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How to Do Disney World With Larger Groups – A Few Tips for Planning a Group WDW Vacation

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

How to Do Disney World With Larger Groups – A Few Tips


We’ve all been there, a friend wants to travel with us, a child’s sports team makes it to an event at the Wide World of Sports complex, or even an extended family vacation starts to shape up and could be an excellent group to travel with. While, for many, this isn’t necessarily the ideal travel situation, you may be surprised at how a few tips can make all the difference when planning Disney World Trips for larger groups. Of course, in my opinion, a group is a relative term. Personally, anything much more than our typical four person family vacation falls into the group category. As many of you may know, traveling with extended family and even our very best friends can be stressful (If you haven’t tried it, trust me, I’ve been there. lol). 

Group travel is perhaps the most unique type of travel situation you can face when visiting the Walt Disney World Parks and resorts. Inevitably, especially in rather large groups of 10+ guests, you’re not going to be able to accommodate every single need and want of the party. As unfortunate as that sounds, it’s about like trying to sit down and watch all the Star Wars franchise in a row in one day. You probably could do it (and many of us will try) but at the same time very few will be completely and entirely successful. Sadly, for many it ends up being a vastly hectic experience but it does have to be. 


If you know what to expect, your trip can still go off without a hitch and the experience can be vastly influential on the guests in your group and can create lasting memories for everyone involved. Granted, this isn’t likely going to be quite as productive of a trip as one with a smaller group. To an extent, you do have to manage your expectations. It will be vastly difficult to spend long hours in the parks, and to stay out as late as possible. Truth be told, the entire situation is a compromise but if you’re like us, and likely if you’re reading this, you’ll take any and every opportunity you can to visit the magic of Walt Disney World. 
           

Consider All Your Resort Options

Resorts are perhaps the most difficult portion of the equation you’ll have to consider with larger groups. You can book multiple resort rooms all at one resort or, depending on your group size, you could look at a villa at a vast majority of the deluxe resorts on property. Personally, I highly recommend option number two. It’s what we do and while it is the best case scenario it will only work for parties up to around 9 guests. Some of the largest rooms on property will comfortably sleep that many guests while still providing luxury accommodations that could potentially save you quite a bit of money over purchasing multiple rooms if a large enough room exists for your party size. 

From my experience, if you’re looking at any resort location on property (especially anything above a value tier), for a vast majority of the year it is more budget friendly or relatively equal in price to purchase a deluxe villa room when you’re splitting the cost among multiple guests and staying all in one villa rather than purchasing separate resort rooms. 
For example, if you were looking to purchase a stay in Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village later on in June of this year, here’s what you’d pay: 

  • For a resort room you’ll pay $397 a night for a Savannah View Deluxe Studio room. Multiply that times two and you’ll end up paying almost $800 to accommodate up to 8 guests. 
  • By comparison, a 2 bedroom villa is $819 for the same tier view (I only used Savannah view rooms in this example in order to provide real numbers. The other accommodations were unavailable for the dates researched *July 22nd-27th*). 

Additionally, there’s one more thing you’ll want to consider. If you book a villa style room, you also get access to a relatively “full” kitchen complete with an oven and a full size refrigerator. For many, that could be a huge cost savings over the course of a week if you are willing to cook breakfast or any number of meals during your trip for the whole group. 

While I’ve not used them personally, I’ve heard great reviews of companies like Garden Grocer who will deliver grocery style type food to resort rooms on Disney property and beyond. I’m not affiliated with them but have heard great things about their service and their prices don’t seem too terribly high to become unreasonable for a majority of travelers. Some guests may even find their prices cheaper than their home state grocery stores/services. We’re from central Kentucky, so Orlando area prices are fairly comparable to what we experience on a near daily basis. 

In the grand scheme of things, the benefits of staying in a villa and enjoying the perks of a deluxe resort, especially if the cost is being split among guests, is well worth the few extra dollars you may or may not have to spend to all stay in one resort room together. It wont solve the problem for extremely large groups that exceed the maximum occupancy of these resort room types, but could be a great option if you travel with friends …. or if you’re the Brady Bunch…  (We all know you just sang the song). 

Plan Early

If you’ve made it this far into the article, chances are you’re pretty serious about planning for a group, and/or you like to be over prepared for any situation you may ever face when booking. Both of those reasons I can really and truly appreciate. I’m a notorious over planner and as we booked our latest vacation for 4 guests just two days ago for an early June trip to the parks, I don’t recommend trying that. However, it is doable and we were vastly successful booking last minute, it makes things far easier when you book as far in advance as possible. 


If you can, try to book for your group stay at least 6 to 8 months in advance. If you’re traveling at peak times like Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, or even some of the summer months, try to book at least your resort room even earlier. The largest rooms on property are limited in number when we’re considering the realm of villas and the larger your group, the harder it will be to come up with the perfect accommodations you desire.    


      

Get Some Help From a Friend 

Getting help from a friend going on the trip with you or just someone you trust that has been to Disney many times can make a huge difference. Not only can they help you weigh the options and take new things into consideration, but chances are they’ll think of something along the way that you overlooked or could have potentially skipped altogether. I’ve been planning my vacations for years, but never once, no matter how large the party size, have I planned every detail on my own. Chances are I wont make any big mistakes that could change the course of a vacation, but having that second opinion or helping hand can really make all the difference in both little and big ways.  


If nothing else, it’s someone who can help you relay information for very large groups or someone to pose those tough decisions to before making a final choice. If you don’t have someone traveling with you I do highly recommend a travel agency because they have worked with groups and oftentimes know little details of the experience that many (even highly experienced guests) overlook because they can and do deal with these things on a daily basis. Personally, I recommend Destinations to Travel because they’re who I have personal experience with and they help us out here on the site in return.   
   

Have Everyone Pick One “Must-Do”

This is one of those things I consider fundamental to every Disney vacation involving 2 or more guests. It sounds so simple but having the guests in your party pick one, two, or even three of their top “must-do” items they want to ride or experience during the trip can make all the difference. For parents, if you invoke this strategy a lot of times you can avoid the argument of what to do “next” and at the same time everyone gets to experience that one aspect of Disney they came to experience. It may not be everyones ideal attraction, dining location, etc. but at the same time everyone will have their one moment to pick and it works out quite well in a wide variety of situations, especially when booking fastpasses and dining reservations. 


For example, little Johnny may want to go swim at the pool and slide down the waterslide more than anything else, but Suzy’s top pick for the stay is to ride Splash Mountain at least one time. As you plan your days out you grab Suzy a fastpass selection for Splash Mountain and set aside an hour or so for Johnny to swim and enjoy the resort pool. Of course, with my family, Collin (me) wants to ride the People Mover 17 times and the rest of the family tries to reason with him how unnecessary that is…    

Be Flexible With Meals

Similar to what was mentioned above about planning early, dining is something you really want to jump on and get set up as soon as possible. Typically, the bigger your group the more difficult it will be to find reservations that seat your entire party. Again, it’s entirely doable to book later on, but it isn’t the best case scenario. 

When I started going to Walt Disney World as a young kid traveling with family, we spent days planning the perfect meal layout and got on the phone 180 days out to reserve those perfect times. Was it necessary? Not entirely. But, it did do something for us that is worth noting. When we spent those afternoons on the phone (which can now be far more easily done online today) it built anticipation for our trip and started to create a simple memory long before our actual vacation even began. We were half a year away from visiting the magic as a group, but at the same time we shared a moment with family in those phone calls and afternoon booking strategies that meant the world to us and gave me a story to share with you even today. Booking can be a part of the fun and booking early can make a huge difference in the end result. Here’s the final tip or perhaps the “Holy Grail” of an equivalent Indian Jones adventure and that is to not let this be stressful. Enjoy the planning experience and make the most of it and the end result will exceed your expectations. 

Consider a Fireworks Viewing Package 

Fireworks for many are the pinnacle highlight of a Disney trip. For me, there’s nothing quite as enjoyable and iconic as standing there on Main Street USA staring up at the castle with a smile on your face and a certain level of unexplainable joy in your heart as the fireworks burst overhead. As you look around you catch a glimpse of the colorful bursts high in the air reflecting in the eyes of those around you and the light glimmering off the faces of those surrounding you. In that moment, even for a brief second, the difficulties of life slip away and you can simply enjoy the moment. 

Fireworks with groups is quite difficult. If you all want to stay together, and there’s more than 5 or so in your party, finding space in front of the castle can be incredibly difficult unless you are willing to camp out over an hour in advance. On our most recent trip, we traveled with 7 guests in total. Even 45 minutes before the show began, we were forced to find a spot about half way down Mainstreet and it took us about 20 minutes to walk there from Liberty Square. Granted, it was a very busy day, but we ended up splitting up our group just to find a spot. For larger groups, it would be even more difficult and one of the main situations in which I would recommend a fireworks dessert party at Magic Kingdom. It will, in theory, guarantee you a spot for the fireworks where everyone can be in one area and while expensive, you do get a pretty good bonus out of the cost by means of unlimited desserts.   
      

Consider Splitting Up At Times  

Splitting up your group doesn’t sound fun at first or even early on in your stay but as the week draws on, and tensions tend to rise among group members, sometimes it’s the ideal fix to combat that mid week “blow up” moment where an argument breaks out in full force. Split up a fastpass selection or pick a different dining reservation than some other guests in your group and that little break from the rest may just recharge you and put everyone back into a great mood.
 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Disney World Free Dining is Back for 2018! – All the Details

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Disney World Free Dining is Back for 2018! – All the Details

Despite my personal thoughts that free dining could possibly end this year, it looks as if it’s back for another year of free Disney dining for select stays. Before we go into a few free dining tips and things to consider, here’s a closer look at the offer itself:

Chefs De France - Free Disney Dining 2018


Disney World Free Dining Dates:    


Booking Dates (when you can book your stay and receive the offer): 

4/24/18 to 7/7/18 

For stays: 

8/20/18 through 9/29/18 

11/24/18 through 11/27/18 

12/7/18 through 12/23/18

What to Consider Before Booking 

If you are looking to book this offer you will want to be aware of a few things along the way. First and foremost make sure it will be saving you money! Sometimes the requirement to book a resort room on property at a non-discounted rate in order to book the free dining promotion can be more expensive than booking otherwise on a different offer or percentage discount. Specifically for annual passholders, depending on your dates, you may be eligible for different discounts that could make your stay cheaper, even if you buy the dining plan out of pocket in addition to the resort you book. The kicker to all of this is the specific requirement of booking a “non-discounted” room. Oftentimes what you save on a discounted room more than makes up for the cost to add the dining plan of your choice out of pocket (but that is not always the case). 

Many guests still find booking the free dining plan offer a better plan for them on the basis of convenience, but if you book with a travel agency they can and will weigh the differences and choose the most cost effective option for you. As always, we recommend Destinations to Travel for your booking needs. It’s who we use and recommend and they help us out along the way (free quote request form below). As always, you can book this offer through Disney on your own as well with no variation in cost. 

What is Free Dining?

If you’ve made it this far in the article but haven’t yet heard about what free dining actually is, you’ve come to the right place and it could be the ideal offer for you. Free dining in and of itself is an add-on offering to a Disney vacation that is provided as a booking incentive for select dates each year. In the beginning, free dining was an incredible deal. The price was fair and the offer included not only the deluxe but also the moderate tier resorts giving guests the opportunity to receive standard tier free dining at almost any dining location in Walt Disney World on a meal credit basis. Each guest traditionally received one snack credit, one quick service meal, and one table service meal during each day of their stay.  

As the plan grew in popularity, the structure changed slightly and now includes two snack offerings, one quick service offering, and one table service offering. You also receive a free refillable drink mug to be used at the resort of your choice during your stay. If you are looking to book the recently debuted promotion but are interested in upgrading from the standard dining plan to a deluxe dining plan you can pay the difference to do so with this offer. Personally, I wouldn’t upgrade to deluxe. It sounds like an awesome way to travel but the standard plan is typically more than enough food for guests of all ages. Unless you are looking to book a culinary adventure and that will be the focus of your stay, I would stick with standard and save yourself a bit of money. 

On the contrary, if you book a value or moderate resort and intend to book this offer, I recommend upgrading from a quick service dining plan (included in the offer for those resort tiers) to the standard plan in order to experience more of the table service offerings on property. The quick service plan only includes two quick service meals, two snacks, and a refillable mug. I really think it’s worth the upgrade and you’ll likely enjoy a more elaborate dining experience during your trip. The difference in cost is about $20 per person per day to upgrade to standard and around $40 per person to upgrade to deluxe.       

Epcot - Free Disney Dining 2018


Ticket Requirement       

In order to take advantage of this rate, you will be required to book a 5 night 6-day Magic Your Way Package with park hopper. The park hopper option has not always been a requirement but it will be this year. According to Disney’s site, packages for other lengths of stay may be available. 

Included Resorts   

Here’s a closer look at what resorts are included in the offer. As always, there is a limited amount of availability for the offer dates at each resort. 

In this case, the following resorts will be eligible for Quick Service Dining Plans:
Disney’s All Star Resorts (Music and Sports) 
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites Only 
Disney’s Pop Century Resort 

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort  
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort 

In regards to those that will receive Regular Dining Plans:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village and Jambo House Villas
Disney’s Beach Club Villas 
Disney’s Boardwalk Villas 
Disney’s Old Key West Resort 

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort 
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Garden Floridian Resort and Spa
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort


Note: Offer Excludes campsites, 3 bedroom villas, and Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at the Art of Animation Resort.  

The Strange Disney Free Dining “Loophole”

If you’re concerned about just missing the offer dates window, you’ll want to consider this somewhat strange aspect of the promotion. Offer eligibility is based on when you check in to your resort. If you arrive on a date that is available for the offer but your stay extends past the end of the offer window, you will still be eligible for free dining. However, if you arrive on a date that is not included in the offer dates, you will not be eligible for free dining even if your dates continue on into an eligible date or series of dates. 

The best way to understand this is to think strictly about your arrival date. Everything is based on when you arrive at your chosen resort. If your dates are already set and part of your stay is included but not your arrival date, there is a work around but it’s not the best workaround. To utilize the ‘loophole,” book two stays on corresponding dates. It wont be ideal but you’ll end up receiving free dining for at least a portion of your stay. The round about way booking strategy will come with a few challenges but could save you quite a bit of money if you are traveling with a large party or staying an extended amount of time. 

Disney World Free Dining 2018

     

Our Other Dining Plan Posts and More Information

This post only really scratches the surface of the realm of free dining tips available across our site and other sites. If you’re looking for a few more in depth tips, don’t forget to check out our other posts below: 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Our Ideal 4 Day "No Parks" Disney World Itinerary

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Our Ideal 4 Day “No Parks” Disney World Itinerary

Every once in a while, you get the chance to take a vacation that is a bit different than your typical Walt Disney World vacation. Quite a few years ago, we took the time to step away from the parks for a few days in order to intentionally and fully embrace all that Disney has to offer beyond the parks. Honestly, it ended up being one of the most memorable trips we’ve ever taken and it ended up that way for one main reason: There was zero stress! 

I know that sounds cheesy and a bit unconventional, because in all honesty it is. It seems counter productive to take a vacation if it’s going to be stressful. However, when it comes right down to it there’s a certain level of stress involved in the planning stages of a Disney World trip. To an extent, the feeling is inevitable, but at the same time vastly rewarding in a majority of circumstances. I love planning trips and wouldn’t have a site to share with you all if I didn’t truly enjoy the process and everything a Disney World vacation involves. For me, this isn’t about making money, or trying get “noticed” but rather to meet new people and share new friendship with the people I meet along the way. I do it to help as many guests as I possibly can and no view count or other factor will change that. I mention that for one main reason. I do not work for Disney and as a result get to share a few recommendations that aren’t based on selling tickets or accommodations or anything in that realm. Simply put, it’s my opinion here and an effort not to sell anything but rather to share something that may change a portion of the way you experience the magic. 

Don’t get me wrong, I highly suggest touring the parks if you haven’t done it before but if you’re looking for something a bit different to try during your trip, here’s a closer look at what I recommend. If you still want to visit the parks in addition to these things, it would be an excellent way to to get a touch of both experiences along the way. Truth be told, even our non-parks focused trips we’ll typically make it to the parks a few days of our stay and even plan to do just that on a summer trip we’re looking into this year. 


So, if you’re looking for something a bit less stressful or a touch more relaxing than the fast paced action of many Disney trips, I invite you to take a look at what we recommend for 4 days at Walt Disney World without stepping into the parks. It’s a bit out of the the ordinary to think about but can be one of the more unique experiences you’ll embark upon in the realm of Disney. The cool part about this itinerary is that you can literally mix and match or “plug and play” your days in to any specific date you so desire! There’s no perfect order and there’s no “best way” to do this, but rather something to mold and manipulate to your ideal situation. 


One thing to note before jumping into the details is that I recommend you stay on property to try this. It makes transportation a bit easier and our plan is heavily weighted towards resort touring so it may prove beneficial to have Disney transportation available to move from one resort to the next. It sounds a bit counter intuitive but if you can jump on a bus to a park of your choice, arrive at the bus stop of that park without entering the park, and take a bus to another resort, you can get just about anywhere on property free of charge. The main thing is to make sure you return to your resort before the buses stop running at the end of the night in order arrive back at your resort without having to hire a Minnie Van, Uber or something similar.     

Day 1  

If I’m planning a Disney Trip outside of the parks, one thing comes to mind automatically, FOOD! Disney World is one of the top dining destinations in the United States. There’s more restaurants per square mile on property than just than just about any city in the country. 

To start out your first day, I’d do one main thing to kick off the vacation. Head to Disney Springs for a quick meal over at Homecomin’ Kitchen or your top pick for dining in the area and enjoy a day of shopping and dining! If shopping isn’t your thing, make your way to the Aerophile (Formerly Characters in Flight) to take flight in a tethered hot air ballon for some of the most picturesque views of Disney property available to guests of all ages. If you’re like me and don’t do well with heights, you may want to sit this one out… 

For those of us who are “vertically challenged” for lack of a better word, a few steps away you’ll find Sprinkles cupcakes, the Ganachery, and even the Boathouse were you can sit back and enjoy a quick snack or even a meal while the rest of your party enjoys the Springs from above. For the Boathouse in particular, avoid the wait times for the main restaurant and make your way out to the waterside dock bar area for access to the menu without having to wait for a table in the main restaurant itself. The view is spectacular out on the water and shaded for those warm summer nights with a cool breeze trickling in as the sun sets over the lake. 


Day 2

After your gradual start and likely active day on your feet, start day two off with a breakfast at one of the various resort hotels. As always, I highly recommend a few options. First would be Whispering Canyon and the breakfast canyon skillet. The food is unlimited and family style and really is one of the most entertaining breakfast you can have on property that still remains a hidden gem of Walt Disney World. Another great offering is Ohana over at the Polynesian resort, or even Chef Mickey at the Contemporary. Chef Mickey isn’t quite as high ranking on my list because the food quality isn’t quite as comparable to the others mentioned but the resort itself is a great place to start the day exploring the grounds and catching a few picturesque views of Magic Kingdom from the iconic Grand Concourse balcony.

After the meal, I highly recommend heading down to the boat dock. It’s easy to find and if you head out the back of the resort and head all the way out towards the lake. The transport ferry boats are free to use and will take you to the Contemporary (if you’re not there already), Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, and even Magic Kingdom. With one quick boat change you can also reach the Polynesian and Grand Floridian without ever entering the park. 

If you’ve not done it before, heading to each of these resorts can be an eye opening experience of all that Disney has to offer. Every resort holds little hidden gems and theming elements that separates them from all other resorts on property and even all other resorts you’ve ever traveled to. Each location has it’s own unique themed gift shops and merchandise and you may even get the chance to stop for a snack. If you head to the Polynesian you can even grab an iconic Dole Whip without ever leaving the resort. 

As always, don’t be afraid to visit resorts even if you’re not staying in them. Disney gladly welcomes and encourages non-resort guest visitors. They know better than anyone that once you see these resorts you’ll want to stay in them one day or return for another meal at one of their many restaurants in the future. 


If you’re carful about how you plan your day, you can really spend an entire day strolling around, enjoying the views, and shopping your day away at these resorts. As day turns to night pick a resort with a view of the castle in the distance to experience one of the most unique views possible of Magic Kingdom’s nighttime fireworks spectaculars. Particularly around the holidays, grab a spot on the beaches of the Polynesian or another resort and prepare for the multi-launch site fireworks experience you’ll be talking about for years to come.    

Day 3 

Day 3 is to me the ideal way to spend a summer day outside of the parks. It can be moved to whatever day of your trip you would like but particularly on a hot day, very little beats spending some time at your themed resort pool. 

Start your day with a nice breakfast or sleep in just a bit then head out to the pool to soak in the sunshine and relax the day away. If simply hanging out isn’t your thing, head to the lobby and search for the activity list for the day. Each resort will be a bit different but it’s not out of the ordinary to find a list of free activities (or low cost activities) to partake in at your very own resort. Certain resorts offer free guided tours, others offer an open fire as the day turns to night, or even a movie out under the stars. The possibilities are endless and vary from day to day, but taking that day to really fully explore the little details of your resort is a great way to not only save a little money, but also tends to be a vastly memorable day with family or friends. 

It’s certainly not the conventional way to explore Disney but sometimes taking a step back to enjoy the simpler aspects of the experience can lead to some of the most unique and memorable aspects of the vacation.

Day 4 

On your final day I recommend making the journey over to the Boardwalk resort area. In my opinion this is one of the most, if not the most, overlooked areas on property by a significant margin.

The Boardwalk area is one of the most picturesque places you’ll ever visit. Sitting prominently on Crescent Lake in the Epcot resort area, the views are truly spectacular. From sun up to sun down, the colors and lights of the area glisten casually, yet prominently, off of the water enticing guests to enjoy a casual day of exploration and enjoyment from a simpler time and a simpler place. Grab a funnel cake, rent a surrey bike, or simply enjoy a stroll through the incredible art gallery and a day will slowly pass by unveiling detail after detail as you explore everything the resort has to offer. As a bit of hidden gem of the experience I recommend heading to the main floor of the resort to find a piece of Disney history hiding in plain site. 

As a few of you may remember, Main Street USA used to be home to the iconic Penny Arcade. Unfortunately, after the closure of that space in 1995, the nostalgic games that once filled that iconic space slowly disappeared. A select few reappeared years later in the Main Street Station in non-operable form, but one was relocated and still functions today. Any guesses at where it might be today? You guessed it, the Boardwalk resort. 

Just a few steps from the main lobby near the restrooms on the main floor you’ll typically find one or sometimes two machines prominently placed in the hallway. Most guests will walk right by and entirely ignore the history in front of them, but a select few will peer into the view finder and and gently turn the crank to watch the flipbook style production come to life before their very eyes.


Little details like this adorn the property and taking the time to explore it may uncover more than you ever expected. If you want something else to do in the area, grab an ice cream at Ample Hills creamery, Beaches and Cream across the water at the Beach Club, or make the short walk to the Dolphin resort for a dip of ice-cream or incredible soft serve at the Fountain restaurant. 

If you’ve made it that far over to the Swan and Dolphin, walk just a touch further and you’ll stumble into the Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course. If you book your stay in a package you may even get to play free of charge with the vouchers provide when your magic bands are delivered!  

To wrap up the night, head back to the main crescent lake area to catch a unique view of Epcot’s Illuminations nighttime spectacular from a unique viewing angle. It’s the perfect way to end a night outside of the parks. 
                                   

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

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Our Picks For the Best Disney World Dining Plan Restaurants in 2018

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Our Picks For the Best Disney World Dining Plan Restaurants in 2018


Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Dining Plan at Walt Disney World and what we see as some of the best value for your dining credit offerings in the realm of Walt Disney World dining opportunities. As with anything Disney, every individual guest is going to have their own particular preferences and that’s one of the main reasons I recommend trying any restaurant on property and attempting to do so with an open mind at least once before passing judgement on the particular location. 


Honestly, we’re typically those Disney guests that tend to repeat our favorite dining locations time and time again, but at the same time we strive to try at least one entirely new dining offering each and every time we visit Walt Disney World. With that being said, we are inevitably bias towards a few of our favorites and truth be told we enjoy Disney buffets more than the average guest, but it tends to be what works for us. Of course, we do try various table service offerings in a more classic since and a few even made our list today, but don’t be surprised if you see a buffet or family style offering pop up along the way. Truth be told, that’s really the only foreword we should really add to this post before we dive right in. 

Is The Disney Dining Plan Even Your Best Dining Option

It is worth mentioning that over the years we have largely avoided the dining plan. If you really think about it, most guests are buying the dining plan for one of two reasons (of course there are a few exceptions): 1. convenience or 2. perceived savings. 

The first option is perhaps the most beneficial facet the Disney dining plan expertly brings to the table and quite possibly should be the selling point for of the plan altogether. I will say, more than anything else, the Disney Dining plan is outstandingly convenient. You don’t have to worry about hidden meal costs, or setting aside a budget for that part of your vacation once you arrive at the parks, or even be too concerned about knowing what your dining will cost. Disney sets up the payment for you and essentially you have a set number of what your vacation is going to cost before you ever leave home. It’s incredibly convenient, but also features on major caveat in my opinion. 

Unless you plan on a focus of your vacation being dining, a vast majority of guests will not and likely can not physically eat and enjoy all that is provided on the regular dining plan. It’s a ton of food, and if you know that and want that going in, by all means enjoy the dining plan. We’ve done it before ourselves and sometimes that turns out to be a perfect trip, but don’t fall into the perceived savings mindset that we mentioned as our second reason. 

A shocking amount of guests have told me over the years that they thought the dining plan was going to save them money. Honestly, for a vast majority of guests that isn’t going to be the case and that is likely one of the biggest reasons Disney does not market it in that way. If you really break it down and order all high priced menu items, use every single snack credit you are provided, and really go all out on the dining plan, the numbers typically come out to within a few pennies of what you would have spent out of pocket if bought the exact same thing. That’s the kicker to the whole thing. Most guests are not going to buy as many meals and snacks when they’re paying for it directly out of pocket compared to the meal plan. 

Personally, I don’t want to tell anyone what’s “best” regarding the Disney dining plan or avoiding the Disney dining plan, largely because that is a question that I can’t answer. We’ve had excellent trips doing things both ways. Chances are you’ll save money by avoiding the plan, but at the same time it’s quite difficult to put a price on the convenience factor. Overall, I’d say do your research and figure out what is going to be the better option for your situation. Every single guest is going to travel just a little bit differently and it’s something I’d recommend considering for sure, but also recognize that it’s not a make or break decision in the overall Disney World vacation experience.    

With all the little details out of the way, here’s a few of the locations that we see as top Disney World Dining Plan Restaurants for your dining plan credits! 

Table Service Disney Dining Plan Offerings

Table service is typically the place where you can really make the most of your dining plan offerings. Table service is typically a high priced meal on property and most of the time you can order anything on the menu when you’re utilizing the Disney dining plan credits. For many, this is where the plan shines. Many guests, including myself, will either order something they never would have paid for directly out of pocket if they visited the restaurant previously or they will choose to try something entirely new just because it’s already paid for.  Of course, you are paying for it in a round about way, but it’s not quite the same shock when you receive the bill for the meal. 

If you notice below, there’s on main caveat to our list and that is that you will not find any 2 credit signature restaurants on our list. While those are outstanding meals, the fact that the offerings essentially replace another table service meal has and always will be hard for me to rationalize. In my mind, if I’m going to potentially give up an additional table service meal for a two credit signature offering, that one meal is going to have to be near equivalent in price to make it worth it. For me it’s hard to give up two $40 meals and accompanying meal experiences for a single offering elsewhere. For some guests, that may work out great for you, but it’s not something I would personally recommend. 
          


The Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace is and likely always will be a top pick for my family. For us, it is the perfect array of options. There’s something on the buffet that all of us like and just about every guest will find something they really enjoy from the lineup of options on the buffet. If you don’t like what you pick, go grab something else and keep repeating the process as you go until you find something you really enjoy. 

For me, the ideal meal at Disney’s Crystal Palace is breakfast. If you schedule it late enough in the day, you might catch a few bites of the lunch buffet offerings, and if you schedule it at just the right time you can accomplish a ton of attractions from the time Magic Kingdom opens to the time you arrive at your meal just as the crowds start to build. (As we shared in our How to Ride 6 or More Attractions in 90 Minutes or Less: With Only 1 Fastpass+!) 
If you wait just a touch later in the day, Crystal Palace offers a great buffet lunch that is great for families with kids. It’s not the most luxurious of offerings and isn’t entirely designed to be, but the array of food from salmon to chicken offer each and every guest something to enjoy. Just be aware, if you are paying out of pocket, dinner here is far more expensive than lunch and is a very comparable menu.    


The Garden Grill Breakfast 

With this one I’m even surprising myself. For years I did not like Garden Grill. The menu didn’t appeal to me and to be quite honest it wasn’t something I would ever look forward to on a vacation when we did decide to book it on rare occasions.

A few short years ago that completely changed. I’m still not a huge proponent of their other meal offerings, but I can honestly say Garden Grill is the best Epcot area breakfast I’ve personally experienced. To me, it’s the ideal offering and the ideal location to eat for an Epcot morning. You can schedule a mid-morning breakfast, tour the main attractions near the front of the park early on in the day before your meal, and prepare for the world showcase after your breakfast. As the afternoon turns into night you can set up a table service dinner or enjoy the various festival kitchens and limited time offerings of the showcase depending on when you travel the rest of the day.

Setting that thought aside, the food at Garden Grill is quite simple and while I wont go into it in too great of detail, you can read our full review over on our The Garden Grill – One of the Best Breakfasts on Disney Property post. I know that title alone sounds like an over exaggeration but we really enjoyed this offering and it truly is an outstanding way to jump start your day with a nice breakfast and quality cast members. 


Teppan Edo

As touched on above, Teppan Edo is the perfect late lunch or dinner offering at Epcot (or to accompany a table service breakfast earlier in the day if you’re hungry enough to do a table service dinner too!). The offering is fairly pricey out of pocket but on the dining plan you walk in and order whatever you want and it all (in theory) costs the same amount. Teppan Edo is great because it’s not only a great meal and a filling meal but it’s sort of a dinner and a show. Many guests are hesitant to take kids here but they are fairly accommodating to children and most young guests really enjoy the hibachi style experience even if they don’t necessarily love their meal.

A few words of warning on this one. If you are your kids do not like to be around strangers, this may not be your best option. Every once in a while groups will get paired with other families to fill the spots surrounding the hibachi grill. It’s not just a Disney thing but a commonly accepted practice for this type of a meal. Disney seems a touch more hesitant to group parties but it’s something to be aware of. Additionally, if your kids are sacred of fire or do not like loud-ish noises, I cannot recommend this meal. Other than those two things, I highly recommend this offering. The food is excellent the display is entertaining and the cast is top notch as well. 
        

Tusker House  

Tusker House makes my list for two main reasons. One, it is likely the ideal and perhaps only true family centered Disney branded offering in Animal Kingdom for table service. There are other meals in the park, but none that really offer the ideal situation for families that this restaurant provides. The character interaction is great, the food is a good variation of creative African inspired offerings and slightly more typical and recognizable buffet items than other options in the park.

If you’re traveling with a picky eater, this is a must do table service meal for you on the dining plan if you plan on spending a full day in Animal Kingdom. If they’re really picky, try and grab a breakfast reservation and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the experience. Breakfast is the most popular dining offering here and it is quite difficult to secure a reservation as a result, but if you book it early in your reservation scheduling window, you shouldn’t have too hard of a time nailing down a time.   
      

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan Offerings

To the surprise of many first time guests, Disney quick service (counter service) is really starting to change and has been for the last 5 years or so. When New Fantasyland opened, and quite possibly even before that, a shocking move towards more unique quick service offerings started to arrive in the parks and over at the resorts. A movement started to take place where meals started to move away from burgers and fries and towards more filling and creative offerings. Perhaps the best example of this is Magic Kingdom. Currently at Magic Kingdom I can only think of one restaurant off hand that offers a burger as it’s main offering and that is over at Starlight Cafe (which is facing a variation of changes right now). If you posed that same circumstance 5 or even 10 years ago you’d likely face a much different realization. Personally, I love it and it has worked out excellently for Disney in the realm of social media. 

Today, it seems like every time you turn around a new fad or trending Disney meal item is sweeping the internet. It’s a great time to be a quick service fan and while there’s a ton of great offerings across property here are a few of our top picks.  

Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory

Floatworks is without a doubt my favorite quick service location on all of Disney property. Sure, unless you’re staying at Port Orleans, you’ll have to go out of your way to go visit it, but it is absolutely worth it. If you’re on the dining plan you can pick almost anything on the menu as your meal credit. The menu is vast and features a New Orleans inspired flair that is distinct but not necessarily off putting to those of us who have not been raised in New Orleans. 

If you’re going to go try it, stay for dessert and try the beignets. It’s the highlight of any trip to Port Orleans and perhaps the greatest “not-so-hidden” hidden gem of Disney dining.   


The Artist’s Palette

As another somewhat out of the ordinary offering to make our list, I highly recommend the Artist’s Palette at the Saratoga Springs Resort. Again, this will involve venturing out to a resort location you may or may not be staying at but it’s something I highly recommend trying.

I always recommend heading to the resorts to new and returning guests. It’s a great way to explore something entirely free of cost (minus the food costs), it expands your knowledge of where you may want to stay on a future trip, and opens up an entirely new world of hidden Disney elements to uncover and learn about along the way. It sounds so incredibly strange in writing but head to a resort and spend a few hours exploring the grounds and you may be shocked at how much you enjoy just being there. It’s tough to pull the time out a vacation to do just that, but I will guarantee you wont regret it. 

Exploring resorts is one of the most relaxing elements of any Disney trip for me, and has a way of opening up your mind and allowing you to let the worries of the world fade away as your kids play on a playground, play ping pong by the pool, or even ride a boat over to a neighboring resort. It’s beauty is in the simplicity and frees the mind in a way that is quite difficult to explain. When you feel it, you just know that you’re experiencing something special and everything else fades away. 

The Artist’s Palette itself is not too dissimilar to a typical deluxe resort dining location but it’s lack of crowds and slightly more interesting menu sets it apart in my book. With the soft music playing in the background, the pool within sight and a buffalo chicken panini headlining the menu (ok, maybe not headlining the menu for everyone but it’s headlining the menu in my book lol) there’s very little not to like about this offering and it’s a great value for your dining credit.          

La Cantina de San Angel

If I’m on the dining plan and not eating at one or both of the aforementioned dining locations above at Epcot, I’ll likely be stopping for a quick lunch here. With a waterfront location, a casual elegance when the interior seating is open to guests (just around the corner from the main outdoor dining area), this is simple quick service option at it’s finest. The meal offerings are nachos, tacos, empanadas and other typical Mexican food, but everything is largely sharable and a great way to get a taste of the Mexico pavilion before continuing on your way around the showcase. In the past, we’ve found that this location is a great way to start an afternoon of eating “around the world.” Share a nacho here with a friend or two and continue on your way around the showcase trying a a few bites of something in each country.
        

                            

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Rumored Disney World Free Dining Dates for 2018! – These Could Be The Dates

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Rumored Disney World Free Dining Dates for 2018! – These Could Be The Dates


Before we get started with today’s post, I will say that at this point this should be considered solely as rumor. However, as many of you may know I am very careful about sharing strictly rumored information, but this is one of those releases that I know tends to be quite important to guests so I will make an exception and share whatever has been shared with me. With that being said, these dates could be perfect and they could be completely wrong so don’t bank on this offer in the off chance that it does not pan out. Also worth considering is that these very well could be the international dates rather than strictly the US offer dates. The origination of this information is from a group of South American travel groups. With that also being said, this may not be identical to the US market but should give us a pretty solid idea of what to expect with a subtle variation in dates and potential resort offerings for the particular booking incentive. In the past, this has been one of the more reliable predictors in the realm of free dining.    


No matter what, there’s a very high chance that the free dining structure will continue to be deluxe resorts receiving the regular dining plan while both moderate and value resorts would receive the quick service dining plan. If historical trends remain true, any guests booking the moderate or value resorts under this offer would be able to upgrade to a higher tier dining plan (Also true for regular dining upgraded to deluxe dining.)

As mentioned above, these dates have not been officially released by Disney but here’s a good idea of what you can expect:

Booking Dates (when you can book your stay and receive the offer): 
4/27/18 to 7/7/18 

For stays: 
8/2/18 through 9/29/18 
11/24/18 through 11/27/18 
12/7/18 through 12/23/18   

In this case, the following resorts would be eligible for quick Service Dining Plans:

Disney’s All Star Resorts
Disney’s Pop Century Resort 

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort  
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort 

In regards to those that would receive Regular Dining Plans:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort and Villas 
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas  
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas Jambo House and Kidani Village
Disney’s Old Key West Resort 
Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (Studios) – Possible 
Disney’s Saratoga Springs 

When purchasing the package I would expect that the park hopper or park hopper plus option must be included in the package offer. 

A Few Notes About the Free Dining Offer:

First and foremost, these dates could change, but based on the previous years and information that is starting to circulate I would put this in the plausible rumor category. It is not confirmed in any way, but does truly fit the trend of previous years timeframes. Also, I would expect to see an earlier start for free dining this year. The proposed 8/2 start date could be a bit early but I would not be surprised if the start date is moved forward in order to fill early August reservations as students return to school and the summer rush starts to wrap up for the parks and resorts. 


Also worth noting, if you are looking to book a stay during this offer, try and book your entire stay within the stay window. If your check in date is before the offer dates begin, you will not receive the dining plan offer. Everything is based off of your arrival dates (or it has been in the past) so you could check in on the last day of the offer and still receive free dining for dates after the offer window ends as long as you check in before the stay window ends. It’s a bit strange but could prove beneficial to you to know that information in the long run. 

Last but certainly not least, these are probably very comparable dates to what may be rolled out in the coming weeks but official confirmation should be arriving in the next 3 weeks (probably on a Monday morning or late Sunday Night if I had to guess). When these rates roll out, book the offer quickly because it notoriously sells out rapidly and there are only a set number of rooms available for the offer. As always, if you want to book this offer or work with someone who will be able to book it for you when and if the offer is officially unveiled we recommend Destinations to Travel (quote request form below) not only because they support the site but because they are who we use!

A Few Thoughts: Disney Debuts Woody’s Lunch Box Offerings

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

A Few Thoughts: Disney Debuts Woody’s Lunch Box Offerings

As many of you may know, Disney is unveiling an entirely new land this summer at their  Hollywood Studios theme park location. For quite some time Disney has held off on sharing the specific menu details of the upcoming counter service location, Woody’s Lunch Box, but today we’ve got a few things to share with you right from Disney’s Official news site along with the Disney Parks Blog. However, I want to take things just a step farther and share a few thoughts about the location and a bit of guest/media perception of this summer’s big Toy Story Land debut on June 30th. 



At this point, I’m not entirely sure if we’ll be invited to or be able to preview the new land, but I will say that this is a new debut that many guests and media tend be overlooking in the scale of what it “could be.” In my opinion, this will be the “sleeper” crowd pleasing expansion that very few expect. Of course, it may not draw as large of crowds as the future Star Wars expansion, but it could very well be a highly anticipated debut for a vast variety of guests. 

Personally, I’m of that generation of Disney fans that grew up with and love the entire series of Toy Story films. For an entire generation of young adults, they don’t know a world without the series of films. It’s strange to think about, but that’s the kind of fan base this expansion will vastly appeal to. As a result, I see this expansion as being the unanticipated big ticket debut for Disney. Sure, it may not be the massive revenue generator that Pandora or Star Wars turned out to and will be, but it checks a lot of boxes. It’s family friendly, young adult friendly, and incredibly kid friendly. What’s not to like? 

I firmly believe this is going to be just like the debut of Pandora. There will be a ton of skeptics going into it but as the land builds to a finish and on opening day the marvels of Imagineering unveil themselves, opinions will be turned around. Very few people were excited about Pandora originally (including myself) and look how incredible it turned out. Imagineering will not let us down and today’s release is one of the first steps in changing many media and guest opinions of the expansion and building grand anticipation. I’ll reserve final judgement until I get to finally see it in person (hopefully sooner rather than later), but I honestly believe this place is going to exceed expectations. At that point I’ll be sure to share an unbiased review of the expansion once we see it in person and get to explore the little details that make all the difference and truly set Disney part. Obviously, I love the Disney parks and resorts so my opinion may be a touch positively bias, but many of you will view things from a similar perspective.  


Today’s release adds to my excitement in a very unique way. Of course, it’s easy to get me excited about the food, but nonetheless these options look outstanding! Here’s a closer look at a few items coming to the Toy Story Land Expansion (as described by Disney) once it debuts and the dining location opens to guests on June 30th.

  • “S’more French Toast breakfast sandwich.  Oozy goodness in a chocolate ganache- and marshmallow-stuffed French toast topped with graham cracker crumbles. Inspired by the classic American campfire treat.
  • Grilled three-cheese sandwich. To ensure a soft gooey middle, Disney chefs created a sharp cheddar cream cheese spread, layered in provolone and cheddar and wrapped the sandwich in garlic butter-grilled French bread.
  • BBQ brisket melt. With a nod to cowboy Woody, this Texas-style smoked brisket features cheddar, Monterey Jack, pickles, BBQ sauce and garlic butter-grilled sourdough.
  • Totchos. Bite-sized potato barrels, corn chips, chili and queso. ‘Nuf said.
  • Lunch box tarts. A modern interpretation of a breakfast toaster pastry as a hand-held dessert, these feature a uniquely delicate crust. Layer in high-quality ingredients for fillings, add a decorative garnish, and these tasty tarts beat anything mom packed. Choice of Raspberry Lunch Box Tart garnished with Icing and Dried Fruit and Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart garnished with Icing and Caramelized Bacon
  • Monte Cristo. Also on the menu for lunch is a Monte Cristo. Woody’s version of this classic sandwich has layers of ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, and raspberry jam…and is grilled to a golden brown.
If you’re looking to dine a bit more health conscious:  
  • Smoked turkey, tomato, and lettuce on multigrain bread. The quintessential lunch box sandwich. To give it a kick of flavor, Disney chefs add a creamy Dijonnaise.
  • Banana Split Yogurt Parfait. Layers of banana-vanilla Greek yogurt (with a hint of honey), fresh bananas, strawberries, and pineapple topped with granola and chocolate chips. A delicious way to start the day!
  • Other healthy options available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios include fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, and grilled meats and fish.”

Also on the menu will be specialty floats and punch offerings for guests to enjoy. Some elect offerings will contain alcohol. As previously shared, many of the dining offerings are brought to guests through an affiliation with the Mini Babybell product. These offerings aren’t quite all that has been released so be sure to check out the Disney Parks Blog’s official post for more details.  

Online Guest Concerns

Every new release has it’s typical critiques and questions but a few select concerns are popping up regarding the menu that could and likely will be addressed before the location officially debuts to guests. Many guests are questioning the number of vegetarian and vegan friendly offerings. At this point, it appears that those offerings will be minimal, if not non-existent accord got heir comments. Personally, I am not an expert in that realm of dietary concerns, because I am neither of the aforementioned individuals, but I could see a concern for some guests in regard to gluten friendly offerings in addition to those concerns. As usual, I have full confidence that Disney will make any and all necessary adjustments for those guests in one way or another. We’ve traveled with guests with very difficult allergies to accommodate and Disney is more than willing to help or exceed expectations in meeting those needs 99% of the time! 


So, there you have it. What are your thoughts on the new offering? Or even, perhaps more importantly, the new expansion as a whole? We hope to see it for the first time sometime soon or even possibly at a preview event, but we’ll see if that becomes a reality in the not so distant future. If not, you know we’ll be back to the parks sometime soon and will gladly share our thoughts and opinions of the 11 acre expansion! If have any questions or wish to contact us in any way, be sure to send me an email at guide4wdw@gmail.com and an answer will come your way directly from me in the coming days. I do answer all my own emails, so you can rest assured that your comments or questions will reach me directly at that email address.     

Source and Media Photos: Disney and the Disney Parks Blog 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Epcot Festivals – 5 Ways to Make the Most of The Experience!

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Epcot Festivals – 5 Ways to Make the Most of The Experience! 

Epcot festivals are perhaps one of the defining principles of the Epcot experience in my opinion. Epcot to me has always been the “ideal” park. It was Walt Disney’s creation from the beginning. Of course, it’s not the same concept that was originally drawn up, but these offered festivals picturesquely capture one of the defining principles of the EPCOT concept, a community. As strange as that sounds, a festival is perhaps the dining feature of a community design. It brings people together, shares culture among “nations,” and develops a connection with guests that is somewhat hard to explain in words. It’s something you have to see to entirely appreciate, but an Epcot Festival is a living entity in more than one way. The guest interaction is always changing, the plant life debuts and changes as the world around it fluctuates, and each festival shares a blended effort of so many unique and creative individuals in the development of the project year after year. 
It’s a community like no other and one that may not be the perfect description of the real definition of a community but nonetheless a concept I truly believe Walt Disney would be proud of. 
Epcot festivals are unique, but perhaps the greatest element of the events is that there really is something offered almost every season of the year: 
-Flower and Garden Festival: February 28th – May 28th (2018) 
-Food And Wine Festival: August 30th -November 12th (2018)
-Festival of the Arts: January 12th – February 19th (2018 – concluded for the year)
-Epcot Festival of the Holidays: Dates to be announced.
No matter what festival you choose to attend, the following tips may be something you want to consider during your next Epcot festival experience!    

     

1. Avoid Table Service Meals During the Epcot Festivals (Maybe…)

If a goal of your trip is to enjoy the given festival that may correspond with your travel dates, you may want to consider avoiding table service meals during your day in that particular park. I love table service more than just about anything in the overall Disney experience, but if you’re headed to these large culinary based events, I actually recommend avoiding it so that you can save that money and try that much more of the culinary tradition as you tour the showcase. 

Chances are, if you eat a full table service meal before or during your tour of the “world” you’ll likely be far too full to enjoy a variety of the offerings available from the limit time outdoor kitchens. It’s inevitably a tough decision to make but personally one that I’ve failed to take my advice for time and time again. 

For example, during our last trip, we booked a table service breakfast at Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion. If you want to check out a full review of that experience be sure to check out our The Garden Grill – One of the Best Breakfasts on Disney Property article. It’s an outstanding meal, but at the same time wasn’t our best option when planning to attend the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival festivities that same afternoon. We had grand plans of trying many different food kiosks and “eating our way around” the countries, but we almost ran out of stomach space to make the most of it (key word… almost lol). 
In the end, we still managed to try a few of our top picks that were “must try offerings,” but truth be told it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as it could have been if we would have avoided the large breakfast. Of course, your “mileage” may very and what works for us in this regard may or may not work for you, We truly enjoy traveling from location to location stationed throughout the showcase and these festival kitchens are highlights of our Disney trips year after year.  

2. Make a Day of the Experience 

If you’ve never tried an Epcot Festival, it’s important to note that there’s more to do at these events than simply the dining. The Flower and Garden Festival in particular typically offers special events, seminars, and hands on experiences that so many guests completely overlook. There’s a little bit of something for everyone, from concerts to the broadway level performances offered at select events and times, you may be surprised at what you could uncover during your time in the park. 

If you know you’ll be touring one of these special festivals, I highly recommend looking into the event schedule before you arrive and as soon as you enter the park. If you plan it right and are willing to make a full day (or multiple days) out of the offerings, you can experience so many different realms of entertainment that you may have never experienced or expected from a theme park in the past. Check out the lineup of events, pick something unique, and you’ll enjoy your day in the park more than you likely expected. If you don’t know what’s going on, pick up a Festival passport as you enter the park and the events of the day and the vast variety of offerings will be listed in the book. It’s completely free to guests and makes for a great little souvenir and an even better way to document your chosen dining locations with the included stickers for marking your journey.   

Just for example, at this years Flower and Garden Festival (2018), guests are invited to take part in a variety of special events including but not limited to:

-The Epcot Gardens of The World Tour- A three hour tour with a Disney Horticulturist host through a variety of gardens and displays on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday! 

-Tea Garden Tours in the United Kingdom Pavilion- Special tour offerings for the season guided by a Disney cast member. Typically the tours are presented by Twinings of London and are offered in 3 different iterations. I’ve heard nothing but excellent reviews of the offering! 
          

3. Don’t Overlook the Little Things

It’s surprisingly easy to overlook many of the elements of the special events in favor of the top tier attractions that are offered to guests day after day. However, if you’re careful with your time you can not only experience the attractions but also the special event offerings, and still have time to explore some of the lesser known elements of the festivals. 

Perhaps the greatest example of this seemingly simple tip is one of my personal favorite goals of every trip during the Flower and Garden Festival, the Bonsai Collection of Japan. There’s no one perfect way to experience the casual enjoyment of the experience and the area lends itself to one of the most picturesque settings in all of Walt Disney World. The Bonsai trees are truly spectacular and exhibit a craft that is largely impressive in the realm of horticulture. I’m far from a gardening expert but the years and care put into making these trees a viewable reality to guests is something that really has to be witnessed to be fully appreciated. The tree pictured is 30 years old and has been meticulously cared for for 11 years!   

Another favorite aspect is the yearly Goodness Garden Butterfly House. As another simple experience, the garden invites guests to enter a large domed space full of wonderful plants and impressive greenery created for this event alone. When you’re immersed in the experience it’s hard to believe it’s designed and developed for a limited time offering event. Only Disney would out the care and effort into a space like this to envelop guests in the true spirit of the event. It’s spectacular in design and the butterfly tie in is something incredible to witness first hand. The area is a foray of life in the form of a garden and has been and likely always will be a guest favorite year after year. 

The garden is a come as you please offering and does not require guests to wait in a lengthy line, and as result has nearly infinite repeatability. For me, it’s highlight of the trip, and as someone who rarely enters the gardening realm, it’s quite the production to witness first hand.         

4. Don’t Overlook the Merchandise 

As a typical rule of thumb when visiting the parks, I tend to avoid typical t-shirts and ordinary theme park souvenirs. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them, but after you’ve been to Disney as many times as we have, some of the merchandise tends to get repetitive. I know that sounds horribly conceited, but I don’t intend for it to. We tour the parks not because we’re rich or have some special discounted offer from Disney (even though we may wish that was a reality), but rather because it’s what we’ve grown up doing and enjoy more than just about anything else. We have a passion for this place and all that it offers, but we experience nearly everything through out of pocket costs. We work normal jobs, live many hours from the parks, and don’t really have any tie-in to the Disney company directly. We write about this place because it’s the place that has created so many memories for us over the years and if I can share just one way in which you can experience those same incredible memories with even one person, the end result is more than worth the time put in. 

With all of that being said, Flower and Garden Festival and other festival merchandise is the sole exception to my personal barrier against t-shirts and non unique souvenirs. The festivals bring with them something new and different every year. There are outdoor decorations, special posters, and unique merchandise that you may never see again. To me, that takes a seemingly ordinary souvenir and attaches a memory of the time spent at the event to that item or element of your vacation of a lifetime. That’s exactly what I look for in a souvenir. I don’t look for something trivial but something that takes me back to a moment with friends or family that I can keep for generations. That’s part of the reason I recently got into photography. Capturing a moment is sometimes worth more than any words could ever describe to some. It’s a snapshot of a time that took your breath away or a moment that you may inadvertently relive time and time again and tell stories about for years on end. Those special types of souvenirs attach heart to a seemingly ordinary object in a way that brings a certain level of joy into each and every day of your life. No matter how trivial that time may seem or whatever minor tasks may fit your busy life upon returning home.      
              

5. Prep With a Gift Card for the Event 

As one of the more interesting and perhaps slightly unique tips on our list, buying a Disney gift card before you arrive at an Epcot festival can make a small but noticeable difference in how you tour the events. If you live near someplace with a Walmart or even a Lowes or similar location, you can likely pick up a gift card before embarking on your Disney vacation. If not, you can always grab a card upon entering the park. It sounds a bit strange to buy a gift card to spend while you’re still in the park, but the concept behind it is pretty helpful. Essentially, we recommend getting a gift card in order to one, limit your sending to what is on the card, and two, to make your world showcase festival experience a bit easier. 


If you buy a gift card, it’s easy to slide it in a pocket or in the back of a phone case or something similar and have it within reach as you walk from pavilion to pavilion or from outdoor kitchen to outdoor kitchen. Inevitably, especially at Flower and Garden Festival and Food and Wine Festival, you’ll want to stop for a snack at many different locations in order to try a taste of a variety of offerings that have debuted for the year. Instead of digging through a purse or pulling out a wallet every time you want to buy something it’s a touch easier to grab a gift card and hand it to the cashier. There’s nothing to leave at the counter or to drop as you pick up your food and if you wait to buy your gift card on property for select festivals Disney even offers small gift cards attached to bands for easy access. Here’s a glance at what they look like > Disney Gift Cards (not a sponsored link). 

Personally, I see this as a great option for teenagers or older kids as well. That way the adults of your group can designate how much money they can spend, put it on the card, and let them pick and choose what they want until the funds run out. You don’t have to worry about them running up a bill on your Magic Band or asking for money time after time and overall it could make things a touch easier for everyone.              

Your Thoughts


As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are!


Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

"Departed Disney" – A Look Back at One of Disney’s Most Creative Merchandise Locations!

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

“Departed Disney” – A Look Back at One of Disney’s Most Creative Merchandise Locations!  


Disney is a place where so many little details unfold before your very eyes. However, sometimes in order to experience those details you not only have to take a look around you, but also take a look back at what “once was.” Fortunately for us, Disney World is always changing and progressing as the world around it (and us) develops. As true as that may be, by putting some things into perspective, it can truly allow you to appreciate what you’re experiencing in a completely different way. In my humble opinion, an appreciation of the Disney parks stems from not only the attractions, the food (oh how I love the food!), or even the shows, but often times the backstory and the history of this place many of us call “home.” 

History is one of those things that never truly goes away, but is always something that we can learn from. Unfortunately what I’m talking to you about today is not something that you can directly experience in the parks, but rather something that takes you on a journey back to a simpler time and place both in the parks themselves, but also through story. With that, today’s look at an element of “Departed Disney” brings us to the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. 


I know what you’re thinking, “I’ve been to that shop! How could it be departed?” Well today we look back not at the Christmas Shop you can experience today but rather the three storefronts that made up what the Christmas shop once was! 


Starting off, as mentioned, the Christmas Shop was formerly not a Christmas Shop at all, but rather 3 “independent” experiences. In the early days of Walt Disney World (1970’s) the store essentially featured 3 experiences within the larger area that encompassed the entire Christmas Shop of today. As with anything classically Disney at the time, these retail establishments were more for entertainment and theming value rather than vast sales of elaborately decorated merchandise. Unfortunately, that is also the rumored reasoning for their unfortunate demise and replacement. 

At the time, the area featured Mlle. Lafayette’s Parfumerie, the Silversmith’s shop, and Olde World Antiques. The antique store is quite possibly the one aspect of Walt Disney World that I truly wish was still there today (if I had to pick just one). 

Olde World Antiques


Simply put, this was every collectors dream while at the same time an aspect that could put every guest right into the story the area wished to and still portrays today. The store itself was chalked full of elaborate antiques and unique items from classic books to one off displays hand picked by Disney’s exclusive antique hunter Otto Rabbi. Otto was picked by the Disney company in order to create an antiques atmosphere that was as real and authentic as it possibly could be. 
At that time, Jack Olsen was the head of merchandising and a key component in the merchandise locations of the parks (Not to mention an outstanding soldier who fought for our country in World War II and earned not only one but two purple hearts along the way!). Jack had a certain regard for the authenticity of every merchandise location. He supposedly didn’t like things being out of place in the park because it took away from the illusion and story the lands intended to portray. He and Walt were story people and these retail locations allowed them to develop a story in real life. Budget wasn’t a problem and the retail locations were treated more like attractions than revenue generators as a result. No expense was too great to make a vision and story develop for the guests each day. Sadly, when new management took over the merchandising and a new era was brought in, the budget for this experience was rumored to be not quite feasible to upkeep (rumored – roughly $100,000 in sales each year, but at the same time spending over $1,000,000 to fill the shelves).  


Olsen was all about the experience rather than the cost of creating that experience. If it didn’t tell the story the location intended to portray, it didn’t matter how much revenue it could generate. In the eyes of early Walt Disney World guests, it must have made all the difference. When you talk to guests today that have been going sense the beginning, you always here the most wonderful stories of not only Olde World Antiques, but the Penny Arcade, The Hallmark Card Shop, and certainly the Magic Shop where guests could purchase things that were truly unique to the experience they had the opportunity to witness first hand. They remember these places because of the memories attached to them, and the stories Olsen and his team so expertly portrayed. It was certainly a different time, but a wonderful experience for all who partook. 

The Silversmith’s Shop


As we move on to the second section of the store, it’s hard to overlook the Silversmith’s shop. Today, very few images arise from that particular section of the store, but the story element the location portrayed is something that certainly still helps develop Liberty Square today. As many of you may know, the Liberty Tree sits right next door to today’s Christmas Shop. While that was still true back in the day, the silversmith played a unique roll in telling the story of the tree. If you look up in the tree today, you’ll find a distinct set of lanterns flickering in the night sky. Those lanterns have a story of their own that develops from the story of Johnny Tremain. While I won’t ruin the details for you, which stem from the classic Disney film, Tremain was said to be the proprietor of this particular store. The tie to the story of the land was certainly there, but things change and stories continue on in new and different ways. 


Mlle. Lafayette’s Parfumerie


As we wrap up, this brings us to the last section of this three part experience, the Parfumerie. The establishment was simple and quaint, but featured a rather broad array of colorful jars and one of a kind scents. As an added bonus, guests could create there own perfume from a combination of different scents to develop a personalized creation. For many, this was a highlight of their vacation and helped to truly develop that authentic feel that we’ve all come to expect and appreciate in various ways for many years. As an added perk, each guests particular scent creation was recorded by the parfumerie so that guests friends, family members, or even the guest themselves could return to the store and recreate their favorite one of a kind creation.
Per the usual, everything at Walt Disney World is changing and those changes can often leave elements of the experience we’ve come to love and appreciate only in our memories. Each of these experiences have obviously been replaced for a multitude of reasons, but it’s great to see that many aspects of the current storefront still feature some of the vision of days of Disney’s past. Of course, the store no longer sells the same items or even similar items for that matter, but the feeling of tradition still embodies that location and hopefully will for years to come. Today, the Christmas shop still fills that niche as a one of kind and immersive experience that allows guests to create something unique or to purchase a souvenir that could be a part of their families Christmas for years to come. It holds that special place as something that people can attach to memories that make them smile wherever they are. 

For me, that has always been a goal of this site as well. Hopefully each post allows you to recognize a new aspect of Disney to appreciate, but at the same time creates something that you can use to develop memories with family in the years to come. I’ve said it before, be we often times go to Disney the first time for the attractions, but continue going back for the experience’s and memories we create with those we care the most about. Each of these merchandise locations created a story, but a story has no audience without those who listen. Walt said it best, it takes people to make a dream a reality, and I certainly believe that the guests are a huge portion of that wonderful reality! 

Thanks for being here with us and have a wonderful rest of your day! If you want to add to our story, be sure to give us a shout! Honestly, I wasn’t there and didn’t get to experience this first hand so any details you can share are vastly appreciated! 

If you liked what you read, do me a huge favor and SHARE it with friends or in your favorite Disney Facebook group! If you have any pictures of this departed location, be sure to share them with us on your favorite social media platform!                   

Is There A Best Order to Visit Disney World Parks?

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Is There A Best Order to Visit Disney World Parks?

After sharing a few itineraries of ours over the last few days, that very question popped into mind. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as I spent a few minutes thinking about the concept a few distinct ideas came to mind. My first and most prominent thought was that there could be no “perfect order” to tour the parks but then I caught myself. While there may not be a set order, there’s a few things that can affect the way you should likely plan your Disney park days throughout your length of stay. 

Obviously, no two guests will be doing the same thing everyday and very few guests will be arriving at Walt Disney World on the same day or at the same time. For the entire premise of this question that poses a fairly significant problem. How could there be an ideal order to tour the parks if no two trips are exactly the same? Ultimately, that realization led me to a few different thoughts which I’ll share in a bit more detail below. 

  • Length of Stay Will Make Difference 
  • When You Arrive Will Make A Difference 
  • Where You Stay Will Make A Difference 
  • Your Travel Party Will Make a Difference 
  • Park Hopping Will lake A Difference
  • Extra Magic Hours WiIl Make A Difference  

Honestly, the easy answer to this question is a simple “no.”  However, it’s not quiet that simple. So many of these little things that will “make a difference” posted above can play a vital role in the best case scenario of your Disney trip. Sure, there’s no perfect way to plan a trip and while we do have a few different “go-to” itineraries (below this section) for our Disney trips of various lengths, nothing will beat looking at each of these categories and figuring out what works best for you! 

Disney World 4 Day Itinerary – Making the Most of a Short Disney Trip
Our Typical Disney World 7 Day Itinerary 
Our Ideal 1-Day Walt Disney World Itinerary for 2018 

That’s the key to the whole thing. There may be a best order to visit Disney World parks for your given situation, but no two situations or travel plans will be identical. Dive into the details and you may be shocked at what you come up with for your trip! 



Length of Stay Will Make A Difference 


Chances are, every Disney trip you go on is going to be slightly different than the last in a few different ways. The experiences are going to be different, cast member interactions are never the same, and so many little details from your resort to your number of ticketed days will add up to a shocking difference from vacation to vacation. Your length of stay will mandate how you should best plan your days and order in which you visit the Disney World Parks. For example, you might go to Disney for four days and choose to spend your time trying to complete as many attractions as possible. To do so you’ll probably have to spend long hours in the parks and avoid the crowds to the very best of your ability. By contrast, you might go to Disney for a 10 day journey (which makes for a truly incredible length of stay), but in doing so if an attraction is crowded or you don’t feel like waiting you can simply come back another day and try it again. In either situation you can have an incredible trip, it’s just a little different outlook in the big picture. 

With longer stays, pegging down when you head to the parks isn’t all that important because you have multiple opportunities to revisit parks and favorite attractions time and time again. The crowds will be the same as a shorter stay but your sense of urgency wont necessarily require you to plan your days quite as aggressively.        


When You Arrive Will Make A Difference


The beginning of a stay and the end of a stay tend to be the most difficult aspects of a Disney trip to plan. If you choose to fly to Orlando, chances are your flight wont arrive early enough in the day to make it to the parks for the opening timeframe. As a result of the later arrival you’ll have to stage your fastpass+ selections late in the day in order to best utlize that particular option. Personally, I see a partial day as a great way to catch a favorite nighttime spectacular like Happily Ever After or Illuminations while also starting off your trip right with a few guaranteed attractions preselected in advance as your fastpass selections. 

If you arrive late at night, you may not even make it to the parks on your first night. A good compromise would be to schedule a meal at Disney Springs or a resort hotel to take full advantage of the Disney magic while making the most of your time. 

Personally, my recommendation is that if you are arriving for a partial day, head to your favorite park or what you’re looking forward to most first thing. If you’re waiting for your first full day before you go to a park, head to your favorite park first but avoid Magic Kingdom on Mondays. From my experience, Magic Kingdom always tends to be a bit more crowded on Mondays as a result of guests heading there for their very first day of a week long vacation. Sunday and Tuesday tend to be much better options in regard to crowds. It’s not a massive difference but may be worth it to you to hold off on that Magic Kingdom day to save yourself a bit of time standing in line. Another great strategy is to use our tips on How to Ride 6 or More Attractions in 90 Minutes or Less: With Only 1 Fastpass+! 


Where You Stay Will Make A Difference 


To be completely honest this particular category tip sounds a little crazy. To an extent, it’s overplanning at it’s finest. However, if you’re staying at Bay Lake Tower or any of the Magic Kingdom Monorail resort loop resorts chances are you’ll be much more likely to spend time in Magic Kingdom. In a similar way, if you stay at The Boardwalk resort or any of the Crescent Lake properties you’ll likely spend more time at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. That wont necessarily effect the order in which you visit the parks, but it will have a pretty strong connection with what parks you visit the most during your stay in the vast majority of cases.       


Your Travel Party Will Make a Difference 


When many families travel to Disney, there’s a few different types of situations. Typically you have parents with kids, all adults trips, teenager/college age trips, and potentially extended family trips. In nearly every case, each guest in the party will have at least a few things they want to do and see more than anything else. To accomplish it all, the best thing you can do is have everyone in the group create a top 3 choices list. If all goes well, a few things will overlap on a few of their lists and in the end you can make those things a priority and schedule your order of visiting the parks accordingly to assure that you can get everything you would like to get done accomplished. 

In a similar way, if you travel with young children, you may prioritize your days differently than you would if you traveled solely with adults. Kids tend to prefer Magic Kingdom and surprisingly Animal Kingdom. As an adult, I tend to prefer Epcot and so do quite a few other adult Disney fans. When it comes right down to it it is all a matter of perspective.       


Park Hopping Will Make A Difference


As many of you may know, I tend to be a big proponent of the park hopper option when buying tickets. In my opinion it opens you up to so many more dining and planning options that it more than outweighs the additional cost of the ticket. If you are purchasing a park hopper, I don’t see there being a best order to visit the parks in any way. If one park is overly crowded and you’re not too worried about your length of stay, you can simply head to another park. The park hopper also offers guests the opportunity to revisit a park for a few hours rather than having to spend an entire day in a park to go back and experience those one or two attractions that you were really looking forward to but happened to miss on your first day in that particular park.       


Extra Magic Hours WiIl Make A Difference 


When you’re planning park days, this is the single most important thing I look into and recommend other guests look into before they pick their park days. Extra Magic Hours are select hours designated to give Disney’s onsite resort guests access to the parks 1-2 hours before the park opens to the general public for the day. An extra hour seems like a short amount of time but if you get there when the park opens for the extended hours, you can accomplish a vast array of attractions before the largest crowds of the day roll in. Typically early morning extra magic hours will be more productive timeframes compared to late night extra magic hours. Either way, if you can plan your order of visiting the parks around these extra hours you may add as much as 10 hours to your “park hours” over the course of a 5+ day vacation. 

Final Thoughts   


As you’ve likely deducted at this point in the post, there really is no best order to visit the Disney World parks. Your Disney vacation is going to be different than your friends Disney vacation and that’s part of the joy of a Disney vacation as a whole. There’s no one “best” way to do Disney and everyone is going to have a different goal in mind going into their stay. The most important thing to take away from this whole discussion is that you have to do some research and find out what you want to do more than anything else. You can’t see and do it all in one trip. Truth be told you can’t do it all in one lifetime, but that’s the magic of Disney. There’s always something new to explore and enjoy that you’ve never done before! 


Your Thoughts


As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are!

How Do I Create These Posts? 


Every once in a while I get questions about my gear. This is what I use and highly recommend at the moment in the realm of content creation. This list is varied and tends to change from time to time, but this is my current set up of gear used to create these posts. If you have any questions or need some tips in the site building process, feel free to message me on Facebook!

Computer: Macbook Pro  
If you get one of these you’ll inevitably need dongles (The USB-C Struggle): 
Main DSLR Camera: Nikon D3400 (kit lens currently)
Tripod for Night Photography: PrimaPhoto Traveler 
Photo Editing Software: Lightroom 6 Stand Alone Version (Not Creative Cloud) 
Secondary Camera: iPhone 7 (Older Photos on the Site) 


Ready to Plan?


Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

            

The Garden Grill – One of the Best Breakfasts on Disney Property

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

The Garden Grill – One of the Best Breakfasts on Disney Property

Breakfast offerings at Walt Disney World tend to be a subject of concern to most guests traveling to the parks. If you’re on the Disney dining plan, it’s tough to convince yourself to make a dining reservation for a breakfast offering. However, at the same time, Disney Character breakfasts tend to be some of the most memorable portions of any Disney World vacation. The Garden Grill is one of our top picks for Disney breakfast offerings! Today, we’re taking a closer look at why I consider this location a hidden gem of Disney World. 
I know many of you may be thinking, “Garden Grill? That’s been around for years!” If you’re one of those people, you’re completely correct! However, it wasn’t until 2015 that the dining establishment became a bit more welcoming of guests by offering up breakfast as a meal time dining reservation. To be quite honest, many returning guests still have no idea that the location is open for breakfast and far fewer consider it a “must-do” character meal during their time in Epcot. In my opinion that should change, but on the flip side, if no one knows about it it’ll be that much easier for me to grab a reservation! (lol).

Garden Grill Breakfast

What’s On the Garden Grill Breakfast Menu?    

To be quite honest with you, table service breakfast locations at Walt Disney World tend to generally offer the same things with a bit of variation by means of select items at locations such as Tusker House or even Boma. Of course, this is a bit of a generalization, because many dining locations such as Crystal Place or even Chef Mickey offer a vast variety of items on a seemingly all encompassing buffet. There’s one thing that those other locations don’t have that this one does, it’s in Epcot! If you’re looking for something that’s typical breakfast fair but with a subtle yet enjoyable twist Garden Grill should be on your Disney dining reservation list. The menu is simple, but nonetheless highly enjoyable! Here’s a closer look at what it involves:
  • Chip’s Sticky Bun bake 
  • Fluffy Scrambled Eggs 
  • Bacon And Sausage Links 
  • Fresh Fruit 
  • Hash Brown Potato Barrels
  • Mickey Shaped Waffles With Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle 
All of the food is truly excellent and in endless quantity as a family style dining location. The offerings are great for kids, but at the same time something adults can enjoy as well, which I see as a huge perk of scheduling a table service breakfast in the parks.  

What Characters Come to Your Table? 

Garden Grill is far easier to get a reservation for than Akershus in the Norway Pavilion (typically – your results may vary), and still features characters that kids and adults alike will enjoy. It’s not the same princes character arrangement, but instead debuts Mickey, Pluto, and Chip and Dale. Character interaction is a huge bonus here. As a result of being a fairly small dining location, by comparison to many of the buffet offerings, the characters tend to spend more time interacting with guests and taking all the time you need (to a reasonable amount) or want to spend with each and every character.        

What Does It Cost? 

There’s no hiding the fact that this isn’t necessarily a cheap dining offering, but you are at Walt Disney World and that price increase tends to come with the territory. As true as that may be, if you consider this meal could potentially replace both breakfast and lunch, the cost of $32 per person is somewhat reasonable in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you consider it’s $2 less per person than Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. Dining at Disney isn’t cheap, but if you plan on eating on property, chance are you’ll be paying more than you typically would for meals. So, in my opinion, paying a few dollars extra for something that could cover two meals is more than worth it in the big picture from a cost perspective. It may not be the ideal solution for everyone but certainly something I would consider. If you want help planning your meals or times, we always recommend Destinations to Travel (clickable link) to help you plan every aspect of your vacation (or as much of it as you’d like for them to free of charge).  

Garden Grill Breakfast

The Cast Members Set It Apart!

If you’ve read many of our articles here on the site, you’re likely aware of how much weight I put in the value of quality cast members in creating a memorable Walt Disney World experience. A great cast member can make or break a meal, or create an experience that you will truly remember forever. The cast members at Garden Grill are second to none based on my experience. They’re polite, attentive, and make a genuine attempt to get to know and interact with guests on a semi-personal level. By the end of the meal you feel like you’ve created a new friend, and often times they go above and beyond to make sure that there’s at least one moment that sets your meal apart from a meal anywhere else.  

Location, Location, Location! 

Given that Garden Grill is located in the Land Pavilion of Epcot, it’s one of the most convenient in-park table service breakfast locations in that particular park. In my opinion it’s a win-win opportunity if you can secure a reservation about 2 hours after the park opens. That way, if you get to Epcot when the park opens, you can head straight to Test Track or Soarin, fastpass whichever one you choose, and successfully experience a few more of the less popular attractions like Living with the Land, The Seas With Nemo, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, or even the Pixar Short Film Festival before heading to your dining reservation. It’s the perfect combination of getting a ton of attractions done while making the most of your time before the crowds start to file in for the day. 
Additionally, when you eat a few hours into the day, you can use your breakfast reservation as a brunch so that you may not need to catch a lunch as well later in the day. In some cases, eliminating that extra meal can more than make up for the cost of the table service breakfast. When you set up your day in that fashion you can snack your way around the countries of the World Showcase in the afternoon or possibly plan a second table service or quick service meal for dinner later that night. As always, your situation may very and what works for you may vary. For us, breakfast at Garden Grill is a great addition to Our Tried and True “Epcot in a Day” Touring Plan.

A Unique Atmosphere

Believe it or not, as you dine at Garden Grill, the restaurant itself is designed in a way that it slowly rotates. It’s not quick moving by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time a clever feature designed to give guests a closer look at the many external features of the locations atmosphere. As the seating area slowly spins, it gives guests the opportunity to view sections of the Living with the Land attraction below. It’s not the most picturesque view, but at the same time an incredibly unique environment that many guests don’t enitrely expect upon arriving for their reservation. Kids love it, adults find it interesting, and it’s one more thing that sets Disney apart from all the rest.      
Flower and Garden Festival

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are!

Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner!

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.