Don't Fear the Rain, We Have the "Ducky of Death!"-Jan '14 **Bonus TR DCA 9/1 x2

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Happy belated birthday!! Love your pics in NY!

Thank you Kimmy!

Happy belated birthday!!! Sounds like an amazing way to celebrate to me! My 40th birthday plans two years ago involved driving an hour an a half with some friends just to get Chick-Fil-A. LOL.

Thank you Sue! Actually, the Chick-Fil-A trip sounds pretty awesome if you ask me!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Character meals have become a staple of our trips to Disney. Our kids love them as much as I do. I especially like the efficiency. Being able to meet multiple characters in one sitting with very little wait in an air-conditioned indoor area while eating fits in perfectly with my style of touring the parks. I also think it brings a good amount of Disney spirit and atmosphere. It’s not just about the rides and attractions but these more personal moments and interactions during meal times that provide Disney magic. One other unexpected benefit of these meals for this particular trip was that they provided well timed breaks from the rain. My brother and his family had never experienced a character meal during their only trip last time so I made it a point to schedule in all of our favorite character dining for all of the reasons above as part of my master plan to convert him to the #Disneyside.

Our first full park day in MK – when temps were dropping down to the low 40s with rain all day – I had ADRs for a Crystal Palace lunch. Normally I like scheduling our character meals for breakfasts but as part of my efforts to make a more leisurely paced touring plan I had decided to squeeze in a couple of lunch character meals. It turned out to be a great decision because we were all ready to take shelter from the rain and warm up a bit. Even though this was our fourth visit to CP, it was the first time we were seated in the right section as you walk in the entrance and that got me a little excited. It’s the little things.

I’ve mentioned a few times how empty the park was on this particular day. When we were seated at our table, I was even more surprised how empty CP was. I don’t think I have ever seen it that deserted. I would say less than half of the tables were occupied during our time there between noon and 1pm. We had all of the characters visit us twice and some of them three times during our meal. It was so awesome. The characters started coming by our characters pretty much as soon as we got seated and all four of them came by in the first 20 minutes. It was so fast that I didn’t get a chance to grab anything to eat for myself while others squeezed in time to grab plates of food for themselves and the kids. Being the photographer of our family, I didn’t want to risk leaving the table and missing a cool moment with the characters. Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger took their time with us too since they were really not in any rush. At one point we had a convergence where Pooh was playing with the kids while Eeyore came by and entertained DB and DSIL! DS was trying to come up with questions to ask each of the characters. By the second go around with the characters, my brother really got into the spirit of things asking to take pictures with just him and the character. He said he wanted to get his money’s worth. DD, DS, and my nephew loved all of the attention from the characters. They had so much fun playing with them.

The kids of course asked Tigger to bounce with them.





Piglet was very attentive and spent a lot of time with the kids. He gave a kiss on DD’s hand before he left. Always have to remind people around me that Piglet is a he and not a she.



Pooh was pretty much mobbed as soon as he showed up by all three kids. DS ran up to him and asked if he had any honey with him. Pooh nodded yes. DS asked where it was and that’s when Pooh rubbed his tummy. When Pooh came around the second time we asked him what Christopher was up to today to which he replied that he was reading. When I say reply, I mean by character “sign language.”



Eeyore planting a kiss on DS’ head. Either that or he’s trying to eat him. We asked him if he had his tail with him today and he turned around to show his pinned tail then shook his behind. The kids of course got a kick out of that.



Overall, Crystal Palace is one of my favorite and reliable places for character dining. The food is not that bad. The interactions are always great. We all left happy and re-energized.

On our second park day at DHS, we had a lunch ADR at the revamped Hollywood and Vine with its new character lineup that included Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First. This was our first time at this restaurant. I was looking forward to seeing the reactions of the kids since all three of then love Disney Jr. We got there 15 minutes early thanks to Indy’s stunt show ending early because of the rain. While waiting outside on the benches near the check in podium, I overheard numerous familes and groups come up asking for walk in tables and the CM calmly explaining to them that there were no availability for walk-ins. Sometimes she had to repeat that several times to the same family who couldn’t quite grasp the idea that there were absolutely no tables available for them as a walk in. Ahhh, newbies. Reminds me of the time when we walked up to the podium at Le Cellier on our very first trip years ago asking if we could be seated without a reservation.

Finally we got seated but sadly our table was not at an ideal location. Our table aisle was a high foot traffic area with people constantly walking by to go between their tables and the buffet line. I had a LOT of people photobombing my pictures of the kids with the characters. Seriously, how hard is it to just wait 5 seconds! I usually let everyone pass through before I set up my shots. Of course, DB had to rub it in a bit more by purposely photobombing one of my pictures which he thought was pretty hilarious.

My first impression of Hollywood and Vine? It felt like a zoo but mostly in a fun way. Very loud compared to all of the other character dining places. The CMs who led dance activities every 15 to 20 minutes were also failry loud but it’s the only way the can cut through the echo noise of the cafeteria like restaurant. Our kids had a blast. They did eventually join the dance activities. In between, they ate and met up with all four characters.

The kids played with Doc’s stethoscope. No special effects or sound effects were attached to it to my disappointment.



They gave their royal poses with Sofia. Once again, I had been curious before the trip whether her amulet would glow or do anything special. Some of my DIS friends jokingly advised me not to try to press on the amulet myself or I may be kicked out of the park.





Manny came by twice. The second time I asked him if he had gotten anything fixed since we last saw him. He pointed to the flap of his cap to which I replied “Yep, it looks a whole lot spiffier!”



And of course Jake was a big hit.



I found this picture a bit funny. While Jake was meeting with our kids at our table, Doc squeezed her way through the aisle to get to the other side of the restaurant when I snapped this. It almost looks like Doc is dissing and ignoring Jake as she walks by and Jake looks a bit dejected.



Anyway, thought Hollywood and Vine was totally worth it for familes with children who love Disney Jr.

I’ll stop here tonight and save Tusker House and CRT for the next update.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Nice that you were able to get to NYC for your 40th. Beautiful pictures of course. My friend actually lives in NYC and ushers at Broadway shows. I'm pretty sure he was at Matilda.

Awesome that you CP was empty for your lunch. I've never seen CP really empty before myself. And that the characters were able to visit three times! Score.

I remember back in the day when you could walk up to pretty much any restaurant and be seating. The introduction of the dining plan honestly took all of that away.

Haha, that picture with Doc and Jake is awesome! She totally does look like she's blowing him off.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Nice that you were able to get to NYC for your 40th. Beautiful pictures of course. My friend actually lives in NYC and ushers at Broadway shows. I'm pretty sure he was at Matilda.

Awesome that you CP was empty for your lunch. I've never seen CP really empty before myself. And that the characters were able to visit three times! Score.

I remember back in the day when you could walk up to pretty much any restaurant and be seating. The introduction of the dining plan honestly took all of that away.

Haha, that picture with Doc and Jake is awesome! She totally does look like she's blowing him off.

The ushers at Matilda were very nice and courteous.

I know, it's like Doc is saying to Jake, I'm too important to be mingling with the commoners

 

[chattadisser]

Maybe Doc had an urgent procedure to get to?? That is a funny picture, especially with the expression on Jake's face.

We ate at H&V once, pre-Doc and Sofia, and you're right - it is very cafeteria like. I kept feeling like the flow was off or something while we were there. We were there for breakfast so it was the typical breakfast foods so I can't say the food swayed me one way or another.

I think CP just makes you feel better with it's sunny atmosphere. Even on a rainy day. Helps that they have the characters that could be the most huggable there. They are all so cute and their vibrant colors make for great pictures.

Christine

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Happy belated Dave!!! Those pics of NYC were stunning.

Gee, it sounds like you could have even done a walk up at CP for lunch that day. I guess the weather kept them all away. Oh well, more for you.

Clearly the folks trying to get into H&V without a ressie should have tried CP the day you were there.

 

[afwdwfan]

I absolutely love Crystal Palace. It is a fantastic character meal! We haven't done it in several years and I look forward to getting back there this next trip.

However... I've eaten at Hollywood and Vine once. It was not a character meal when we ate there, but the food was room temp and awful! But DS love Jake and DD's second birthday party was yesterday and it was Sophia themed. And both of them love Doc Mc Stuffins. I really don't want to try to juggle this into our plans, but the characters alone make a somewhat compelling case. Our kids would love that more than any of the other character meals.

 

[JDUB]

Glad that CP was half empty for your family. Your DB will probably never get this amazing experience like that again. We are lucky if they come by once in the hour we were there during breakfast. I guess lunch is the smart choice. Lol
We loved H&V and the high energy / dancing. We totally need to see the photobomb pic by your DB
Can't wait to hear about the other character meals.

 

[MEK]

I love CP! It's one of my favorite character breakfasts. I can't believe how empty it looks. That has got to be a first. 40's and rain? Yuck - that's like being at home.

I don't have young kids so I can't really identify with the H&V theme. Those characters are cute but my kids must have already been tweens or teens when they hit the scene.

That would be a cool idea for Doc's stethoscope to say something or having a creative sound like, say, a heartbeat!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Maybe Doc had an urgent procedure to get to?? That is a funny picture, especially with the expression on Jake's face.

We ate at H&V once, pre-Doc and Sofia, and you're right - it is very cafeteria like. I kept feeling like the flow was off or something while we were there. We were there for breakfast so it was the typical breakfast foods so I can't say the food swayed me one way or another.

I think CP just makes you feel better with it's sunny atmosphere. Even on a rainy day. Helps that they have the characters that could be the most huggable there. They are all so cute and their vibrant colors make for great pictures.

Christine

I totally agree - CP always feels sunny and bright inside thanks to it's lighting and color scheme!

And I also agree that the layout of H&V was a little confusing.

Happy belated Dave!!! Those pics of NYC were stunning.

Gee, it sounds like you could have even done a walk up at CP for lunch that day. I guess the weather kept them all away. Oh well, more for you.

Clearly the folks trying to get into H&V without a ressie should have tried CP the day you were there.

Thanks Rob! Now that you mention it, you're totally right! People would have had no problem getting a table at CP as a walk-up that day!

I absolutely love Crystal Palace. It is a fantastic character meal! We haven't done it in several years and I look forward to getting back there this next trip.

However... I've eaten at Hollywood and Vine once. It was not a character meal when we ate there, but the food was room temp and awful! But DS love Jake and DD's second birthday party was yesterday and it was Sophia themed. And both of them love Doc Mc Stuffins. I really don't want to try to juggle this into our plans, but the characters alone make a somewhat compelling case. Our kids would love that more than any of the other character meals.

I had my expectations for the food set very low based on the reviews I had read which is probably why I wasn't too disappointed. But yes, the sole reason for the H&V ADR was for the characters. Both DD and DS had been asking about meeting Jake, Doc, and Sofia for this trip. It worked out well!

Glad that CP was half empty for your family. Your DB will probably never get this amazing experience like that again. We are lucky if they come by once in the hour we were there during breakfast. I guess lunch is the smart choice. Lol
We loved H&V and the high energy / dancing. We totally need to see the photobomb pic by your DB
Can't wait to hear about the other character meals.

We've done CP breakfast a couple of times and I found myself rushing through the meal each time as I tried to get out to the park before the rope dropped. I think the first time we only waited to meet 3 out of the four characters. The lunch experience was definitely more relaxed.

I love CP! It's one of my favorite character breakfasts. I can't believe how empty it looks. That has got to be a first. 40's and rain? Yuck - that's like being at home.

I don't have young kids so I can't really identify with the H&V theme. Those characters are cute but my kids must have already been tweens or teens when they hit the scene.

That would be a cool idea for Doc's stethoscope to say something or having a creative sound like, say, a heartbeat!

I kept expecting the crowd to fill in during our meal at CP but it never happened. It was a very cool experience.

And I'm with you - if it weren't for my kids I would have absolutely noooo idea who any of the Disney Jr. characters are! But thanks to them, not only do I know all of them very well but I pretty much have every episode of their shows memorized.

 

[teekathepony]

Interesting that CP would be so quiet at lunch time? But then most people seem to want early breakfast or dinner there from what it seems. Sounds like lunch was a good time to go! I like CP and the characters there. Pooh is so cute.
Both character meals sound great, though I'm sorry you were in a high traffic area in Hollywood and Vine.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Interesting that CP would be so quiet at lunch time? But then most people seem to want early breakfast or dinner there from what it seems. Sounds like lunch was a good time to go! I like CP and the characters there. Pooh is so cute.
Both character meals sound great, though I'm sorry you were in a high traffic area in Hollywood and Vine.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

We've eaten lunch at CP once before this trip and it was a lot more crowded back then. I think we were seeing the effects of the cold and rainy weather.

The food at CP was definitely better than Hollywood and Vine.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I’m going to squeeze in one more update before I head out to Vancouver for a conference. Excited to be visiting this gorgeous city again and this time I’ll be bringing my photography equipment with hopes that I can find time to take some pictures after hours.

Finishing up the updates about our experiences with character meals……

On our third park day in the Magic Kingdom, I had ADRs for Cinderella’s Royal Table for 8:15am on a 9:00am-park-opening-day. My brother and his family were feeling a little worn down even with my efforts to make our touring pace slower than usual. I wonder how things would have went if we had went full speed. They decided to join us for the breakfast then head back to the resort for some relaxation and pool time. That was a good thing because a) the meal was already prepaid and b) the main reason I had booked this ADR as opposed to Akershus was so that my brother’s family would get to experience eating inside the castle. Everyone enjoyed entering the park before it opened and nearly empty Main Street. I took some pictures with everyone in front of the Castle but then we had to hurry into the restaurant because, yep, the rain picked up again. I did manage to grab the black and white photo of the castle before we rushed inside that I posed on the front of this trip report.



We checked in at the podium and waited in line at Cinderella’s reception area.
The scenery from where I was standing in line.



Except, Cindy was nowhere to be seen. We waited and waited. The clock said 8:15am when a CM finally announced that Cindy was running late and that all of us in line for her meet and greet should get seated and order our food first. Then once Cindy was ready they would bring each family down to meet her.

The view from our table.



And the view looking up.



I love being inside the castle. When I was a kid, I had NO idea that there all this space inside. I thought the castle was just an ornament of sorts. So when I found out as an adult that only there was a restaurant, but also a boutique AND a suite it just completely warped my mind.

Once we ordered the food (and prey much all of the adults ordered the steak and eggs), a CM came over to escort us back downstairs to the lobby so we could meet with Cinderella. Cinderella was already meeting the guests that were checking at that time but our CM escorted us to the front of the line and we were able to meet her without a wait. It was like a fast pass!



A funny thing happened on our way back up. Apparently, a family whose kids are patients of my wife (she’s a pediatrician too) was in line waiting to meet Cinderella and said hi to DW. DW was telling me about this in the elevator back up. Yes, as part of this Cindy “fastpass” deal we got to ride the elevator. What’s really mind boggling is that without exaggeration this happens EVERY time we go on vacation no matter where we go. The last time we met a family of a patient of DW’s? At the airport in Columbus, Ohio. We were waiting at the gate for our plane and a mom of one of DW’s patients recognized her and said hi. I swear, she’s like a celebrity. I don’t seem to run into any of my patients during our trips. Or maybe they’re just not saying hi to me. Hmmmmmm.

The meal was a success although handing out plastic swords to two 4 year old boys at the beginning of the meal is just asking for trouble. DS and DN spent pretty much the whole time finding every opportunity to duel each other. And whenever a princess showed up they eagerly showed off their newly acquired weapons to which most of the princesses acted very impressed and asked to slay a dragon or two.







The kids had the best time with Jasmine who got down to the kids’ eye levels and spent a long time chatting and laughing with them.



I have no idea what they were talking about since I kept my distance and focused on taking the pictures but it was usch a natural conversation between them. So much so that the kids felt very comfortable around Jasmine doing funny poses with her.

At the end of the meal, DB had another question only a person who is not on the #Disneyside could ask. He asked why Jasmine appeared to be so different in her demeanor and attitude compared to someone like Snow White, Aurora and Cinderella. By the way, DB had no idea who all of the princesses were and had to ask a few times which one was which. Part of my explanation was that Jasmine was a more modern character from the 90s so her film personality is much more relatable to us than say Aurora or Snow White. But I also had to tell him that the friend of Jasmine who had just visited us was one of the best I had seen.

As much as I enjoy being inside the Castle, CRT is a meal that we probably will do every 2-3 trips. The food is okay but not my favorite. And even though we had an awesome meet with Jasmine this time around, on average I find the interactions to be much better over at Akershus.

Finally, for the morning of our fourth park day I had made ADRs for Tusker House breakfast at 8am, a full hour before park opening. I had really run my brother's family into the ground by this point as DSIL was exhausted beyond belief. My brother’s family had arrived in Orlando three days earlier than we did and they had already toured AK on their own before we arrived. So, they decided to stay at the resort for the morning and catch up with us later in the day once they had a chance to recharge. So the TH breakfast was going to be just us four. A funny side story. At TH, DW and I were commenting how tired DSIL was and usually she has no problem keeping up with us on vacations. DW said that she thought it was because DSIL was pregnant since the last time she had this much exhaustion was when she was pregnant with our nephew. A few weeks later, we found out that DW's guess was right on the money.

Every time I drive over to AK for a before the park opens ADR for TH, I get nervous that there will be no parking attendant to let us in. I think this fear began several years ago when stories of this happening were frequently reported on DIS. I don’t think it’s a problem anymore as there was once again someone at the parking lot entrance to let us through. However, no CM was visible to direct us once inside the parking lot so we drove up as far up front as we could without entering the CM parking section. By the time we strolled up to the AK gates it was 7:40am and we were soon let in. We were the second family to check in at TH’s podium.

Donald was not out front to greet us at the front of the entrance. Instead he came by our table during our meal along with Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey all donning the safari outfit and gear. I’m always surprised how much shorter Daisy is compared to her friends. I think that makes her very child friendly because they are about the same height.

The breakfast spread at TH is my favorite.



There’s just enough variety to make it stand out from the rest of the generic Disney breakfast fare. The ham carving station is always a bonus. The characters were great and Goofy must have been high on caffeine this particular morning because he was running, literally running, around the joint.



The kids asked Donald to do the hot dog dance. Donald is DS’ favorite character from Mickey’s Clubhouse on Disney Jr but the kids were a little disappointed when Donald apparently did that the dance that Mickey does. DS also didn’t forget to bring his “Ducky of Death” and showed it to both Daisy and Donald and got a good reaction out of them.



Without even rushing, we enjoyed a hearty meal and meeting all of the characters and still made it out by 8:45am. On our way out the kids made a restroom stop. While DS and I were waiting for the ladies, I started noticing some of the details of TH that I hadn’t quite appreciated before.

Thank goodness these are for "public use"





So apparently second hand smoke is not only harmful for humans but also for old buildings.


Overall, TH is my favorite character breakfast in terms of food. The character interactions are decent but I still enjoy O’hana and Crystal Palace better in that department.

 

[spiritsim]

loved your updates on char. meals we are doing TH, 1900 PF, Akershus and CP
really looking forword to them and you made them come alive for me ty

 

[MEK]

Love your CRT pictures. I have never done CRT but am happy to say that Cynthia and I will be visiting Cindy in two weeks. I've heard the food is just OK, but I really need to get in that castle once.

Too funny about your DW always running into her patients. I have a friend who runs into someone he knows EVERY time we travel with him. It's crazy.

Enjoy Vancouver!

 

[teekathepony]

I have two cousins in Vancouver so if you see them say hi for me. I've never made it that far West yet!
It's been a long time (2007) since I've done CRT. We enjoyed it but thought the same as you, food was just ok. Wonderful pictures of the princesses though! And Jasmin sounds like she was great.

I'm sorry your DSIL wasn't feeling up to breakfast at TH, but this:

A funny side story. At TH, DW and I were commenting how tired DSIL was and usually she has no problem keeping up with us on vacations. DW said that she thought it was because DSIL was pregnant since the last time she had this much exhaustion was when she was pregnant with our nephew. A few weeks later, we found out that DW's guess was right on the money.

Too funny! Pediatrician's intuition?

Another great meal, some day I want to do TH for breakfast, looks really good!

 

[white306]

Loving your TR!

I especially liked this update because I'm pretty postive you were at CRT at the same time as us. In the Aurora picture I'm all the way back there next to the window! And DBF is in the next picture. Too funny. DBF was really not feeling the CRT at first but it ended up being one of our favorite things on the trip. We probably won't do it again with just the two of us until we have kids but I'm so glad we experienced it. And that Jasmine was awesome!

I also love the TH pictures. I just got the word from my brother that I can take my niece for her first trip next January! I'm super excited! She will be almost six and I want to make it so magical for her so TR's with kids in them appeal to me so much more now! And after seeing your pictures of TH I'm postive we will be booking this character meal!

Can't wait for more updates and your amazing pictures! Have fun in Vancouver!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Honestly, I think there is something extra beautiful about the castle with the wet streets in front.

I think the appeal of CRT is more the idea of actually dining IN the castle more so than the character experience. I've never done it, but I imagine at some point I will have to just to do it and say I did. We all can't be like Brenda and get to tour the Dream Suite after all.

Have a great trip to the Vancouver. Pity it's the wrong side of Canada, lol.

 

[amazingact21]

It always makes me laugh a little when I see how exhausted non-Disney veterans get. People don't always understand just how much there is to see and do at Disney!


I have heard on multiple occasions that the food at CRT is pretty generic. I suppose if you go there for the atmosphere more so than the food.


I can only imagine what 2 four years with plastic swords were like. Did they manage to sit still long enough to eat?




Nice review of Tusker House. Sounds like a good dining choice if you want to meet the Fab 5 and get into AK early.

(Complete, side note, but the other day my husband and I had Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on for our DS, and I asked him, "Do you think the characters in the parks can do the Hot Dog Dance? Goofy's looks really hard to imitate!" So when you said your DS tried to get Donald to do it, I couldn't help but giggle.)

 

[JDUB]

Great character meals Dave!!! The character interactions sounded amazing as you never know how they will be.
Funny that your DW sees her patients everywhere and you don't. I wonder if you are actually hiding behind that huge camera and no one sees you.