the Safari is awesome.
1900 Park Fare (Dinner)-Grand Floridian Resort
Great group of characters (Cinderella and family) and chance to check out what looks like a pretty amazing resort make this a very high priority. I have no knowledge of the food, but it is well rated on Trip Advisor, so I imagine it is at least decent.
If you are keeping track at home, that gives us four meals down, five to go.
While nothing is set in stone, I will be surprised if we don’t make reservations for all of the above meals. That said, I would still love feedback based on your experiences!Strong Contenders:
Boma-Animal Kingdom Lodge
All accounts I have read seem to rave about the food and atmosphere here. Add that to the opportunity to explore one of the coolest resorts at WDW and it seems like a really nice option. (Not to mention the highly regarded Zebra Domes!)
Ohana-Polynesian Resort
Another option that gets solid reviews for food and atmosphere, we would definitely be leaning towards dinner here. The characters at breakfast are Lilo and Stitch
, both of which the kids don’t know and Dsis actively hates. If we choose here we would be hoping to watch the Electric Water Pageant and Wishes after dinner from the beach.Chef Mickey’s-Contemporary Resort
Obviously a great place to meet characters and enjoy breakfast.
Being one of the more famous WDW restaurants also helps, as does the chance to poke around another cool resort!Garden Grill-Epcot
I love the concept of the rotating restaurant and I hear the interactions with Chip and Dale are great! No idea about the food, but it seems like a pretty good option. The one hinges heavily on whether we decide to do the Camp Fire Sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness. Since you can meet Chip and Dale there it would take away one of the big draws for this option.
1900 Park Fare (Breakfast)-Grand Floridian
It might seem odd to choose a place twice in one trip, but the characters are completely different and include DW favorites, Alice and the Mad Hatter.
Via Napoli-Epcot
I’ve heard good things about this restaurant and we are all fans of Italian food, especially pizza!
T-Rex-Down Town Disney
The theme looks amazing and both kids love dinosaurs! Of the options available for a night at DTD, this is the only one being strongly considered. Of course there are also a couple highly regarded CS options there as well.
Now I know you don’t all have fancy-schmancy accounting degrees like I do, so I will do the math for you. There are seven options above that will more than likely fill the five slots we have available. Something has to give. If you only comment on one restaurant, make it from this category as your feedback will help greatly in filling out dining plans.
Moderate Consideration:
Le Cellier (Lunch)-Epcot- This is a pretty close contender with Via Napoli, I’m just not sure it would be as universally liked among our group.
Cape May Café-Beach Club Resort- A good alternative to Chef Mickey’s, but it has fewer characters and a slightly less convenient location.
50’s Prime Time Diner-Hollywood Studios- Probably out best TS option in the Studios, but it doesn’t quite resonate as much as some of our other TS options. If it was part of the Fantasmic Dining Package it would be much higher on the list.
Les Chefs De France- Epcot- Like the idea of seeing animatronic Remy, not sure how much out team would like the food. With so many great Epcot options I don’t think this quite makes the cut.
Unlikely (But Possible):
Kona Café-Polynesian-Just not likely to beat out Ohana this time around
Whispering Canyon Café-Wilderness Lodge-I hear good things, but we would probably do a CS at Trail’s End if we make it to WL.
La Hacienda De San Angel-Epcot-Another victim of the huge number of choices at Epcot. That said, we do all enjoy Mexican food.
Rain Forest Café-Down Town Disney-We ate here last time and enjoyed it, I just think we would strongly lean toward T-Rex if we eat a TS in DTD.
Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre- I think this sounds cool, but I hear the food is mediocre and the rest of the fam would be far less interested.
Coral Reef-Epcot- Like the idea of the giant aquarium, but again, there are just so many options at Epcot.
Hollywood & Vine-Hollywood Studios- Character’s we don’t care about and food that is said to be mediocre, but it is on the Fantasmic Dining Package so it is not out of the question.
The X-Factor:
Be Our Guest-Magic Kingdom
There are so many variable here. Will it be open? Will we ba able to get reservations? Will this be a character meal? How many credits will it be? And so on. If it is open, and we can get in, it would have a very strong possibility of knocking out one of the other meals. We will cross that bridge when/if the time comes.
So I know that is a lot to digest (Again, pun intended!). Maybe I should have broken this in to more bite size chunks (Intended!). Take your time and let your thoughts marinate a bit (Intended!). After you have had ample time to chew on it (Intended!) please let me know what you think. What would your top nine TS meals be? Are there any we are over or under rating? Are there any great options that we totally missed? Your opinions and recommendations will help create a recipe for dining success (Intended!)! Remember, lot your stomach be your guide!
Up next…Counter Service & Snack Credits!!
This is a great plan, especially considering your kids' ages. Personally, I would put Ohana (Dinner) in the "Virtual Lock" category. We have done the Ohana dinner our last 3 trips and plan on doing it every trip going forward, including this October. I can't imagine going to Disney and not eating there. For us, it's the one meal everyone loves (and I have a very picky daughter when it comes to food). And we love watching Wishes and the water pageant from the beach. It is a far less stressful way to enjoy the fireworks. Get there early so you can grab some beach chairs and drag them back towards the sidewalk (where the speakers are).
I would also put 1900 Park Faire (breakfast) in the Virtual Lock category. It was probably the most entertaining character meal we've ever done, and we've done just about all of them. (The Mad Hatter is hilarious!) The food was very good at breakfast as well.
Looks like a solid plan. You'll have a real good idea of which character meals you like after this trip. You've got most of them planned.
I would also put 1900 Park Faire (breakfast) in the Virtual Lock category. It was probably the most entertaining character meal we've ever done, and we've done just about all of them. (The Mad Hatter is hilarious!) The food was very good at breakfast as well.
Looks like a solid plan. You'll have a real good idea of which character meals you like after this trip. You've got most of them planned.
DisneyDad79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2012
- Messages
- 197
This is a great plan, especially considering your kids' ages. Personally, I would put Ohana (Dinner) in the "Virtual Lock" category. We have done the Ohana dinner our last 3 trips and plan on doing it every trip going forward, including this October. I can't imagine going to Disney and not eating there. For us, it's the one meal everyone loves (and I have a very picky daughter when it comes to food). And we love watching Wishes and the water pageant from the beach. It is a far less stressful way to enjoy the fireworks. Get there early so you can grab some beach chairs and drag them back towards the sidewalk (where the speakers are).
I would also put 1900 Park Faire (breakfast) in the Virtual Lock category. It was probably the most entertaining character meal we've ever done, and we've done just about all of them. (The Mad Hatter is hilarious!) The food was very good at breakfast as well.
Looks like a solid plan. You'll have a real good idea of which character meals you like after this trip. You've got most of them planned.
Thanks for the input! It looks like both or those will make the cut and everyone was quite exited about both options when we met on Tuesday.
I have no input really as we do not do table service or character meals. I wanted to let you know I am reading.
My hubby has always thought Garden Grill would be nice. He loves the Land ride.
I appreciate you checking in! I will be putting up the counter service places we hope to hit tomorrow or Friday and I am looking forward to your advice!
khertz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 8,010
Looks like you have a LOT of good choices to pick from! I think your list of must-dos is good, a nice mix of character meals. I will admit, I have only done CP from that list, but it was a great experience! We had a pre-park opening reservation, and it was one of the best mornings of our trip.
From your next category, I can't comment on many, but I will say we LOVED Via Napoli!! The pizza was simply heavenly and I can't wait to get back there in October.
The only other one I have done was Chef Mickey's breakfast twice. And while it was a decent breakfast, the food was definitely better at CP. Also, it seems that if you go any other time than when it first opens, there is a decent wait before you are seated. As for the character interaction, while it is great to have the Fab 5 in one place, the time with the characters there is very rushed because the restaurant is always so busy. If you plan on meeting any of those characters in the parks or at other meals, I think CM is one you can safely skip, in my opinion anyway.
Good luck with choosing & making your ADR's!
ETA: I too am on pins & needles about Be Our Guest!!
From your next category, I can't comment on many, but I will say we LOVED Via Napoli!! The pizza was simply heavenly and I can't wait to get back there in October.
The only other one I have done was Chef Mickey's breakfast twice. And while it was a decent breakfast, the food was definitely better at CP. Also, it seems that if you go any other time than when it first opens, there is a decent wait before you are seated. As for the character interaction, while it is great to have the Fab 5 in one place, the time with the characters there is very rushed because the restaurant is always so busy. If you plan on meeting any of those characters in the parks or at other meals, I think CM is one you can safely skip, in my opinion anyway. Good luck with choosing & making your ADR's!
ETA: I too am on pins & needles about Be Our Guest!!
DisneyDad79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2012
- Messages
- 197
Looks like you have a LOT of good choices to pick from! I think your list of must-dos is good, a nice mix of character meals. I will admit, I have only done CP from that list, but it was a great experience! We had a pre-park opening reservation, and it was one of the best mornings of our trip.
From your next category, I can't comment on many, but I will say we LOVED Via Napoli!! The pizza was simply heavenly and I can't wait to get back there in October.
Good luck with choosing & making your ADR's!
ETA: I too am on pins & needles about Be Our Guest!!
Thanks for all the input! I am really on the fence about Chef Mickey's. We have all our plans made at this point and Chef Mickey's is down for a late breakfast, but I've seen similar comments to yours and I know we will be seeing all the characters in other places. I guess I have about 44 hours to decide before ADRs and then six months to change my mind 100 times!
I did see that the party dates are out and I am very excited! It looks like we will be able to make both! Sorry I have been so neglectful to this PTR lately. Both work and home life have been hectic, but I think things are calming down so I should be able to get back to a more regular schedule. I think going forward I am going to do more frequent short posts as I don't really have anything in depth to talk about except QS dining until we make out touring plans. Thanks for keeping this PTR from withering away completely!
I did see that the party dates are out and I am very excited! It looks like we will be able to make both! Sorry I have been so neglectful to this PTR lately. Both work and home life have been hectic, but I think things are calming down so I should be able to get back to a more regular schedule. I think going forward I am going to do more frequent short posts as I don't really have anything in depth to talk about except QS dining until we make out touring plans. Thanks for keeping this PTR from withering away completely!
Mine is pretty quiet too. Probably will be until August!!! i will get back to serious planning then! Until then it will be random things as I think about them.
DisneyEars116
[url=http://distickers.com/ticker/][img]http://dis
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2012
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Hi. Your PTR is hysterical and quite entertaining!! I cant wait to hear more. My family and I are traveling to Disney the first week in Dec 2012. We will also be celebrating my daughters 10th birthday and taking my 2yr old for her first visit. I hear with those "special buttons" you get "prizes" occasionally...so wear them allll week 
. I can't Wait to see what kind of "prizes" the kids rack up for Me...ummmm...I mean Them (of course). Cant wait to hear More 
and quite entertaining!! I cant wait to hear more. My family and I are traveling to Disney the first week in Dec 2012. We will also be celebrating my daughters 10th birthday and taking my 2yr old for her first visit. I hear with those "special buttons" you get "prizes" occasionally...so wear them allll week . I can't Wait to see what kind of "prizes" the kids rack up for Me...ummmm...I mean Them (of course). Cant wait to hear More -
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