I’ve tried finding this on the Disney website, with no luck. We’re considering an Annual Pass (either purchasing or through getting married there), and I was wondering how it works with the DDP. I tried playing around the reservations on the website, but I could only get it to come up by booking a package, a 6-night stay with a one-day park ticket. Seeing as you wonderful folks know the ins and outs more than I do, I figured you’d be my best place to ask. Thank you! 🙂
Kristen, thanks your your kind words and for reading the site. From now until the end of the year, AP holders can add the dining package to their room reservation with no need to buy additional tickets. This is a change from previous years when AP holders had to add tickets (usually one to two days), which they could apply later to their AP renewal. Simply call your travel agent or Disney directly and tell them you need to add dining with your AP; it’s not possible to do this online. You can do this with just an AP voucher, by the way.
These packages are limited so book as soon as possible as only a certain number of AP dining plans are put aside. Keep in mind that if you’re trying to book free dining you will still need to purchase tickets. Depending on the promotion, Disney will require one to two day tickets. These tickets, as noted above, can later be applied to your AP renewel or given to someone else. They are good indefinitely and as an additional bonus, are worth that day’s value (in other words, the day you actually use them, not when you recevied them), so they’re actually worth more the longer you keep them!
Chris writes here and at Everything Walt Disney World. She’s also a member of the Mouse Chat Podcast and a travel agent with Pixie Vacations. Email her at [email protected] to find out how to get a free $50 Disney gift card in addition to current Disney discounts.
It’s one of the age-old questions asked about a Disney vacation: Which is better, to eat breakfast at one of the resorts, or to eat breakfast at one of the parks? As is so often the case when you are talking about this or that with regard to Disney, the answer is an unequivocal “It Depends!”
However, a case can be made for both of these scenarios, and for this post, I’m going to show both sides of the equation with my real-life experiences so that you can understand that when it comes to dining at Disney, all of your options are prime spots!
Typically, when we go to Disney, I like to take one of our table service meals and book it for breakfast. Last June, during our trip with my niece Stephanie, we looked at the options, and decided to try out the Cape May Café for breakfast. We had never eaten there before, and looking at the Disney website, it really looked like it would be a good place to try out. Well, we tried it, and we loved it! Cape May is a Character breakfast, and for this location, we had Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy showering Sophie with all sorts of attention because it was her birthday week! We got some really great pictures, and the costumes for the characters, particularly for Minnie, were really cool. The food at Cape May Café is your typical Disney Buffet (which isn’t a problem in my book, I love the breakfast buffets that you can get on Disney property); delicious Mickey waffles, excellent sausage and bacon, eggs (which I don’t care for), great pastries, and good juices and milk. Suffice it to say that I ate my share of food for breakfast, and did not leave the place hungry!
The atmosphere at the Beach Club resort (the home of the Café) was really relaxed for our breakfast. I think that many people don’t think of eating at places like Cape May Café because it’s over at the Boardwalk area, and the crowd at the Café was quite sparse. I will definitely eat there again! We elected to drive over because we had an early morning reservation time, and afterwards we walked on over to Epcot and entered via the International Gateway entrance.
I really enjoyed our breakfast at Cape May Café, and will do it again in the future.
Another location that we ate outside of the parks was breakfast at ‘Ohana over at the Polynesian Resort. The difference between the two locations was night and day – being so much closer to the Magic Kingdom, our ‘Ohana breakfast was much busier, but the food and service were still excellent. As I remember, the ‘Ohana breakfast was served as a family style all you can eat breakfast; the sausage was extremely good, as were all of the other things. I even at a bite of eggs here, and it wasn’t terrible! The characters at ‘Ohana were Lilo and Stitch and Mickey and Pluto, and it was a lot of fun seeing them, because Lilo and Stitch are characters that we don’t see very often.
On the flip side of the coin, we have had breakfast at Restaurantosaurus in 2007 (our first trip where we stayed on property), and had a good breakfast with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. At that time, the breakfast was located in DinoLand, U.S.A., but that was the only part of the park we could go to because the park itself wasn’t open yet for the day. When we finished breakfast, though, the park was open and we were free to go to our favorite locations. For breakfast, that one was good, but not great. The food was the same selection, but there was something off about it; I really think in the end the theming of the location was what kind of made me not so interested in it as much. I don’t think that they do breakfast here anymore; now it is Donald’s Safari Breakfast over at Tusker House.
The last place that my family ate at for breakfast was the Princess Storybook Dining over at Akershus. For this trip, in 2005, there were only four reservations; two for my wife and daughter, and two for our friend and her daughter. As a result, I wasn’t able to eat at that breakfast; however, I wasn’t all that upset about that. I was able to take in some of the World Showcase at a time that I had never experienced before – before it was open for business. When you dine at Norway before the park opens, you are allowed access to part of the Showcase – not all of it, but enough that you can take a nice stroll. Additionally, some of the food carts are also open, so I was able to purchase a nice breakfast cinnamon roll and a juice to enjoy. It was nice because of one of the biggest things about enjoying breakfast in the parks is that you are able to avoid the crowds. If you are really interested in taking in the parks before rope drop, especially Magic Kingdom, plan ahead and schedule breakfast at Cinderella Castle for a time before the park opens. You will be able to walk to the Castle, and get some absolutely incredible shots that you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise – shots of the buildings without people in them.
In the end, it is important to realize that there are some really great breakfast locations, both inside the parks and at the resorts. My suggestion is that you try them both out, and enjoy what each one has to offer. What tips do you have to share on your favorite locations to eat breakfast?
Before boarding the Disney Dream, my son and I had just (finally) gotten over having the flu. I was a bit apprehensive about sending him (age 5) to the Oceaneer’s Club in fear that he may come down with some other child’s illness while we were on vacation. This is not to say that I thought that the facilities would not be clean! However, my son does not quite understand yet that he should not put his hands on objects, then into his mouth. So much to teach him, so little time!
So, when we got aboard the Disney Dream, my son was very excited to go see the Oceaneer’s Club in person. He and I had long studied the online information and photos, but he was ready to play! When we first arrived, we were told that he was required to wash his hands. Instead of a sink, they had these turbo charged, timed hand washing systems! They were AMAZING! The children would put both of their hands in the washer, water would swirl around and up and down the arms and hands of the child for a set amount of time, then automatically shut off! On his first experience with the hand washing system, my son squealed with glee and then insisted that I try it! And he was so right, this washing system felt great! My hands felt so clean after using the contraption!
Once inside, the cast members explained that the toys and items are regularly cleaned and that the children are required to wash their hands before snacks, before meals and after using the restroom. They also explained that the dining tables are wrapped in saran wrap during meals to ensure that the children are eating on a clean space. (I am sure it helps a bit with clean up too! I may just consider doing the same!)
The review of the Oceaneer’s Club and discussions with the cast members really made me feel much better about the cleanliness of the space. My son’s time in the Oceaneer’s Club was every bit as wonderful as he had hoped! He spent quite a bit of time there throughout our time aboard the Disney Dream. He made many friends and had an amazing experience all his own away from his parent in a safe, clean environment!
When not with fever from the flu, Natalie can be found at Meet the Magic for great tips on saving money for traveling to Disney!
Related articles
What is a “Fish Extender”? (chipandco.com)
Sneak Peek of a Stage Spectacular Aboard the Disney Dream – “Disney’s Believe” (chipandco.com)
I have been blessed during much of my adult life to be able to visit Walt Disney World pretty often. I have ridden every ride, seen every show, enjoyed lots of great food, shopped at nearly every store, and have been lucky enough to have met wonderful people from all over the world. Still, there is one thing I dream of doing at Walt Disney World. I REALLY want to stay in Cinderella Castle Suite.
I have read the awe-inspiring descriptions of each part of the suite. From the elevator with its arched ceiling, intricate woodwork, and lustrous gold fabrics; a lucky princess would certainly feel like royalty on the way up to the suite.
Exiting the elevator into the luxurious foyer, I would be able to actually see the crystal case housing some of Cinderella’s most precious treasures, such as the famous glass slipper, and her crown and scepter.
Stepping into the suite would be like entering a 17th Century world. The royal bed chamber is said to include a fireplace with embers that regularly burst into fireworks – a spectacle fit for a princess for sure. Above the fireplace, an ornately framed portrait of Cinderella herself magically changes into a mirror or, if I preferred, a 21st Century flat-screen television.
I would have the opportunity to relax comfortably in the royal sitting room, which would also serve as a second bedroom. It would be a place to enjoy a cup of coffee, take a million pictures and then sit quietly and write with new inspiration.
Later, I would enjoy a bath in the ultra-modern Jacuzzi as I watched the water in the tub change colors. Looking up I would see a dazzling dome of twinkling stars, and attempt to find the hidden Mickey shining amidst the other constellations.
When heading off to bed, I would be greeted by a white-chocolate horse-drawn carriage, provided with turn-down service, of course. Did I mention that the concierge staff follows the motto, “No request is too extreme?” What exactly does that mean? Well, hot cocoa at 2 a.m. would be no problem. Freshly baked muffins at 5 a.m. wouldn’t be either. In fact, they would consider it their pleasure.
Doesn’t this all sound like a suite dream to you as well? Wouldn’t you love to be a guest of Cinderella Castle Suite? Well, the only way to even have a chance to stay there is to win a chance; and the only current contest I found is the AAA Travel Spring Sweepstakes. I have entered, and I hope you will too. You have until April 15, so click here to enter.
It would be such a dream come true to be able to stay at the castle. I would be very happy for you if you won also, so I wish you the very best of luck! Suite Dreams!
If you haven’t seen this guy’s videos, it’s time you do. He has an amazing voice with fantastic range. If you watch the videos, you’ll see what I mean. At first, I thought it was kind of creepy, but now, I find it incredible.
He has a few videos on YouTube of him singing Disney songs, but for the most part, they are covers of other songs. The Disney ones, though, are spectacular. He has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show after his video for “A Whole New World” blew up all over the internet.
Aside from the fact that he sings Disney songs from time to time, he actually works for Pixar Animation Studios! Disney nut, through and through. That’s what I like to see.
Be sure to check out his Disney videos below. They’re really good!
After I booked my reservation for the Disney Dream, my travel agent told me that I would receive a “fish extender”? She stated that when I got to my state room, I would receive one of these. I was not really told anything else by my travel agent other than once I got fish extender, I should put it outside my door.
None of these instructions seemed to make a whole lot of sense. Not wanting to look like the Disney Cruise newbie that I was, I decided to not ask others about the fish extender on any of the forums or boards. Instead, I waited until I got on the Disney Dream and found the state room. Once inside, I found what I assumed to be the fish extender. In basic terms, the item was a piece of fabric with 2 pockets added in the front. A rod was added to the top to give the extender support and a string was added at both ends of the rod. Mine was red with Mickey’s silhouette shown in black. Once I had examined the item, I did as I was told and hung it outside my door!
After getting ready for dinner, my family and I left the room with the fish extender in place. When we had finished our dinner and night’s showing of The Golden Mickeys, we returned to our room. My son and I peered inside the extender to see what was there. We found that someone had added bubbles, candy, pictures and some information about the next day’s activities to our fish extender! We were so excited! It was as though we had a really GOOD mailbox that spawned gifts for us while we were away for the day (instead of the normal bills we receive from our mailbox at home!)
Throughout our stay on the Disney Dream, we continued to receive daily gifts. Most were from our travel agent, some from the others sailing aboard. The fish extender really added a level of fun to our stay! While they are not at all necessary when sailing, they are definitely fun! If you want to participate in the fun, they do not seem too difficult to make. We saw many other fish extenders hanging that looked exactly like ours, but many others that were brought by people who were not in our travel group. This being said, people enjoying bring a fish extender with them on their cruise whether traveling in a group or no. If you decide to bring your own, perhaps bring a few gifts along for others with fish extenders too! This enriches the fun for everyone!
When Natalie is not pondering things such as “fish extenders”, you can find her at Meet the Magic for great tips on saving money for traveling to Disney! She is also found on Twitter @nrhenley or @meetthemagic. The Meet the Magic facebook can also be found here!
Jennifer Miller, a Chip and Co. reader, has a soft spot for Disney art. But she’s looking for a more permanent art form — tattoos.
Miller had been looking for a website or blog that would feature Disney tattoos, but she couldn’t find one. She took it upon herself to create a Tumblr blog, F*** Yeah Disney Tattoos.
Some of these tattoos are absolutely amazing. They are some of the most vibrant pieces of body artwork I’ve ever seen, and this is proof that there are extremely talented tattoo artists out there. (My mother hates tattoos!) One of my favorites is the ballerina over the gator from the Haunted Mansion.
Be sure to give her blog a look. You might find some inspiration for your own Disney tattoo!
It seems like every time I turn around, my i-pad is missing, a pair of 9 year old male hands are very interested in my technology. I wish those same hands, and the eyes and the brain that go with it, were as interested in homework! The third grade “required reading” is an endless struggle, every morning and every afternoon. No matter how many “cool” book series you purchase; the interest quickly diminishes with all the other more exciting things to do; and your hard earned money sits on a shelf collecting dust and complaints, and not necessarily in that order.
When I downloaded the TRON Legacy app onto my i-pad, I had an “aha” moment. Why not take the most dreaded and the most desired and combine them? AHA, the TRON app by Disney Digital Books. With everything a little boy could desire: cool graphics, comic book style layout and multimedia including movie clips, slideshows and music; it was a match made in heaven. It was a joy to see the theoretical pages turning, without hearing the moaning and groaning and the inevitable “am I done yet?” In fact, all I heard was silence, and every now and then some music.
I looked through the app, but honestly, I’m as interested in TRON as a girl can be; as a step-mother I was THRILLED to see my son wanting to read and gladly “flipping” through the pages.
I really think that Disney is onto something here; the Disney Digital books are innovative, interesting and inexpensive. At $3.99 per app, it’s hard to say no; but it would be a lot easier to say “Yes!” at $.99. I’m interested to see how these digital books continue to develop and innovate reading for our kids. Disney stories have always touched our hearts, and now they can touch our kids; at a technologically advanced level.
Cyber-mom-1, unsuspecting son-0
Parents, put a point on your scoreboard with Disney Digital Books at: www.DisneyDigitalBooks.go.com
For the little readers in your family, gift cards are available!
The more often you travel to Walt Disney World the more obvious this thought becomes – you can not possibly do everything in one (or two, or three, or four,etc.) visits. On every visit the importance of actually scheduling some “down” time becomes more and more apparent. If you tour like a group of crazed commandos your enjoyment of your vacation varies inversely with the length of the visit. Yes, you can get tired of Walt Disney World if you wear yourself out early in your trip.
There are lots of things you can do to prevent yourself from hitting the “WDW Wall” before you get halfway through your vacation. When we visit, we do a number of these things and as you visit more and more you begin to understand how these things can really enhance your park time. Try a couple of these:
Take a Daily Break : Go to the parks early, enjoy as many attractions as you wish, have lunch, and go back to your resort for a quick nap (great for us older folks) or a relaxing dip in the pool. You can then go back to the park to enjoy the evening hours. If that doesn’t work for you just go to one of the resorts for lunch and a quick break.
Schedule A Day Off : The most common vacation length is roughly a week. Schedule a down day in the middle of your visit to hang around your resort, visit other resorts, play golf, etc.
Avoid Extra Magic Hour (EMH) Parks : These are the parks that get verrrry busy, especially for the evening hours. If you go to one of these parks, go early and leave early, take your short break, and go to a non EMH park for the evening. While the morning EMH parks are busy they are a lot less busy than the evenings because our crazed commando friends are probably sleeping in a bit so they can head for their next evening EMH park.
Take Your Time When In The Parks : Don’t just run from attraction to attraction. Take some time to find some of the quiet spots (they are in every park) and spend a few moments to relax. This will make a huge difference in your days and your entire vacation. You might just find some magical moments that you might have otherwise missed.
These are just a very few ideas on how to make your trip less tiring, avoid meltdowns (both kids and adults), and how to enjoy your vacation from beginning to end. These thoughts don’t just come from the top of my head, this is what we do and now we no longer need a vacation to rest from our vacation. Give a couple of them a try, I guarantee you won’t regret it. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Disney does it again. It truly is magical how they are able to take a fairytale and CURL it into Classic Disney Movie that we will be enjoying for a lifetime.
Having seen the movie about 10 times in the theater with my daughter she was ecstatic to have her very own copy at home. This is Disney’s fiftieth animated film that has been CUT into the Bluray family.
While just as stunning as Bambi on Bluray there are some scenes that are just breathtaking. Of course having a nice LCD TV and Surround Sound does help but is not required 😉
For me the cast of characters really make the film. The comedy between Maximus and Flynn will make any little one giggle uncontrollably. Yes I did chuckle a lot too. Some of the characters did have a Shrek feel to me especially the whole bar scene.
The song selection is great, not phenomenal like a Little Mermaid but still there are a few songs that have a catchy tune you will be singing later. Mandy More is a great singer I liked her ever since the movie A Walk to Remember.
The only thing I was a little disappointed on was the bonus content. Usually there is a TON of bonus features, deleted scenes, etc. But for some reason or another Disney really TRIMMED these features out.
As always Disney delivers a happy ending and they are maybe 1 or two scenes that might be scary for a little one.
Overall Disney’s Tangled is one movie you will want to add to your Disney library especially if you have little ones. While probably catered more towards little girls Flynn gets almost equal screen time so little boys should eat that up.
This is one of those Disney films you can Wash, Dry, and Repeat. Ok I am done with the hair puns I swear.
Tanlged will be available on March 29th and we will be hosting a giveaway here on Chip and Company. So stay tuned for details and also when the $8 off coupon goes live I will post it as well.
Have you ever been on a crowded bus or monorail leaving the parks that was standing room only? I know I have! After long day in the parks, buses, monorails, and boats carry the tired masses back to their resorts (or cars), leaving people standing and ogling the seated passengers, hoping to get a seat sooner than later.
While many people will willingly offer there seats, I’ve seen more than once people not offer common courtesy to those who, to me, obviously should have a seat. So, I’m here to give some basic guidelines on when to offer up your seat.
Here is my list of those who should have first priority on seats:
Elderly
Expecting mothers
Handicap/disabled
Parents holding young children
Young children (teenagers can stand with the rest of us!)
Seems obvious to me, but I have witnessed strong, healthy men sit comfortably while women hold onto squirming toddlers.
Obviously, there are plenty of times anyone can sit:
You fall into one of the categories above
There is plentiful seating
You offer and the people in the above categories decline
Yes, it is your vacation too, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all be polite. Whether you’re at Walt Disney World Florida, Disneyland California, or any of the Disney Parks overseas, we should all be considerate.
One of the most sought after Disney Discounts is the elusive Disney Pin Code. While Disney releases great Discounts to the Parks that are available to everyone there are a few discounts Mickey hides up his sleeves.
While there is no sure fire way to get a Disney Pin code I am going to offer up a few tricks I have done that has nabbed me several Disney Pin codes in my email & snail mail box every month. Remember these Pin Codes are non transferable and is linked to you and your address so sharing is not allowed.
Head over to the Disney World or Disneyland site and create an account. My suggestion would be create and account for yourself and then one for your spouse, partner, kids, etc. Just so long as you can get to the email account. I did one for my work email @chipandco.com and one for my gmail account.
Order a Disney Planning DVD. If you goto the links about you will see a graphic where you can order one. I do this every year. It’s free and doesn’t cost you a thing. When you get it make up some popcorn and have a fun Disney Family Night watching it.
Play around on the Disney sites. Create a vacation and save it. Browse deals and offers. Just make sure your logged in. Disney monitors all the things you do on their site so believe they are watching you.
Register for Giveaways. I post alot of the Disney Giveaways on the Chip and Company site so be sure to enter them and again make sure you are logged in. Just bookmark this link and you can enter ours or any other Disney Giveaway I find on the net.
Book your vacation through Disney. In the past I booked our vacation online on the Disney World website myself. While I love Disney Travel Agents sometimes I try to mix things up and do it myself. Not sure if this works but I would imagine you would be in their database somewhere.
Photopass. Make sure you have an account there as well. I highly recommend using this free service at the parks and make sure you use a valid email address for your account. You know the Disney Marketing Machine has to share emails between its other departments.
Be patient. While you may not get one right away just keep plugging away. Eventually you might get one.
I know for me it has taken several years to get one but now they come in pretty regular. We were debating on using our Free Dining for our upcoming trip. If you have any Disney Pin Code Tips or Tricks let us know in the comment box below.
After I booked my reservation for the Disney Dream, my travel agent told me that I would receive a “fish extender”? She stated that when I got to my state room, I would receive one of these. I was not really told anything else by my travel agent other than once I got fish extender, I should put it outside my door.
