International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert Reception

[sillykaren]

I was reading my handy dandy PassPorters Guide this morning to try and get some ideas for other types of reception style dinners I can do and stumbled across the International Dinner and DP at Epcot.

I want to have an early morning ceremony and a small breakfast afterwards, with a DP or something else later in the day. I wasn't planning on wearing my dress and it wouldn't be a "reception" for my wedding, just another even for our group while we're there.

Will Disney force me into treating this as a Wedding day event because it falls on the same day?

Also, does the 60/pp include everything? Or are there other separate unknown fees?

TIA!

 

[lurkyloo]

No worries - the International Dinner etc. is a Grand Gathering, so it's completely separate from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings dept. and Catering and Convention services. The trouble would come if you were trying to hold a private event in a way that scooted around Disney's rules. And it is perfectly OK for Escape couples to hold private dessert parties and wear their bridal clothes, etc.

The International Dinner etc. (that name is just too dang long!) is a group event that anybody who's registered as part of a Grand Gathering group can participate in, and your group will be in there with other groups - which it sounds like is OK with you. The price includes tax and service charge but not park admission, so that would be the only "hidden" fee.

 

[Chilly]

For a Grand Gathering I believe everyone has to be staying at Disney Hotel, I don't know if that is a problem or not for you.

 

[sillykaren]

No worries - the International Dinner etc. is a Grand Gathering, so it's completely separate from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings dept. and Catering and Convention services. The trouble would come if you were trying to hold a private event in a way that scooted around Disney's rules. And it is perfectly OK for Escape couples to hold private dessert parties and wear their bridal clothes, etc.

The International Dinner etc. (that name is just too dang long!) is a group event that anybody who's registered as part of a Grand Gathering group can participate in, and your group will be in there with other groups - which it sounds like is OK with you. The price includes tax and service charge but not park admission, so that would be the only "hidden" fee.

Thanks so much Carrie! I am still so up in the air on what I want to do! At this point I'm just trying to figure out all of my options so DF and I can sit down and really figure out what works best for us.

In my heart of hearts I still want to be a Wishes bride, but I just can't swing that 12,000!

For a Grand Gathering I believe everyone has to be staying at Disney Hotel, I don't know if that is a problem or not for you.

I don't think it would be, most everyone plans on staying on the grounds. A tleast 8 of us would be anyways.

 

[scottb8888]

Do they have a bar set up?

 

[Lorelei528]

I don't want to rain on your parade or anything but this particular GG experience has not gotten such great reviews and I also have a good friend of mine who did it with her cousin as part of a bachelorette thing and she didn't recommend it either...

Here's a place for some reviews of all the GG experiences:

http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=333&cat=85

Here's a snippet from my TR in case you're interested in the Safari Dinner-

We take the monorail to the TTC and then the bus to the AK.

So, here’s a little background on this dinner. Basically, as an intimate or “Escape” wedding, we do not get a rehearsal included. But I knew we had to do something so everyone could meet (most for the first time) before the wedding. I didn’t want it to be just in a nice restaurant because I figured peeps wouldn’t be able to talk very easily etc. I was trying to think of ideas that would be fun and different etc. I knew we qualified as a Grand Gathering, so I looked into those experiences and found the Safari Celebration Dinner. It fit all our criteria, I had seen great reviews online and the fact that we were doing our dinner reception at Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge I thought would tie in nicely. There might have been other options available, but from what I could find, this fit us best. Basically your group meets up at Flights of Wonder with all the other groups (I think the max for this experience is a total of 150 peeps-which means all the individual Grand Gathering groups together). You meet right before the park is closing (we needed to meet up at 4:30). At Flights of Wonder your group is given a name (I can’t even remember ours, I wanna say it was The Cheetahs or something like that, but I could be totally wrong LOL). Anyway, after a brief introduction to the experience and meeting your host, Mama Dasha, your group is escorted over to Kilimanjaro Safaris where you board the ride vehicles for your own private safari! Now, I think the trucks hold 32 people and we only had 20, so I thought we’d have to share, but we didn’t, so our families got our own Safari vehicle which was sooo cool. They take you through the safari slower than the regular ride does, but not quite as slow as say the “Sunrise Safari” (which we were lucky enough to have done on our last trip back in Oct of ’08.)

So, after we go through the ride, we are escorted over to Tusker House for our dinner. We are shown to our table and we all find seats. The Safari Celebration dinner is buffet and the food is really delicious! It’s similar to BOMA but I feel like it even had a better selection. Everyone LOVED the food. During the dinner Mama Dasha had a microphone and had all the tables announce what they were there celebrating. We were the only group there for a wedding so we felt especially….special. There were family reunions and birthdays and retirements and military families. I have to say, it was nice to be with so many people celebrating such happy occasions. At one point DF and I were asked to get up so we could be introduced, it was a bit embarrassing (remember, there were like 150 people there) but it was all great fun. Then we were asked to dance and then a bunch of kids got up with us and some birthday people and we all danced, it was so much fun! I wish someone in our families would have taken some pics though!

So, the desserts they bring to your table and they were delicious. (Sorry, no food porn from this meal!) During dessert is the time you can go meet with characters (I know Timon was there and somebody else-myabe Pooh?) I was going to go with DF to get our picture taken with them, but the line was really long. They also have real animals outside at this time that you can go see and ask questions about. The night of our dinner there was a tiny owl. (I LOVE owls!) It was sooo cute! And no, I just realized I should have taken a pic! (I get so angry at myself sometimes!) and I think there was also a tarantula which was cool.

After dinner everyone gets taken back by bus to whatever resort they’re staying at. So, everyone who was at BW took the bus back with us. It was really a great evening, everyone really enjoyed themselves.

There are pics in my TR too, but they didn't copy/paste here....

While looking for something different to do as our "meet and greet" dinner we decided on the Safari Dinner as I didn't read one bad review of it.
It was loads of fun, the food was delish and you could wear a little white dress for sure (I wore a white eyelet number)...

I would just do your research before you book any GG experience. I think with people staying off property, you have to have a certain percentage staying on, like 80% or something.
Also, anyone on the dining plan can use 2 credits for a GG experience...

If you decide to go with the safari...you might even get your own ride vehicle!! We did! We had 18 people attending the dinner/experience....

 

[figment fan21]

Do you mind if i ask you how much that cost you lorelei? That sounds like an awesome experience and i'd love to do something like that for our guests!

 

[Lorelei528]

It's about $60pp if I am remembering correctly. Me, DH and my mom used our dining plan credits and then my mom paid for everyone else.
It has to be prepaid though, so I would call each month and pay for 4 people or so. You don't have to pay when you book though...you can just book it for everyone (which means you need everybody's confirmation #s) and then pay it off (if you are treating) before the deadline....

HTH!

 

[Lorelei528]

OOH!!!

Also, it was over by like 7:30 or so, so depending on your logistics of where you're staying etc. and park hours etc...you might be able to still make it in to EPCOT or MK to watch fireworks to end off the evening!

 

[disprincessatheart]

At $60ppn for the dinner, a private Dessert Party where you could wear your dress if you want to should be a lot more economical. I think other brides have had some non-dessert food on their menus, but they serve so much food either way, taht it's not like your guests would leave hungry.

 

[Lorelei528]

Maybe I'm confused....the way I read the OP, I thought the OPer was not going to wear her dress? Maybe I read it wrong though...

 

[sillykaren]

Maybe I'm confused....the way I read the OP, I thought the OPer was not going to wear her dress? Maybe I read it wrong though...

Correct! I was not going to wear my dress! You can't unless you host your own DP and hire transportation or have a CM meet you at a park entrance to escort you!

 

[disprincessatheart]

Sorry I wasn't clear - I knew that you weren't planning to wear your dress, but the private event would actually be cheaper than a $60ppn dinner, so I was just saying you could.

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

Sorry I wasn't clear - I knew that you weren't planning to wear your dress, but the private event would actually be cheaper than a $60ppn dinner, so I was just saying you could.

This is a good point. I am having a dinner at Sago Cay for $47, and it is a pretty large menu. Plus we get to see fireworks! We are also having a cocktail reception at Epcot, which includes spring rolls, quesadillas, etc, for $28 pp. There are def cheaper options that are just as great! Anything you choose will be great

 

[figment fan21]

It is alot but It would definatly be a really cool experience to be able to do the safari privately!

thanks lorelei!!!