Character Meals Superlatives

On our trip last trip to Walt Disney World we did 7 character meals. Yes. SEVEN. All in one week! . It was intense, but my kids were into meeting the characters and we decided having sit down meals with characters would be worth the money vs spending the whole day waiting in line for them. And since we were doing the meal plan, it was the most cost effective way to get our money's worth.

As a result, I have lots of opinions on which meals were my favorite and which were just fine; Your Character Meal Superlatives:

Hollywood & Vine @ Hollywood Studios (Breakfast: Disney Jr Characters)
Typically Sophia the First, Doc McStuffins, Jake & Handy Manny

Our Hollywood & Vine breakfast with the former cast of Disney Jr was the "Most Little Kid Friendly." The kids loved the laid back environment - no need to feel proper in the diner. The food was fine - the kids were happy and were probably the silliest because we got a spot at breakfast before the park opened which was perfect. If you are doing this one with your preschoolers, try to grab that 8am slot!

Tusker House @ Disney's Animal Kingdom
Typically Donald, Daisy, Goofy & Mickey in Safari Gear

Tusker House won "Best Food" by a landslide. We had a reservation at 10:30 which was perfect because our first plates were breakfast buffet and when we went back for seconds they had lunch! It was delicious and the most variety. The characters were great too. Overall a great experience.

1900 Park Fare: Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner @ The Grand Floridian 
Typically Cinderella, Prince Charming, Anastasia, Drizella & Lady Tremaine

Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner was by far the "Most Romantic." It was adorable how Prince Charming was oogling over his bride and the step sisters were silly & Lady Tremaine was stoic in the best way. The step sisters were funny, but went above the kids heads a bit. I think older kids would appreaciate this experience the best. The food was also very good and had good variety - it had the healthiest food I think at any of them. It was overall a nice experience.

Chef Mickey's @ The Contemporary 
Typically Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald & Goofy

By far, Chef Mickey's had the "Best Character Interactions" or "Most Hilarious." The characters were silly, fun and kind. They spent a lot of time with us and kept swinging back and making everyone laugh. I was almost on the floor laughing when Goofy did a Jimmy Fallon Thank You Notes  impression (the arm thing)...I was dying and I think he was too (they are mute). The food wasn't my favorite and the place we sat wasn't the best, but the characters were just SO. GOOD. And I am not that into the whole character thing and I had a blast. Probably the most fun I had. It was just so fun.


The Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom 
Typically with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore & Piglet come around

The Crystal Palace wins my "Happiest Experience." It was laid back, the kids had fun with the characters and the space is convenient and beautiful. For the kid that loves Winnie the Pooh, this is a must do. I think this was Grandma Jan's favorite on our trip. Food was good and characters were fun. Good overall.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall @ EPCOT
Typically photo with Belle; Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel & Mary Poppins may come around

Akershus wins "Most Royal." How can you not feel royal eating in a Norwegian Castle, being visited by Disney Princesses and having an appetizer bar to munch on while your dinner is getting ready?! While the environments was beautiful and the appetizer was good, the entrees and Princesses left quite a bit to be desired. When we were here 5 years ago we had a much better experience. We felt the quality was less than ideal and don't plan to return.

Best Friends Breakfast - Ohana @ The Polynesian (Breakfast only) 
Typically photopass photo with Stitch; Lilo, Pluto & Mickey come around

Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast was probably our "Best Overall Experience." The kids had a blast parading with the characters around the restaurant mid meal. We all loved it not being a buffet and having everything brought out to the table. There wasn't a ton of variety, but the food we had was good. We loved the environment, the character interactions and overall had a great time.

While there is no perfect character meal and they are rather expensive, they can really be a great, unique experience to make your trip special. Since quite a few of the character meals are not in the parks, we liked doing them on our non-park days. Made them way more relaxing and fun.

While I can figure Cinderella's Royal Table would be "Best Location," it is also "Most Expensive" since it's inside the castle, I am not sure what the other experiences are like. I am sure they all have their advantages and disadvantages as well. Check out other Character Meals/Experiences here. Hope my experiences help you decide if you will do one or a handful of character meals on your next WDW trip!

What is YOUR favorite or least favorite character meal? Why?! I'd love to hear your experiences!

Top 10 things I avoid at WDW

There are quite a few things I try to avoid at Walt Disney World. Some are for a great reason, some are silly. Whatever you do, take them as a grain of salt. Hopefully if you love something I don't, you can prove me wrong! (That is welcomed!)  Everyone has different favorites!

But, here are the things I try to avoid at ALL COSTS:

10. Wasting Fast Passes on shows.

While there are times of the year where any Fast Pass is worth it, we try to skip wasting Fast Passes on shows because you only have to get to a show about 15-30 minutes ahead of time to get a seat. We have realized that every seat in the shows are just fine! We tend to try to get closer to the 15 minute mark, but have missed a few that way.  Maybe grab a snack or make plans for your next move.

I would recommend getting to night shows/fireworks more like 30-40 minutes before the show due to the amount of people getting in at once. We grab food and camp out at the shows to eat in there so we don't waste that time. But, because of time you wait, Fast Passes can be helpful for those shows.

9. Waiting in a million lines. 

While it is inevitable to wait in a lot of lines at WDW, many are avoidable. Typically the lines in the middle are the longest, so consider heading to lines on the far right or far left as there will likely be much shorter lines, or sometimes none at all. Other ways to avoid long lines is to book the right Fast Passes early & to get to the parks early in the morning, which leads to my next point...

8. Getting the kids "Kids Meals." 

This is especially true if you have the meal plans because they allow kids (over age 2) to get adult meals in place of kids meals at quick service meals. Why is this a big deal? Because my kids can easily share with me or each other a regular meal for the same price and most of the kids meals weren't filling enough for them. Then we could also use less meal credits which would turn into more meals included.

So, consider the prices before just getting the kids their own kids meals. That may be the best route to go, but very well may not. We love to share in our house, so we would order 3-4 meals and then order more if we needed it. Usually we found ourselves eating more small meals and snacks which meant we got to try more food around the park and that was fun and kept things interesting!

7. Sleeping in. 

I love to sleep in. Some of my favorite things to do on vacation (or any day for that matter) are sleeping in, taking naps and going to bed early. But, NONE of these happen when I am at Disney. Just ask my family! So many amazing things happen in the morning. We typically can get through 5-6 attractions before 11am when Magic Kingdom opens before we even start using our Fast Passes! This is because the lines are SO MUCH shorter - sometimes saving over an hour PER RIDE. It is so nice to avoid the lines and enjoy so much in such a short period of time.

If you love to sleep in on vacation, consider adding a few extra days/nights to your trip so you can have some early mornings and sleep in some too!  Or, consider going to the parks in the morning, heading back for a nap/swim and returning around dinner time to finish the night!  This is especially ideal during high volume seasons when the parks are open until Midnight or later.

6. Winging it. 

I love laid back vacations where you can show up, relax and go with the flow. Due to the popularity of WDW, you will likely not get to do much without a plan. There are barely any walk in restaurant reservations most places - especially for parties larger than two. Fast Passes can feel limiting, but not jumping to the head of the lines with them may frustrate you. The reason the long lines aren't as bad is because you can jump to the front of other lines with Fast Passes.

It is totally fine to wing it if you don't have a very long priority lists, but I have had countless families miss so much they wanted to do because they didn't want to plan ahead.

5. Table Service Meals. 

There is a time and place for sit down meals. For crazy people (like us) who stay at the park from open to close, it is nice to sit in a restaurant for 1 1/2-2 hours to get a meal in air conditioning and maybe sneak in meeting characters with the character meals.

For our last trip (with 5 little kids) we did the standard Disney Dining Plan for the 8 of us so we could do character meals every day. We knew that each of the kids had 10 or more characters they wanted to meet, so this was a way to put a dent in that list. While it was best for our trip this time, it isn't always ideal.

If you decide to either sleep in or take a nap mid-day, the table service meals really eat into your time at the parks. (Pun intended - I'm hilarious.) Consider doing table service meals in hotels/Disney Springs on days you aren't hitting the parks - just feels like wasting cash when you spend money on park tickets and the crazy expensive meals on park days. One or two on your park days is great, but consider taking it easy if you want to get your money's worth.

4. Impulse shopping in the parks. 

Micky Ears. Princess Dresses. Pirate Hats. Bracelets. Pandora Charms. Avatars. Pet Dragons. You name it, they got it. Disney has So. Much. Merchandise.

To avoid impulse shopping in the parks, we typically do our souvenir shopping before our trip. We typically buy the kids hoodies (we typically travel in winter) or Disney shirts. Let's be real - we get them hoodies AND shirts. I frequently shop the clearance at Target, the local Disney Store/Outlet/website. I shop for months leading up to the trip - its my Disney prep therapy. The prices are much better honestly and mostly I just love avoiding wanting to buy ALL. THE. THINGS. in the parks. It is incredibly tempting.

Ironically when it is just my husband and I, we tend to browse more and often get something for the family. Last trip we got the Finding Nemo the Musical CD (disney nerd alert) which has made the drive to school on snowy days much more pleasant. Also helps me go to my happy place of remembering Disney memories amidst the chaos of real life.

3. Buying water. 

I LOVE water. With the exception of as many Iced Vanilla Chais from Starbucks as I can justify and the occasional Sangria, water is all I drink. With free water at all the parks - drinking fountains if you have your own cup or Quick Service pick up windows - there is no reason to spend a penny of your spending money on water. Any Quick Service pick up window will also give you a glass of ice water even if you didn't order anything. As many as you'd like! There is no reason to spend a penny on water. Don't do it!

Also, with the meal plans, remember if you get a free glass of water instead of a drink, you can replace your drink in a combo with an extra side or dessert item! Gotta make the most of that meal plan!

2. Wasting time/wandering. 

Consider planning ahead whenever you have time to spare. Waiting in line is a perfect time to browse the restaurant menu for your meal. Waiting at the parade provides you an opportunity to figure out how to get to your next Fast Pass and what other rides you want to go to on the way. Use your time to plan ahead so you can avoid wandering. It's the worst.

1. Annoying rides (such as Tomorrowland Speedway). 

Can you say outdated?! I am SHOCKED that the Tomorrowland speedway is not disappearing when the new Tron coaster is heading into the Magic Kingdom in the next couple years. This ride is horrible - so uncomfortable, jerky & gas emissions you can taste. It. Is. Torture.

My kids beg for it and so I allow someone else to take them or just tell them it's a bummer we couldn't get a Fast Pass for that one. There are so many better places to ride a go cart (outside of WDW) that would far surpass this experience. Avoid it at all costs.  You have been warned. You're welcome.

I also find water rides (Splash Mountain, Kali River Rapid, etc.) annoying because I hate walking around the park wet. I'm not sure why, but it really bothers me. I have learned that over time. That may not be the truth for you, but whatever you know makes you uncomfortable, know it's ok to skip it.


So, hopefully you can avoid a few of these things at least - all of them if you are lucky. Whatever I can do to make sure your vacation suits your family - please don't judge how high maintenance I am!

Who wants to waste their time on annoying things on vacation?! Not. Me.

A Timeline: PlanniNg your Disney Trip

So, you want to plan a trip to Disney?!  Great. You found a great place to start!  Before your trip, there are so many things to do, so here are the lists of things I like to do & when I do them before my trip: 

Where to begin?!

As soon as you know you want to go on a Walt Disney World vacation, you need to start saving!  It can take at least a year or two for most of us to save up. You'll want to pick your budget and then pick out your dates! 

Immediately you'll start dreaming about which hotel you may stay in, who you are bringing with you & how long your adventure will be. Getting a general budget is key. The average family probably spends about $5-10 thousand a week on hotels, park tickets, dining plans & flights. You could easily spend less or so incredibly much more, you just have to be intentional and aware of how things add up. 

12 months+

Don't panic - you may be wanting to go to WDW next month and you usually can find great deals and such, I just prefer to plan & save ahead. So, if you have less time, just make sure you look at all the things.

• Come up with a preliminary budget. 
• Make sure you have the My Disney Experience (MDE) App & Account 
• Price out resorts/make a short list of the hotels you'd like to stay in. 
• Consider how long you'd like to stay/price out length. 
• Decide what package you will want: just resort, just tickets to stay off property, or a package with a dining plan. 
• Make sure you check out Special Offers, too. I LOVED getting free dining a few years back, but you have to be on top of things to get those perks. 
• DVC Members: Book out your "Home Resort" at 11 months out - you want to be sure you have a back up plan if you don't get the resort you want!

9 months+

So, its been a few months or years of dreaming and your trip is getting closer! It's time to get down to business and get a general plan on lock down. You'll want to get a good picture of when you're going, where you are staying and all of that starts with that final budget. Then you can start to get booked! 

• Finalize the budget. 
• Decide how long you'll be staying at WDW. (I prefer 8-12 day trips) 
• Decide where you'd like to stay - not only which WDW Resort, but what kind of room. 
• Look at the many crowd calendars you'd like to use to decide which park you will be at on which days. I like to use the Undercover Tourist OR Touring Plans. We like to spend 2-3 days in Magic Kingdom, 1 in Hollywood Studios and 1-2 in EPCOT and 1-2 in Animal Kingdom. Having a day or two off in the middle of your trip is awesome too. 
• BOOK IT! If you are sure of your plans and you have the down payment, book it!  The cancellation policy is not the best, so make sure you are aware & read the fine print. 
• DVC Members: Book out other DVC Resorts 7 months out, so mark your calendars & decide on your wait list requests.

7 months +

As your trip gets closer, there are less big decisions to make and more fun planning to do! I like to have a plan so I don't end up walking aimlessly around the parks and waste time or energy. My preference is to have a plan that is detailed that I am comfortable throwing out the window if things change.

• Decide on your final plan of which park you will go each day (unless you spring for hoppers!). 
• Decide on meal plans/where you'd like to eat
• Consider eating at the park you will be at. You have to pay for park tickets to eat at a restaurant inside a park. 
• Make a reservation list of where you'd like to eat Table Service meals & the ideal time range you would want to eat there. 
• I tend to only plan one meal a day because they can take 1 1/2-2 hours. 
• I also rarely do sit down meals since you can bring your own food into the parks. 

180 days (about 6 months) 

Make dining reservations in MDE. Start with the most important at 7am EST 180 days out. 


Remember you can adjust your dining reservations at anytime and cancel them up to 24 hours before the reservation without penalty. 
You do NOT have to have a trip booked in order to book a dining reservation, so if you aren't sure if you will actually be going, go ahead and book meals. You can always cancel them. Just beware of the 24 or less penalty.

4 months

• Make a wishlist of top 5 attractions/entertainment options for Fast Passes for each park 
• Make a general (or specific) plan for each day at the park. 
• Reserve a stroller/scooters online. Don't wait to long. Trust me, I had to buy one to bring because I waited too long!
• Keep an eye out for flight deals online. Consider booking flights.
• Once you book your flights, make sure to call that info into your travel agent/Disney directly so they can reserve your spot on the Magical Express and send you luggage tags so your bags can magically appear in your room! It's an amazing feature. 

60 days

• Book Fast Passes on MDE! 
• Early Check-in at your WDW Resort on MDE. Remember to make any special requests! 
• Book your flight/rental car as needed. I always find the best deals 6-8 weeks out. 

30 days

• Final days to pick out your Magic Bands if staying onsite on MDE. 
• Start gathering clothes and shoes for the whole family. Consider the weather! 
• This is especially important for off-season travel. 
• Be sure to consider doing laundry at the hotel to cut down on packing! 
• Finalize your day plans. Make sure you have a transportation plan to get to your dining reservations. There are so many ways to get there - buses, monorail, boats, etc. 
• Order anything you'll need online - groceries to be delivered, cute matching shirts, etc. 
• I always make a trip a few weeks (or months) before our trip to a Disney Store Outlet near our home so we can save some and the kids can have a few cute shirts for the trip (without breaking the bank at the parks!) 

1 week

• Make sure you've received your Magic Bands! (Tracking available on MDE) 
• Make sure you've received your luggage tags if taking the Magical Express. 
• Finish Packing! 
• Consider sending yourself a package at the hotel with things as needed. 

Night before 

• Pack your Magic Bands in your carry on. 
• Double check your packing list. 
• Make a list of things to throw in your bag before you leave the house! 
• Try to sleep! 

While there are so many things you don't want to forget to do, you need to be sure you are paying attention to the dates that things open so you don't miss the chance to do or have the things on your priority list. Hope this helps you have a magical vacation! 

My Top 10 Walt Disney World Trip To Dos

One of my favorite places in the world to be is Walt Disney World in Orlando. I love to go with friends, on a getaway with my husband, and especially with our whole family. In my life I've been 10 times or so - most of these in the past 5 years. My love of Disney has always been there, but helping people plan their vacations has burst out of my love for taking my kids. I want to help simplify the planning process for people so they can enjoy the vacation they are spending so much time, money and energy on.

Here are my Top 10 Walt Disney World Trip To Dos: 

10) Book your trip in advance. 

I am not the best at following my own advice here, but try to book out 180 or at least 62 days before your trip. Quite a bit of the perks of staying on property - booking Fast Passes (skipping to the front of the line on 3 attractions), making any resort check-in preferences and dining reservations need to be made at that 60 day mark. For larger parties, dining reservations (if you plan to eat at sit down restaurants during your stay) need to be made as early as possible. So, the sooner you have your act together, the better!

I suggest using a travel agent - I would be one if that was as simple as it sounds, but they typically cost the same or less than buying through Disney direct, so think its worth using that service. We had a great travel agent on our latest family trip - she set up our rooms, dining reservations and even our Fast Passes. She listened to what I wanted and the priorities and even had the capability to put us on the wait list for the meals we wanted! It was a great experience.

9) Prioritize. 

Unless you are planning the trip of the century - 6 months long or more -  you can't do all of Disney World in one trip. You are going to need to look into what attractions, rides and experiences are most important to you and plan around them. I have my favorites, but that doesn't mean they'll be your favorites.

For example. I hate getting wet mid day. I would rather skip a ride than risk being wet, while some people think that is so fun. And characters are fun to occasionally see, but unless my kids care about them, I avoid them. If my husband and I go to Disney, we won't see characters at all. Some people plan their whole trip around autographs, pictures and character meals. There is no wrong way to do Disney, it is just important to decide what YOU & your family/friends want out of your trip. You can't take someone else's plans too seriously, but knowing what your must-dos are is vital.

8) Plan your route. 

Each Disney World Park is huge. You could easily spend hours just walking around the parks. Who wants to waste time walking when their is so much to do?  I like to plan my Fast Passes around when I like to do things. For example, when I'm at Magic Kingdom, I prefer to spend all morning in Fantasyland. We save Frontierland/Adventureland for the afternoon & parade and then always end the day in Tomorrowland because we love the lights and feel of it at night.

Again, just because we do it a specific way doesn't make it the best, its just good to have a plan so you aren't in Frontierland still in line at noon and having to book it across to the front of the park for dining reservations 15 minutes later. Maybe if you knew the train route you would have planned to ride the train (WDW Railroad) instead of trying to search for the stinking stroller and book it across Main Street that has thousands of people dancing with the Move It, Shake It dance party. A little bit of planning can make your trip SO. MUCH. EASIER.

7) If you see a bathroom, USE IT. 

This is especially vital for families, but try to use the bathrooms wherever you are. Every time we have a dining reservation we use the bathrooms there. They are the cleanest and there is rarely a line. We almost always go on our way out to avoid having.

We always make everyone go at once - this avoids an in line bathroom crisis (this is a thing). Thirty minutes is a long time for a 4 year old to hold it. Also, make sure little ones get enough breaks for how much they are drinking. If you didn't bring back up clothes, Disney clothes are everywhere and adorable, but pricey!

Also, consider going to the bathroom before longer shows like Fantasmic or the Festival of Fantasy Parade. It is a nightmare getting through the crowds right as a show like Rivers Of Light is about to start. Yes, I know this from experience. My 6 year old had just gone before the show and when she had another bathroom emergency when the show was about to start we got lucky. The show got delayed 10 minutes so we didn't miss a thing! We may not be so lucky next time.

6) Don't BUY water. 

Let's just be real for a minute. Bottles of water are ridiculously priced on WDW Property. You can bring in plastic water bottles & refill them at bubblers (drinking fountains for non-Wisconsinites) OR you can always walk up to a Quick Service Pick Up Window and ask for a glass water. I have also had luck with Table Service restaurants giving me a to-go cup of water/soda which saves time & money too!

5) Be flexible. 

The best thing about a plan is that it can always be changed. I feel better going in with a plan, but if we see something we would rather do, we can just throw the original plan out the window. The only thing that costs any money to cancel at the last minute are the dining reservations & special experiences (ie excursions, tours or appointments). So unless there is a fee associated with it, just make like Elsa and LET IT GO!

4) Utilize your down time. 

Waiting in line can be a drag, but I am always planning our next move. Searching the map for the closest bathroom or snack cart. We even look up menus online and decide what we feel like eating at our next quick service meal. Maybe we plan to head to Casey's for corn dog nuggets and hot dogs to watch the latest castle stage show. Maybe funnel cakes at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments before finding a place to watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade in Liberty Square or Frontierland. When you know you'll be waiting its a great time to grab a snack!

Try not to become an over-planning crazy person. Most families (evidence from mine) don't really like that. But, you're husband will likely appreciate you thinking ahead. For me, nothing is worse than wondering aimlessly around the parks.

3) GET THERE EARLY. 

The shortest lines and least crowded parks are in the first three hours of the park being open. We can usually get more done in the first hours of the park being open than we can the rest of the day. COME EARLY. When are at the parks when they have hours that are longer than 12 hours, we typically take a break mid day. We always get there at least 45 minutes before the park opens and often stay until close - even with the kids. We find that the hours we get the least done are typically between 2-5, so we usually plan to eat or do shows during those hours to make the afternoon fly by.

2) Capture priceless moments & details. 

I will never forget my daughters face when she met Tiana on her first trip to WDW. We have beautiful pictures, but that is a moment I will never forget. She was so sure she wanted to meet her. The other characters frightened her, but she ran up to Tiana and got ready to pose for a picture. In the same way, my son who couldn't let go of Cinderella and went back for the third hug - priceless. The Photo Pass we got on our last trip of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride is priceless.

There are also memories that my cell phone or Disney's Photo Pass can't capture. The memory my daughter has of being chosen for the Festival of the Lion King when she was 5. No picture does justice to the memory of my son who couldn't contain his excitement about seeing the castle for the first time. I never took a picture of my inability to fall asleep the night before our trip. Sometimes I blog, occasionally I journal, but I am notorious for uploading my pictures for my family & friends to appreciate with little captions of moments I don't ever want to forget.

From incredible light fixtures to the way they display the merchandise, Disney is so creative. They leave my mind blown after each new attraction, restaurant or even gift shop is added. My husband and I couldn't believe the attention to detail in line at Na'vi River Journey and all over Pandora, we were amazed. Even the smells and music are thematic. For someone whose mother picked me up at school to see Pocahontas in the theaters as a kid & even honeymooned at WDW - I know Disney. And I am still just amazed at their creativity.

Be sure to take moments to enjoy them. Enjoy the scenery. Take note of the geographically appropriate plants in the Animal Kingdom. Appreciate EPCOT's World Showcase's staff - many who are from the country they are located in. The objects in John, Michael & Wendy's nursery in the interactive waiting area for Peter Pan are so spot on. The silly video in the waiting room for the Muppet Vision 3D always cracks me up. The time the imagineers take to do it the right way shouldn't go unnoticed. Don't miss the details.

1) Plan to come back. 

There is nothing that helps me get through my WDW Vacation with the ability to enjoy the moment than to know that we will come back. I know my kids will never be as little and so instead of spending time this trip on lots of roller coasters (we did do a few), we spent time with characters and character meals. I knew they would never be little enough to appreciate that the same way as they did on our last trip. There is so much to do, it is best to plan another trip where you can come back to see some of the things that made the priority list, but didn't happen this time. I can't wait to head back in January to spend most of a long weekend exploring the World Showcase - somewhere we rarely take time to enjoy with the kids.

I hope these ideas help your family make the best of your Disney experience! When we all save and plan for so long, I just hope at the end of your trip you can exhale - knowing you made the best of your time in the middle of the magic that is Walt Disney World.