We have done the ice cream social twice now and love it. Here are a couple of tips that I learned.
If you are trying to cust costs... ask for water to drink with the ice cream instead of purchasing pop (sodas). We always get water. The kids water also comes in the cutest cups that we always bring back home with us. The kids love using them at home.
Also, ask to be seated in the upper level of the restaurant. You get to sit at a regular table and can see everthing that is going on. We sat in the lower level at a booth this past September. The back of the booth seamed really high and you couldn't see much of anything except what was happening right at your table or a little bit to each side. It was much more fun to watch the characters interact with the other families besides our own.
The characters were Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. The characters usually visit twice and alot of times more than that.
The social seems like it is a quiet little secret out there. It has never been crowded during each visit and things were never rushed.
It is a must have for our family for each visit.
Enjoy,
Beth