Single Parent with Twins -Random Questions 5th Part

[edgarjcs]

Hello one more time

Now, that many of my doubts and questions have been cleared for some of you guys, I have others

As usual, the facts of my trip that could affect your replies:
a. I am a single parent traveling with 5yrs twins (a girl and a boy)
b. We have a booked reservation in Pop Century
c. We will be staying from September 14 to 21, 2014
d. 6 days of Park Tickets have been booked
e. We have upgraded to the Standard Dining Plan (Table Service)
f. I don't speak English. (I have serious issues with fast speakers)
g. This will be the first time in Disney for my kids, second time for me, but first time staying on property.

Dining:
A couple of doubts here...
1. There is a 1 hour window for the FastPass+ however, even when I have tried very hard, I have been unable to find out if there is something like that for dining reservations. I know, we should be there before the Reserve time, but some facts could affect our arrival (rain, ride queues, transportation, etc). There is a no show charge and I would like to know how much a restaurant would wait for a party before that charge.
2. If I link my MagicBand to my credit card and we go to a "X" Table Service restaurant and happens that we order a "extra item" (additional side, souvenir cups for kids or even a beer or cocktail) how I will be charged for it? l read that at the beginning you have to say that you will pay with the Dining Plan, but obviously we will be walking a step beyond of its limits and I shall pay a difference. Two bills? I don't want to find out later that I was charged a full table service meal when I was supposed to pay with Dining Plan credits.
3. What happens if touring the Magic Kingdom I go to the Gaston's Tavern to get a Pork Shank and then take my kids to get some nuggets at Cosmic Ray's. I could need some fries and a drink from Cosmic Ray's for my shank, but should I be able to buy the kids meals and still sit inside Cosmic to eat my shank or this is prohibited? It is sad that in Pop Century menu you can find the shank with a side and not at the Gaston's Tavern.
4. Not exactly in the "dining" side, but I remember that when I went to Universal last year, each time we bought a round of beers from a beer cart or beverages location, we were provided with a receipt with suggested tipping percentages. It works like that in Disney or the tipping is not regular in carts selling alcoholic beverages. I read an interesting article days ago explaining that bartenders at Disney are supposed to be tipped. I am clear that a guy in a cart is not exactly a bartender, but I know too that she/he could deserve a tip. The thing is that the same article talked about some cast members that simply are not allowed to receive tips.

Mickey's Not So Scary:
I am planning to take the kids on September 19 (Friday) and use a Park Day Ticket to get inside the park around 3p.m. (with Fastpasses+ already chosen) I read that you are provided with a wristband if you get into the park at 4p.m., but what happens if you arrive earlier? Being enjoying the park you have to walk back to the entry to obtain the wristband? By the way, I have not purchased tickets yet, because the worries of getting tickets for a rainy and undesired night.

Pop Century Mini Fridges:
After a lot of reading, I am still unclear about this. It is possible to cool beers with those mini fridges or they are just suppose to keep perishable items in good condition? I am planning to get some groceries including bottled water and beers, but it wont be a great deal if they cannot get cold enough.

Lack of English skills:
I have noticed that human face Characters tend to establish conversations with the kids. Given that my kids know only some words in English, it wont be possible, but I don't want them to feel bad for this. Someone knows how the characters use to handle this?

We will do pretty well with non human face Characters, but I know that at some point my girl will face her favorite princesses and my boy, interesting characters. Would be nice to get suggestions here.

Honestly, this is one of our big issues, because in those interesting attractions where there are a lot of storytelling, jokes, etc, I could get some idea about what the speaker is talking about, but my kids would find the experience useless. Talk with Crush is a clear example. The show looks like fun, but only if you can understand everything.

Well, I can officially say that the next month will be our trip. Wow! Time is flying. I remember when I saw in my Disney reservation "120 days Remaining" (an eternity) and now the time to take my kids to that wonderful place is pretty close.

Thanks in advance for your kind replies and suggestions.

Kind regards,
Edgar

 

[PartOfYourWDWorld]

For dining, I want to say you have a half hour before you're charged. But you really need to make an effort to be on time as they can't guarantee you will get a table if you're late. Always give yourself plenty of time to get to restuarants.

They will bring you a bill no matter what so you can see how much everything was in order to leave a tip. If you're going to charge to your room using your magic band, you will still need to sign for it. Make sure to look over the charges before signing.

Yes, you always tip a bartender or anyone serving you alcohol.

For the Halloween party, you'll have to make your way to the front of the park for your wristband and bag sometime after 4pm if you're already in the park that day. Halloween parties can and do sell out, so don't wait too long to book.

I have no experience with language barriers at Disney, but I wanted to tell you that people who don't speak English go to Disney every single day. The characters know how to handle this. They will probably do things like use hand gestures in order to communicate with your kids, just like the masked characters who don't speak do. Don't worry about that

 

[MSSANDRA]

A couple more thoughts:

With your CS questions. Remember everything is not covered under the DDP. For example the ham shank may not be, or if it is, the side and drink would need to be included at the time it is purchased to count as a QS meal. If you bought fries and drinks elsewhere, you would need to use a snack credit each or pay OOP.

On the party day, it really makes very little sense to enter the park at three, and use a ticket for only an hour when you can enter at 4:00 with just your party ticket. You will have to got back to the band location to get your band, but you can do that anytime before 7:00.

Pop coolers kept our drinks cold....not icey cold, but cold enough.

There are many international traveler at WDW every day. I am sure they are very use to interacting with all different language children. What is your language? There might be some characters that speak it.

 

[SueM in MN]

Dining:
A couple of doubts here...
1. There is a 1 hour window for the FastPass+ however, even when I have tried very hard, I have been unable to find out if there is something like that for dining reservations. I know, we should be there before the Reserve time, but some facts could affect our arrival (rain, ride queues, transportation, etc). There is a no show charge and I would like to know how much a restaurant would wait for a party before that charge.

You should try to get there on time. If something like a ride breakdown or transportation problem happens, they do understand those things happen. If you are 30 minutes late, it should not be a problem.

3. What happens if touring the Magic Kingdom I go to the Gaston's Tavern to get a Pork Shank and then take my kids to get some nuggets at Cosmic Ray's. I could need some fries and a drink from Cosmic Ray's for my shank, but should I be able to buy the kids meals and still sit inside Cosmic to eat my shank or this is prohibited? It is sad that in Pop Century menu you can find the shank with a side and not at the Gaston's Tavern.

That would not be a problem.

4. Not exactly in the "dining" side, but I remember that when I went to Universal last year, each time we bought a round of beers from a beer cart or beverages location, we were provided with a receipt with suggested tipping percentages. It works like that in Disney or the tipping is not regular in carts selling alcoholic beverages. I read an interesting article days ago explaining that bartenders at Disney are supposed to be tipped. I am clear that a guy in a cart is not exactly a bartender, but I know too that she/he could deserve a tip. The thing is that the same article talked about some cast members that simply are not allowed to receive tips.

Bartenders at a bar get tipped, but I have never heard of guys in carts getting tipped.

Mickey's Not So Scary:
I am planning to take the kids on September 19 (Friday) and use a Park Day Ticket to get inside the park around 3p.m. (with Fastpasses+ already chosen) I read that you are provided with a wristband if you get into the park at 4p.m., but what happens if you arrive earlier? Being enjoying the park you have to walk back to the entry to obtain the wristband? By the way, I have not purchased tickets yet, because the worries of getting tickets for a rainy and undesired night.

Just so you know - if you have tickets for Mickey's Not So Scary, you can enter the park with those after 4pm. So, you may not want to use a park day to enter at 3 PM that day.
After 4pm entrances are used only for the party. There are CMs providing wrist bands right there for people who are entering the park.
There are also places inside the park where guests can get wristbands later, so you don't need to yo all the way to the entrance.

I agree with the other poster - you never know when a party will sell out. Some don't sell out and some do.

Pop Century Mini Fridges:
After a lot of reading, I am still unclear about this. It is possible to cool beers with those mini fridges or they are just suppose to keep perishable items in good condition? I am planning to get some groceries including bottled water and beers, but it wont be a great deal if they cannot get cold enough.

The mini fridges are not very big.
You can get ice for free - I think all the resorts have ice machines by the pools. Some people get an insulated freezer bag and fill it with ice. You could put your beer in there and keep it very cold.

Lack of English skills:
I have noticed that human face Characters tend to establish conversations with the kids. Given that my kids know only some words in English, it wont be possible, but I don't want them to feel bad for this. Someone knows how the characters use to handle this?

We will do pretty well with non human face Characters, but I know that at some point my girl will face her favorite princesses and my boy, interesting characters. Would be nice to get suggestions here.

The characters are used to receiving visits from guests who do not speak English and they do very well.
I have seen people with messages written in English for princesses that say things like. "I don't speak English. You are my favorite princess." They might also have written in a English some questions where the answer would be yes or no.

 

[Raenstoirm]

You don't mention what language you speak but it is very likely at least a few cast members will speak your language. The characters probably won't though. It might be a good idea for you to have each child wear a button that says their name and "I only speak german (whatever language you speak)." It help with interactions, but also if one child gets lost it is a safety thing. The cast member that finds your little one, knows there is a language barrier and may know a cast member nearby that speaks the appropriate language to keep the child calm until you are found.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

It might be a good idea for you to have each child wear a button that says their name and "I only speak German (whatever language you speak)."

I love this idea!!

What language do you speak? There are many many many international travelers who visit WDW, you may be surprised. Some cast members may speak other languages and even other guests. For example, I speak Spanish fluidly and often stop when I am out of the house when I see Spanish speakers struggling to communicate with English speakers. You may find other guests who speak your language that may be willing to help.

We will be at WDW September 10 -16th. Maybe we will see you around

 

[wellesleyprincess]

Also cast members who are fluent in another language have it noted on their namebadge, so that should help you find people who can understand you and/or your children in your native tongue.

 

[edgarjcs]

Hello,

As usual marvelous suggestion and ideas. Thanks!

We speak Spanish. I am far away to be fluently in English but these kind of trips really help me to try it out.

The button idea is wonderful. I really loved it. Thank you so much. By the way, the question came up due to a Youtube video of a Tinkerbell meet & greet. The girl, although very kind and immersed in the character, was speaking extremely fast and seemed to be normal to her to establish conversations about her place and friends.

About enter earlier in the day we want to do Mickeys not so Scary, this is because we already have a package of 6 park tickets days, the same numbers of days that we can go to the parks (including Halloween party). It could be a waste (its like 30 bucks for one day tickets for us at that level), but I could, as I already did, get some Fastpasses between 3pm and 7pm. I understand that queues for the most loved attractions will go down during the Halloween party, but maybe some meet & greets like the one with Elsa & Anna, wont be available after 7pm. Not sure about that.

I could be wrong and maybe we would be able to make Fastpasses reservations after 4pm, just with the Halloween party tickets...

One more time, thank you guys.

Regards,
Edgar

 

[SueM in MN]

Many people in Florida are fluent in Spanish and English, so you should be able to find many cast members who can speak with your family in Spanish.

A couple of other ideas -

Disney World has park maps available in many languages. One of the languages is Spanish. You can find the park maps at the front of each park.

Disney has small translation machines for some shows. The guest wears earphones and listens to a translation. This service is not available for shows like Turtle Talk, where the show is different each time, but it is still nice.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/guests-with-disabilities/translations-park/

For the face characters, maybe you could write some things in English for the characters to read. One card could say that the children speak Spanish and don't understand English. There could also be some questions for your children to ask the characters. They could write questions where the answer is "yes" or "no", so the children could understand the answer.

 

[edgarjcs]

Sorry for bumping the thread

I have a new question related to the DDP...

First the facts: my kids are picky eaters and even when something likes them, they do not use to eat a lot. A big loss in buffets with characters, but I upgraded the CS basic plan in order to have those experiences for them.

But...what happens if we go to a restaurant like Coral Reef, when they simply could share an adult plate? Honestly, I would not care if they have to charge us the 3 TS credits, but I would not be nice to leave 2 plates almost untouched. I have not taken the time to do the math about what would be cheaper, but I needed to ask because would be sad the waste of food just to fit into a dining policy.

Thanks and sorry again for the bumping.

p.s.: 15 days to go (today)

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

Edgar, mis hijas pequeñas prácticamente no hablan inglés todavía (saben los colores, números, etc) y a veces es complicado lo de los personajes de cara, como las princesas, ya que notas que tienen mucha interacción con otros niños y poca con las nuestras, pero, como te comentaron, hacen lo más que pueden con señas y abrazos, incluso hay algunas que hablan un poquito de español, pero ya es suerte que te toquen.

Y hay muchísima gente que habla español, sobre todo puertorriqueños y cubanos, especialmente la gente de limpieza, cocina, etc, pero siempre les da mucho gusto platicar con alguien en español y, en nuestra experiencia, son súper amables.

Les va a ir muy bien, ya lo verás.

Y en cuanto a tu pregunta del último post, digamos que Disney te cobra "la experiencia", entonces seguramente, si se sientan 3, tomarán los 3 créditos.

Pero vale la pena aunque tus hijos no coman muy bien (las mías son muy melindrosas para la comida), ya que los personajes se acercan a ustedes y te evitas hacer largas filas en los parques.

 

[edgarjcs]

Muchas gracias Julie

 

[NinaBella]

The button for kids is a good idea. I would also make a larger sign that says in English what language you speak to keep in your bag. In a noisy area a sign may work better. Buttons are cute but the writing may be small or not seen.

Have fun.