The good news? Disney has released a new limited time offer featuring free dining for Disney Visa Cardholders. The not-as-good news? It is an EXTREMELY limited promotion, and features a very short travel window. However, if you are a Disney Visa Cardmember, and you are available to travel August 1 – 21, 2019, you might want to JUMP on this new free dining promotion.
A couple of things to be aware of: Any time Disney offers a big promotion, they are offering it to stimulate travel to the parks during a certain period. This USUALLY means projected park attendance and resort reservation bookings are lower than Disney wants them to be for that time period. While this doesn’t necessarily mean light crowds, it most likely means LIGHTER crowds. Of course, if tons of people take advantage of the promotion, crowds could be CRAZY by the dates of travel. But generally speaking, Disney offers promotions for periods where they are projecting attendance to be down.
This particular travel window closes before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29, 2019. However, there are still a lot of great reasons to visit Disney World this year. Click here to check out my top five reasons to visit Disney World in 2019.
Free Dining for Disney Cardmembers
You can get free dining when you purchase a four-night/five-day Walt Disney resort and theme park ticket package that includes the Park Hopper option. If you book your package at a Value or Moderate resort, you will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan. If you book your package for a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort, you will receive the regular Dining Plan.
You MUST book your vacation by June 16, 2019 to take advantage of this offer.
Your vacation must begin between August 1 and August 21, 2019.
You MUST book your vacation using your Disney Visa card.
Theme park tickets purchased with this package are valid for admission beginning the day of check-in, and must be used within a limited period of time, depending on length of stay and ticket.
Here are the resorts that are eligible for this promotion, along with which Dining Plan you would get if you booked your vacation at that resort.
Disney’s Art of Animation Family Suite (Photo: Disney Parks)
Select Disney Value Resort Hotels – FREE Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites Only
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Select Disney Moderate Resort Hotels – FREE Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
The California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Photo: Brooke Hudson)
Select Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels – FREE Disney Dining Plan
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels – FREE Disney Dining Plan
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Quick Service Dining Plan vs. Dining Plan
If you book your package at a Value or Moderate Resort hotel, you will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free with your package. The Quick Service Dining Plan includes two quick service meals and two snacks per person in your room, for each night of your stay. Several beverage options are available–including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and beer, wine and cocktails for those guests who are 21 or older.
If you book your package at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort, you will receive the Disney Dining plan with your package for free. The Disney Dining Plan includes one quick service meal, one table service meal and two snacks per person in your room, for each night of your stay. You can use table service credits for Character Dining and other special dining experiences. Several beverage options are available–including non-alcoholic specialty beverages and beer, wine and cocktails for those guests who are 21 or older.
The Fine Print
This offer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
An additional charge may apply if you have more than two adults per room (any one over the age of 9) in a Disney Value, Moderate, Deluxe, or Deluxe Villa Resorts.
This offer excludes the following room types: 3 bedroom villas, campsites, Cabins at Copper Creed Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Bungalows at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, and The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
Children ages 3 -9 MUST order from the Children’s Menu, if there is a Children’s Menu available.
Everyone in the same room must be on the same package.
Must use a valid Disney Visa Card or a Disney Rewards Redemption Card to pay the deposit. The Disney Visa Cardmember must stay in the room.
Availability at table service restaurants is not guaranteed. Advance reservations are recommended and availability is not guaranteed.
Gratuities are not included.
Food For Thought
Many Disney vacationers LOVE the Disney Dining Plan. They love being able to budget and essentially “prepay” for the majority of their meals before their trip, and know that they won’t need to spend a whole lot of money
Character Breakfast at the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom (Photo: Brooke Hudson)
on food during their vacation. If you fall into this category, and are already a fan of the Disney Dining Plan or the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, and are already accustomed to making Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days before your trip, you are likely a good candidate for the Free Dining Promotion.
Conversely, if you tend to order in groceries, and eat a lot of meals in your room, or pack picnic lunches for your family to enjoy at the parks, you are most likely NOT a good candidate for the Free Dining Promotion.
It’s important to think about how your family dines on a Disney vacation. Do you eat in table service (sit down) restaurants for most meals? Or, do you eat primarily quick service meals? Do you do many character meals? What about sharing meals? Does your family like to snack? Are you big Mickey Bar or Popcorn fans? Are you comfortable planning your meals in advance?
Chef Mickey Character Breakfast at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Photo: Brooke Hudson)
While the promotion is called “Free” Dining, it’s also important to recognize that by getting the dining package for “free”, you are paying full price for your room and park tickets. You are saving a LOT of money on meals, so it is a substantial savings in many, many cases–but again, it’s really important to evaluate how YOU and YOUR family vacations.
If you tend to eat more meals in the room, or pack picnic lunches, you likely will get a bigger savings from a room or package discount that does NOT include free dining.
I Can Help Make Planning Your Trip Easier!
One of the advantages of working with an authorized Disney Vacation Planner is that we have access to ALL the available discounts out there at any one time, whether Disney is actively promoting them or not. We can run comparisons for you to determine what you’ll save by booking your trip with one promotion or another. There is no cost to you to work with an authorized Disney Vacation planner to plan your vacation, and often, we have access to discounts or resort information that is not available to the general public. Working with an authorized Disney Vacation Planner will always save you headaches and aggravation, and will usually save you money as well!
In addition, we have the ability to monitor our reservations and as new promotions are released, update those reservations when it will save our customers money. For example, for all my clients that have reservations booked with me for later this year, we’ve already looked at the free dining promotion to see if it makes sense for them–and where it did, we’ve made the changes.
I don’t just love planning Disney vacations, I am obsessed with making every vacation the best it can possibly be. Planning a great Disney vacation takes time and energy and PLANNING. For a lot of busy people, that sounds like too much work. If that’s you, let me do it for you! Email me today to learn more.
To get more information, please reach out today: brooke@disneycastledreaming.com.
Disney has announced another special promotion to attract guests to Walt Disney World this summer. While this is not a regular “Free Dining” promotion, this promotion DOES include one FREE quick service meal per day per guest for each night of your stay. This promotion can potentially mean significant savings for your family. Would you like free meals on your summer vacation? Read on…
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge does not open until AFTER this promotion ends; however, there are still LOTS of reasons to visit Walt Disney World this year. Check out this post for my top 5 reasons to visit Disney World in 2019!
The Details
This offer is available to guests purchasing a four-night/five-day room and theme park ticket package at select Disney Moderate and Value Resort hotels.
This offer is valid for arrivals most nights between May 28 and August 21, 2019.
The package must be booked by June 30, 2019.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Photo: Brooke Hudson)
Theme park tickets are valid for admission, beginning on the date of check-in, and must be used within a limited number of days, depending on length of stay and ticket.
Each quick service meal includes one entrée and one non-alcoholic beverage (or, if over age 21, one beer, wine or cocktail, if available).
The Fine Print
This offer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
This offer excludes Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, Disney’s All Star Movies Resort, The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and campsites.
Children ages 3 -9 MUST order from the Children’s Menu, if there is a Children’s Menu available.
Most beer, wine and cocktails are included, if available at chosen quick service venue. Some exceptions do apply. Guests must present valid ID to be served alcoholic beverages. Beverages may ONLY be redeemed with the quick service meal.
Gratuities are not included.
Food For Thought
It’s important to consider how you and your family dine on vacation to determine if this offer will be a value for you. If you usually eat meals in Disney Parks, and frequently choose quick service options, this offer could definitely fit your family, and save you money. Alternatively, if you prefer to eat every meal at a full service restaurant, you could save money with this offer, but you might not be happy as at least one of your meals each day would be a quick-service meal.
If you usually make sandwiches or leave Disney property to eat, this offer might not be for you. There are a couple of other promotions running at this time. We can check and see if one of those might be a better fit.
Generally, when one hears “free”, it always seems like a terrific deal. In this case, I think a free meal for each member of your party IS a really good deal. However, it’s important to consider how you like to travel. Also, you should consider what you normally spend on food on vacation. These factors help determine if this “free meal” promotion is a good deal for YOU.
Can I Help You?
If you’re considering a family vacation to Walt Disney World this summer, I’d love to help you book and plan that wonderful vacation. As part of my free-to-you service, I am happy to check pricing on this package. In addition, I can also review your specific travel plans, and take a look at any other discount offers currently available. I want to make sure you get the best possible value for your family.
An added bonus: When you book with me, I monitor your vacation against any new discounts that are released. I’m able to apply new discounts to your trip if they work for your trip and save you money. Basically, if new discounts become available before you travel, I have access to your reservation and the Disney system to see if you can benefit from the new discount. If so, I make it happen!
To get more information, please reach out today: brooke@disneycastledreaming.com.
One of the biggest expenses of any Disney vacation is the actual Disney park passes. Currently, Disney’s price for a single day, single park pass starts at $109 during value season. This pass climbs as high as $129 per day during “peak” season.
The average family purchases a vacation package that includes Disney park passes for four days. Of course, some families purchase packages that include Disney park passes for 10 days. Others purchase park passes for three days, etc. But in general, the average family will purchase a four day pass. Of course this may change once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens. I suspect most of us will need at least one whole day just for that–if not more. So four days will soon not be enough for many families, if my instincts are correct. But for now, four works for MOST.
Once you decide how many days you are going to purchase, then you have another decision on your hands. Are you going to purchase one park per day passes or park hopper passes?
In this post we’re going to examine the different kinds of Disney park passes available. We’re going to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each. We’re also going to talk about the advantages of having a Walt Disney World annual pass. We’ll look at the current pricing for an annual pass, and when (and why!) you might want to consider purchasing an annual pass.
Toy Story Land’s Slinky Dog Dash
Magic at Cinderella Castle!
Epcot in the Spring!
The Islands of Pandora
FIRST UP: ONE PARK PER DAY PASSES
Disney’s One Park Per Day passes are the lowest tier and least expensive of the Disney park pass options. These passes allow the owner of the pass to visit one park per day for each day on the pass. For example, if you have a three-day one park per day pass, you can spend one day at the Magic Kingdom, one day at Animal Kingdom, and one day at Hollywood Studios during your vacation. If you wanted to, you could spend all three days of your pass at ONE park.
The only thing you cannot do with a one park per day pass is visit more than one park in a single day at any point during your vacation. For example, you could not visit Animal Kingdom in the morning, and then travel to the Magic Kingdom to spend the afternoon on the same day.
One park per day passes have the lowest price point of the various Disney pass offerings. If you are confident that you’ll be happy staying in one park for the whole day, one park per day passes are ideally suited for you. They’re a great way to save money, but they do limit your flexibility, so it’s important to consider the trade-off between cost savings and flexibility before making your decision to purchase this pass.
Here are some examples to consider where you might find park “hopping” an advantage:
Example 1: You visit the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. After you arrive, you learn that Disney is going to be filming the Christmas parade all day for the Christmas Day special. This means there’s going to be extra crowds. In addition, the Main Street area is going to be blocked off for many hours during the day. This will make it difficult to get around the park and it’s going to be kind of a headache. You find this out AFTER you’ve r park pass to enter the park. If you have a one park per day pass, you’re in the Magic Kingdom for the day; you do not have any other options. You will be spending the day in the Magic Kingdom. Please know you’re still going to have a great day. There are lots of ways to enjoy the park on a day when it’s crowded. However, if you’d had a park hopper pass, you could have left MK as soon as you discovered this challenge. You would have spent the rest of your day at a different park, returning to the Magic Kingdom on a different day.
Example 2: You spend the day at the Magic Kingdom with the kids. Later, you want to have dinner in Epcot in the evening with your husband, and put the kids in the kids club at your resort. If you have a one park per day pass, this is not an option. However, if you have a park hopper, it is. (Again, there are other options–you could go for a nice dinner at a resort restaurant, or to Disney Springs–just not to another PARK.)
Example 3: It’s the last day of your trip, and you’ve planned to visit Animal Kingdom for the day. Everyone is very excited, but your teenage daughter tells you at lunch about a sweatshirt she saw at Epcot yesterday. She’s decided that she can’t live without it, and she’s looked at every store at AK and can’t find it. And, of course, her life will be OVER without this sweatshirt. With a one park per day pass, you would have no option to go back to Epcot and get the sweatshirt. If you have a park hopper, you COULD do that if you wanted to.
It’s important to note that there are satisfactory workarounds in all these scenarios. Workarounds that do not have to involve park hopping. These are just a few examples to show you where the flexibility offered by park hopping is a really nice advantage to have. However, that advantage is pricey, so if you don’t need it, don’t pay for it.
More Days Mean More Savings
Disney wants to keep you on property and in their parks as long as possible! If you look at the park pass pricing (in the table below), you will notice that as you add more days to your pass, the incremental price increase gets smaller.
In other words…to visit one park for one day in peak season will cost you $121. But visit one park per day for 10 days in peak season will only cost $50.21 per day! Disney knows that the more you are in their parks, the more you are likely to spend on souvenirs, food and beverages, etc.. They price their tickets accordingly. They want to entice you to stay longer and use those days to visit Disney parks.
They want to make it more practical for guests to spend any extra time available at Disney parks than at Universal or Sea World. Why would you spend another $200 or $300 to spend a couple days at Universal when you could spend $25 and spend 2 more days at Disney?
It’s kind of genius really. It’s the same reason they work so hard to get guests to stay at Disney resorts. It’s the reason they make Disney transportation free. Why rent a car, if you can travel all over Disney property for free? If you don’t have a car, you are less likely to leave Disney property. You won’t go to Perkins or Denny’s for a more affordable breakfast, or head to Universal Studios for a day.
Current pricing for one park per day passes (prices shown as a range):
*Note that the table shows a range of ticket prices. This is because currently, Disney is using a date based pricing structure. The price of your park pass depends on the date your pass will first be used. Park passes of less than 7 days must be used within 7 days of the first date of use; Park passes of longer duration must be used within 14 days of the first date of use. Disney has only issued pricing through the end of 2019-we are anticipating higher ticket prices in 2020, based on both Disney’s reticence to release 2020 pricing and on the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in late 2019, and the much higher anticipated crowds in 2020 as a result.
STAR PLAYER: PARK HOPPERS
Park hopper passes are among the most flexible passes that Disney offers; however, they come with a price tag associated with that flexibility. Some of you may remember the days when park hopper passes were available with the “no expiration” feature; sadly, that feature is no longer available. If you purchase any park pass other than an annual pass you have to use the entire ticket up within 14 days of first use.
The primary benefit of a park hopper pass is, of course, freedom. With a park hopper pass, you can visit one, two, three or even four parks in one day should you wish to.
I tend to use hopping privileges the most on short visits, because I want to make sure that we can visit our favorite attractions and our favorite restaurants–we can’t always do that if we stick to one park per day especially on a short weekend trip. The last trip I did with my mom, we only went to Hollywood Studios basically for dinner and fireworks on one night of our trip–we spent the rest of the day doing other things.
The park hopper gives you the most flexibility— you can visit one park in the morning, and a different park at night. You can visit one park all day but go to a different park for dinner. You can even start with one park in the morning, move to another park for the afternoon, and then end the evening at still another park (or back where you started!). If you are visiting during a busy season when park hours are extended, park hopping is especially helpful!
Peak seasons that usually have extended hours include the two weeks around Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving, spring break, and the very busiest weeks of the summer season.
The park hopper pass is not as helpful in the seasons when the hours are shorter, as you do not have as many open park hours to play with. However, I have still found that I liked the freedom to hop during seasons with shorter hours. I find myself using the hopper option when one park gets more crowded than I am comfortable with–I will modify my plans and move to a different park. Or, even when the parks have shorter hours, Epcot and Magic Kingdom generally have longer hours than Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. So I will use my hopper and take advantage of that–I will visit HS or AK for the day, and then end each night at MK or EP, which works great for me personally.
FREEDOM TO HOP AWAY FROM CROWDS
The biggest benefit that hopping brings is freedom as I’ve said before. When the park you chose feels too crowded, you can check your My Disney Experience app (or alternative app that you prefer), and if you see that lines are fairly short (comparatively speaking) at another park, you have the freedom to leave the park you are at, and move to a different park. You can release any remaining fast pass + reservations at your current park if you want to, and leave. Or if you suddenly get a craving for a particular food item that can only be found one place, you have the freedom to hop over to that park for a snack, maybe a quick attraction or two, before returning to your original park to continue with your original plan.
Again, all of this goes back to what I’ve said before—research research research. Before you make any decisions about your park passes, you want to do preliminary research on the time period that you’re going, the tentative park schedule for the days of your trip and which parks you think you will want to visit. You also need to consider if you are staying on property and will have access to extra magic hours, and which days of your trip have extra magic hours at which parks. It does make a difference.
So flexibility and freedom have value. But flexibility and freedom also carry higher costs. Significantly higher costs. Only you can decide if the higher costs are worth the value. You have to decide if hopping is worth the higher costs.
Disney does not allow you to purchase park hopper passes for some of the people in your reservation and not for others. If you are purchasing a vacation package, all tickets for all guests staying on that reservation must be the same. For example if you have booked a family suite at Art of Animation, and your reservation includes four adults and one child, all five park passes will be the same. The same number of park days, and the same, either park hopper or one park per day—whichever you have chosen.
An alternative to this would be to purchase a room only reservation, and purchase your park tickets a la carte. This gives you more flexibility, but it also usually costs more to do it this way. The packages are designed to try and save you money by linking everything together—because again, Disney is trying to entice you to stay on property and to stay as long as possible.
There are many creative ways to manage park passes—if you have a unique situation, contact me and we can discuss. There are a lot of different ways to fly around the world as they say.
Current pricing for park hopper passes (prices shown as a range):
*Note that the table shows a range of ticket prices. This is because currently, Disney is using a date based pricing structure. The price of your Disney park pass depends on the date your pass will first be used. Disney park passes of less than 7 days must be used within 7 days of the first date of use; Disney park passes of longer duration must be used within 14 days of the first date of use. Disney has only issued pricing through the end of 2019. Ticket prices are expected to rise in 2020.
FREE AGENT: PARK HOPPER PLUS
The park hopper plus pass is essentially the park hopper pass with “water park fun and more” added to it. “Water park fun and more” means that you will get a certain number of visits (based on the length of your park hopper pass) to Walt Disney World fun locations including:
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course
For example, if you have a five day Park Hopper Plus pass, you’ll have five days that you can visit Walt Disney World theme parks, including park hopping privileges PLUS you will have 5 visits to “fun” locations in the list above. For each visit, you can choose ONE of the locations in the list.
BEST FOR LONGER TRIPS
The Park Hopper Plus pass is the most expensive of the short term passes but of course, also the most flexible. This pass is a good fit for families that are planning to visit Disney for a week or more, and are planning to build some “non-theme park” days into their vacation. It’s also a good fit if your family enjoys the activities in the list above and will actually use the visits.
It is not a practical purchase for your family if you are visiting for 6 days and purchasing a five day Park Hopper–you won’t have enough time to take advantage of the “Plus” features, and essentially would be wasting your money. Unless you are visiting during a time of year when you are going to be able to take advantage of the water parks, it’s likely not a valuable use of your money. It is also not a practical purchase if your family or group is unlikely to actually use the water parks and mini golf options—don’t waste your money.
However, if you love the water parks, and are visiting when the climate is warm enough that you will actually WANT to go in the water and use the water parks, you may want to consider the Park Hopper Plus option. If you have the time to build in a few “rest” days, the water parks ARE a ton of fun…and even if you don’t love water slides, both parks have a lazy river and lots of places to sit by the water and relax. Just to help you assess the value of the “Water Park Fun and More” add on, here’s some pricing to help you:
Water Park Tickets: $62.84 Child/$69.23 Adult
Miniature Golf: $12 Child/$14 Adult
Oak Trail Golf: $39 per player
Current pricing for park hopper plus passes (prices shown as a range):
*Note that the table shows a range of ticket prices. This is because currently, Disney is using a date based pricing structure. The price of your park pass depends on the date your pass will first be used. Disney park passes of less than 7 days must be used within 7 days of the first date of use; Disney park passes of longer duration must be used within 14 days of the first date of use. Disney has only issued pricing through the end of 2019. Ticket prices are expected to rise in 2020.
CURVE BALL: ANNUAL PASS
Generally speaking, when talking to the casual Disney vacationer, we usually focus on the Disney park pass types above. One category that usually gets completely ignored is the the annual pass. The main reason for this is that annual passes are fairly expensive–generally more expensive than your average one park per day pass or park hopper pass.
However, there are some benefits that come with an annual pass that might make it worth considering purchasing one for one member of your party. It really depends on the length of your trip, whether you want to park hop, if you will have a car on property, how often you visit Disney, how important memory maker is to you and your family, if you are a DVC member or Florida resident, and how much shopping and eating in the parks you do. The current price of an annual pass is $952.11 (including tax). Keep in mind, Florida residents and DVC members are eligible for discounted pricing on annual passes.
Obviously, an annual pass is very expensive. I’m sure a few of you had a heart attack when you saw that number! I know I did, originally–and it was less expensive in those days! There are lots of sites on the Internet that will calculate out for you the ideal number of days of you would need to visit Disney in a calendar year to make it a wise or profitable decision to purchase an annual pass.
However, I tend to look at more than just the number of days and the cost of the pass. There are several benefits that the annual pass gives you that go beyond the simple price per day of the pass. These benefits, in my opinion, carry a LOT of tangible, cost savings benefits, and should be considered, along with the actual cost of the pass. A lot of those websites will tell you if you’re not going to be visiting the parks for at least 12 or 14 days during a 365 period, an annual pass will not be worth the investment. If you strictly look at the price of the pass and you calculate it out by the number of days, those sites might be right…but I believe you should look at more than that.
Here’s a brief list of the official benefits.
Annual Pass Benefits:
Admission for one year to all four Walt Disney World theme parks
Visit up to four theme parks in one day
Parking at the theme parks (savings of $25/day)
Up to 20% discount on select dining
Up to 20% discount on merchandise in park stores and in Shop Disney Parks online
No blackout restrictions
Disney Photopass Downloads for all photos captured during the period the pass is active and tied to the passholder account (Savings of $169 per trip, equivalent of Memory Maker purchase)
Special limited edition merchandise, only available to passholders
Invitations to special events
Occasional “freebies”, only available to passholders
Right off the bat, you can see that there are some categories that could save you significant money. If you will have a car on property, for example, and you intend to park at the parks, you will save $25 per day in parking. Even for a 5-7 day trip, that’s a benefit that adds up quickly.
PHOTOPASS AND MEMORY MAKER
If you usually purchase Memory Maker* (or download Photopass pictures), you will be saving up to $199 per trip. Even if you only visit once during the year–if you’ve rented a car and park at the parks just 4 days (but visit the parks for 8 days total), you’ve already saved $299 off the cost of your pass.And you haven’t even started saving on meals or merchandise yet.
*To clarify the Disney Photopass downloads that are included with the annual pass: Technically, this is not the same thing as the Memory Maker product. The Memory Maker product is a one time purchase, for a specific vacation, for all Photopass pictures and ride videos taken by Disney during that vacation. If you purchase it before your trip, it’s $169; if you purchase it during or after your trip, it’s $199.
If you don’t purchase Memory Maker, and you want to keep or download any of the Disney ride photos, videos or Disney Photopass pictures taken during your vacation, you will have to pay for them individually. Prices start at $14.95 per photo; there are packages available, but generally speaking, they are expensive–Memory Maker is almost always the best value–especially if you try to make sure your family or group takes a lot of Photopass pictures. Memory Maker basically gives you access to your photos online for 30 days, and permission to download them. After that, photos are removed from the online portal.
PhotoPass Magic Shot Minnie Mouse with Linda
With an annual pass, any Disney ride photos, ride videos or Disney Photopass photos associated with the magic band tied to the annual pass are available for download on that person’s My Disney Experience site for the entirety of the year their pass is active. If you take a trip near the end of the life of your pass, your photos are available online for 365 days from the date they are taken. You do not pay for the downloads, you don’t have to order Memory Maker or anything else, the photos are simply in your account, available to download whenever you want them.
If you’ve read any of my other articles, you know that I am a big proponent of both Photopass and Memory Maker. I love pictures. I love photos as souvenirs. I love photos as memories. And I love the Photopass service. I cover both topics in detail in this article.
ANNUAL PASSHOLDER DISCOUNTS
Annual pass holders also can get room discounts. Generally these discounts are offered on a limited short term basis. They can be hard to get before they are gone, but vigilance can really pay off. As a passholder, you will have access to these discounts for 365 days.
If you have an Annual Pass, you can get 10% off most merchandise purchases at the parks–and sometimes 20%. There are some exceptions: some shops aren’t owned by Disney; those shops may not honor the discount. However, even if you just buy a couple of T-shirts or some coffee mugs, you’d be surprised how quickly that discount can add up. Disney does have strict rules–you can’t use your annual pass to purchase merchandise with the intent to resell it or anything like that, or they will rescind your pass. But there have been some years I did a lot of Christmas shopping at Disney, and the discount really helped!
Most Disney restaurants also give 10% (and sometimes 15-20%) off to annual passholders as well. Some quick service restaurants even offer the discount. Tip: if you have an annual pass, ask EVERYWHERE if they offer a discount for annual passholders. I’ve been very surprised by some of the places at Disney that I’ve gotten discounts. One thing to remember: while your Magic Band can serve as your annual pass for park admittance and many other things, you will need your actual annual passholder plastic card to get any of the discounts, so make sure you carry that with you always. Most cast members will ask for your pass and your ID to verify they match before applying the discount.
If you are fortunate enough to be able to visit Disney once every year or so, another way to maximize your savings with an annual pass is to plan your trip for the second year a couple weeks EARLIER, so that it will fall within the 365 days your pass is active. That way, you’d get two trips out of your pass, instead of just one.
Obviously, if your trip is a very brief one, an annual pass may not be a practical investment for you. But if at least a couple of the following items apply to your situation, it might be worth doing the math to see if one annual pass might offer enough savings to make a purchase worthwhile:
You are traveling with a larger family or group
You will be renting (or bringing) a vehicle
You plan to use Photopass
You plan to eat at table service restaurants as a group at least a few times
You expect to purchase souvenirs at Disney owned gift shops at the parks or your resort
Your trip is 5 days or longer
BUT WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE UNIFORM?
Hopefully, by this point, at least some of your questions about Disney park passes have been answered. But this is usually where a whole bunch of NEW questions come up. “If I buy a 4 day park hopper, how do I get a Magic Band?” or “Is my 3 day one park per day pass going to work the same as a Magic Band?” or “What IS a Magic Band, and do I need one?” I cover Magic Bands in more detail in a different article, but in a nutshell, here’s the basics:
A Disney Magic Band is a waterproof wristband with an embedded RFID chip in that will contain information about you, your resort reservation, your Disney park pass, your Disney Photopass pictures, even your payment information–if you choose to link all those things to your Disney account, and by extension to your Magic Band. They become your hotel room key, your entrance “key” to the parks, your Photopass ID, even your method of payment–simply by touching your Magic Band to the touch point on a door, stanchion or kiosk when directed.
Magic Bands are automatically mailed out by Disney to all Disney resort guests or Annual Passholders. You will have an opportunity to “customize” your bands prior to the mail out date if you want to–if you don’t, the bands will be the default gray color for everyone in your party. Disney does not charge an extra fee for the Magic Bands. If you have added your Disney park pass information to your Disney account, that information is linked to your Magic Bands, and they work as your entrance pass to the parks, as well as your room key, once you’ve checked into the hotel.
You can also purchase specially designed and limited edition Magic Bands in Disney stores and at Disney gift shops and link these bands to your account. These special Magic Bands will then work as your Disney park pass (or room key) as well.
Once you have a Magic Band, you can customize it however you like. The internet is FULL of pictures of people’s customized bands. You can paint them, bedazzle them, attach things to them…You can buy stickers for them , all kinds of stuff. For our wedding trip, I got a package of stickers; we customized our bands and then let the group choose the band stickers they wanted to use.
All Magic Bands do include a little extra “Magic” here and there. For example, when you ride the “It’s a Small World” attraction at Magic Kingdom, there are devices near the end of the ride that are scanning the Magic Bands and will show your name on the signs at the end of the ride. There are lots of little magic touches like that–nothing necessary, but nice little magical bonuses. The bands also help various rides link ride photos to your account. Don’t worry, there is also usually a place at the end of the ride where you can identify your photo and scan your park pass or Magic Band to link your photos.
This is a very old example of a “card” style park pass, but the newer versions are similar. They just don’t have as much information printed on the front.
Note: You do NOT have to have a Magic Band to use your Disney Park Passes to enter the parks. If you are not a Disney Resort Guest, you will be sent a plastic card when you purchase your park pass. It looks a lot like a credit card. It will have a lot of numbers on it. You will enter the numbers on your My Disney Experience account to link your pass to your account. You will use the card to enter the parks if you do not elect to purchase a Magic Band, and you will use your card to scan for Photopass pictures.
WHICH PLAYER IS THE WINNER?
Choosing which Disney Park Passes are right for you and your travel group is a challenge, as you’ve probably realized by now! It’s more than just “how long are we going for?”. Choosing the RIGHT pass takes some planning and some thought (and some budgeting!).
Ultimately, which Disney Park Pass is right for you depends on your unique situation. Your family, your budget, the way you like to travel, etc. Every kind of Disney park pass has its advantages. Which one will be the best player for YOUR Disney vacation depends on YOUR team. In this article, we’ve talked about each type of Disney Park pass, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and included current pricing for each type of pass.
Now it’s up to you. Think about your unique situation, how you like to visit Disney, what your budget concerns are, and how flexible you like your vacations to be. If you need advice, I’m always here to help. Feel free to reach out to me at brooke@disneycastledreaming.com. You can also find me on Facebook at DisneyCastleDreaming, DisCastleDreams on Twitter, and DisneyCastleDreaming on Instagram.
The good news? Disney has recognized that the near constant high volume of crowds has dampened some fans’ enthusiasm for Disney’s beloved theme parks. Over the last couple of years, Disney has piloted a few different ideas to offer visitors the opportunity to visit their favorite park or parks with significantly lower crowds, and the “After Hours” events seem to have won the battle, at least for the short term, as Disney has recently announced a slew of new Disney After Hours Events dates for 2019.
The bad news? Disney has also recognized that many fans are willing to pay a premium for that “lower crowd level” experience. Based on Disney’s raging success with the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties, Disney already had a fairly good idea that some guests would be willing to purchase an extra ticket to attend a “special event” at the Magic Kingdom–but they weren’t sure if that willingness would extend beyond special holiday themed parties or beyond the Magic Kingdom.
Last year, Disney tried several experimental “After Hours” events, with varying degrees of success. Early reviews from attendees raved about the low crowd levels, and being able to walk on favorite rides (something I remember from the early days of the MVMCP and MNSSHP, too) and taking pictures of an almost empty park near the end of the night… But those events were very limited, not publicized a great deal, and in many cases, priced significantly lower than these new offerings.
In the current round of After Hours events, there are dates scheduled through April 2019, and events are being held at three of the four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
Here’s a video Disney has released from a recent Disney After Hours Event at Animal Kingdom:
The Bottom Line: What Does An After Hours Event Cost?
Tickets for each Disney After Hours Event are $125 per person + tax if purchased in advance. Tickets purchased the day of the event will be $129 per person + tax. Discounts are available for Annual Passholders and DVC Members. Contact me for more information.
Technically, this is officially a three hour event. The event begins when the regular park day “ends” and runs for three hours after that. Guests without After Hours event tickets will not be permitted to enjoy the After Hours events or attractions.
What’s Included in my Disney After Hours Event Ticket?
Enjoy the parks after dark with an After Hours event ticket!
There is some really good news about these events, in addition to the lower crowds and easy access to your favorite rides.
Ice Cream, popcorn and select beverages are included in your Disney After Hours Event Ticket. (Most likely “beverages” is limited to soft drinks).
Your After Hours event ticket will grant you access to the park where your event takes place as early as 7 pm–so if your park “closes” at 11 pm that day, that’s an extra four hours of park time you’ll be able to enjoy on your park ticket, in addition to the three hours of “After Hours” event time. BUT, there are some event days where the park closes at 8 pm, so you’ll only be getting 1 extra hour. It’s important to consider the total amount of time you’ll have in the park when determining if this ticket will have value for you and your family.
Character Greetings with little or no lines! If you are a person who enjoys Character Greetings, but hates sacrificing valuable park time to stand in lines for Characters, you may really enjoy the short lines or no lines to be found at the Character Greetings at After Hours events.
There are usually some “special” After Hours “experiences, including Dance Parties, unique Character Greetings or Streetmosphere.
Some quick service places will be open during each party, so you will have some options for late night dining if you are so inclined.
Generally speaking as these events run pretty late into the night, there will be fewer very young children and strollers in the mix. These events are not being actively marketed as adults only, but there are no discounts for children ages 3-9, which is a fairly good indicator that Disney does not expect much participation from that age group.
With some proper planning, you can sleep in the day of the event and have a mostly “lazy day” and not spend a “park ticket” day on the day of the event, enter the park at 7 pm and stay until the party ends to maximize your value. If you’re an annual passholder, this doesn’t really help, but if you’re purchasing park passes or a package, you could theoretically, reduce your ticket package by one day.
If you are someone who struggles with large crowds or too much overstimulation from all the noise associated with the crazy mid day crowds, you may discover the later night lighter crowds are much more comfortable for you.
What Dates Are Available?
Animal Kingdom: January 8, 16, 22 and 31, 2019; and February 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 26, 2019; and March 5, 20 and 27, 2019; and April 3, 2019.
Magic Kingdom: The event takes place from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the following dates: March 21 and 28, 2019; and April 4 and 11, 2019.
The event takes place from 9:00 PM to midnight on the following dates: February 14 and 21, 2019 and March 7, 2019.
The event takes place from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on the following dates: January 7, 17, 24, and 28, 2019; February 7 and 28, 2019.
Hollywood Studios: January 5, 12 and 19, 2019; February 2, 9 and 16, 2019; March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2019; and April 6 and 13, 2019.
Disney After Hours Events: Are They Worth It?
Short answer? It depends. You’ve heard me say it before, and I’m sure you will hear me say it again–everything is relative, based on what is important to you and your family or travel group. It also depends on your financial situation, and what kind of park ticket or vacation package you’ve purchased.
For me personally, lower crowds and shorter lines are becoming a higher priority. Having a day to sleep late on vacation? That might also be a nice change. I’m not sure it’s worth $125, though.
I love the idea of getting more pictures without hundreds of strangers in them, especially for the blog. And I would like to attend a couple of parties as the year goes on to see what changes Disney makes. I’m just not sure 3 hours is enough time to really justify the expense. I feel that three hours with light crowds is probably enough time (although for me personally…10 hours would probably never be enough, much to my poor husband’s chagrin!), but I think $125 is a pretty high price for three hours. Of course, that’s probably the point. If it was affordable for everyone, you wouldn’t have the lighter crowds and shorter lines they’re promising. So they don’t WANT to sell this to everyone. They want to sell this to a few thousand people for each party and that’s it.
I think for me personally, it would be worth it. At least so I can report back to all of you! 😉
What do you think? Do you think Disney After Hours Events would be worth it for you and your family? Are you anxious to attend one? Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Dreaming!
Brooke
P.S. If you are interested in booking tickets for a Disney After Hours Event, I can book them for you. We can add them to an existing package, look for discounts, and/or book them all on their own. Email brooke@disneycastledreaming.com to get started.
Very exciting news today! Disney launched Free Dining and other offers that might interest you if you are planning a Disney vacation for later this year.
As you may already be aware, Free Dining is a VERY popular Disney vacation discount program that MANY vacationers wait to plan their trips around. This is the earliest that Disney has announced a Free Dining offer in recent memory. In addition, this particular offer includes dates from July 5 – September 30, 2019. It’s pretty unusual for Disney to include ANY portion of the summer in their Free Dining promotions, so this year’s offer is an especially big deal.
In addition to Free Dining, Disney also released some 30% off room discounts for May 28-September 30.
Mickey Greets Special Guests at Magic Kingdom
Details: Free Dining
If you purchase a 5 night/6 day Disney World travel package by February 10, 2019 that includes a room at a select Walt Disney World Resort hotel and a ticket with a Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus option with your planned arrival between July 5 and September 30, 2019, you can get a FREE dining plan added to your package for each guest on the reservation. Note: this promotion is available for reservations with a minimum of 4 nights/4 days. Other package lengths are available.
If your chosen resort is a Disney Deluxe Resort or a Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, you will get the Disney Dining Plan. If you choose a Disney Value Resort or a Disney Moderate Resort, you will get the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan.
Reservations MUST be booked by February 10, 2019, and the number of rooms allocated for this offer are limited. This promotion cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
Details: 30% Room Discount
If you book your reservation by March 24, 2019, you can save up to 30% for stays most nights, May 28 – September 30, 2019. If you would like to travel sooner, you can save up to 25% for stays most nights, April 28 – May 27, 2019; those reservations would just need to be booked by the last day of the promotion, May 27. This offer is based on 2 adults per room; the full discount is for the Deluxe resorts; Value and Moderate resorts will have lesser discounts available.
The number of rooms allocated for this promotion is limited. This promotion cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
The Fine Print
As with any promotion or discount, there are always exclusions and restrictions. Certain room types, resorts, or restaurants may be excluded from the Free Dining promotion. Similarly, some resorts and room types are excluded from the Room Discount promotion.
More importantly, though, is that not every discount is right for every person or family. It’s important to weigh how YOU visit Disney, what your priorities are, WHEN you visit, and evaluate any and all discounts that might be available to you when you are ready to plan.
One of the advantages of working with an authorized Disney Vacation Planner is that we have access to ALL the available discounts out there at any one time, whether Disney is actively promoting them or not. We can run comparisons for you to determine what you’ll save by booking your trip with one promotion or another. There is no cost to you to work with an authorized Disney Vacation planner to plan your vacation, and often, we have access to discounts or resort information that is not available to the general public. Working with an authorized Disney Vacation Planner will always save you headaches and aggravation, and will usually save you money as well!
In addition, we have the ability to monitor our reservations and as new promotions are released, update those reservations when it will save our customers money. For example, for all my clients that have reservations booked with me for later this year, we’ve already looked at the free dining promotion to see if it makes sense for them–and where it did, we’ve made the changes.
Toy Story Land’s Slinky Dog Dash
Act Quickly
The response to the Free Dining promotion today was incredible. Disney’s servers crashed around noon, and it took several hours for them to get back to normal. They anticipated high demand, but I don’t think they were quite prepared for how popular this promotion would be when it was announced. Based on the volume of inquiries the system handled today, it would not surprise me if records were set.
The moral of the story is that if you are strongly considering taking advantage of either of these new promotions, or if you at least want to price out a trip using the promotions, I highly recommend you act very quickly. You can reserve any reservation for 48 hours before a deposit is required, so if you’re even 80% sure, I suggest you reach out and get a quote going. I suspect that unless Disney plans to expand the promotion(s), these will sell out and close out very quickly.
What to Consider When You Consider Free Dining
Many Disney vacationers LOVE the Disney Dining Plan. They love being able to budget and essentially “prepay” for the majority of their meals before their trip, and know that they won’t need to spend a whole lot of money on food during their vacation. If you fall into this category, and are already a fan of the Disney Dining Plan or the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, and are already accustomed to making Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days before your trip, you are likely a good candidate for the Free Dining Promotion.
Conversely, if you tend to order in groceries, and eat a lot of meals in your room, or pack picnic lunches for your family to enjoy at the parks, you are most likely NOT a good candidate for the Free Dining Promotion.
It’s important to think about how your family dines on a Disney vacation. Do you eat in sit down restaurants for most meals? Do you eat primarily quick service meals? Do you do many character meals? Do any members of your family routinely share meals? Does your family like to snack? Are you big Mickey Bar or Popcorn fans? Are you comfortable planning your meals in advance?
While the promotion is called “Free” Dining, it’s also important to recognize that by getting the dining package for “free”, you are paying full price for your room and park tickets. You are saving a LOT of money on meals, so it is a substantial savings in many, many cases–but again, it’s really important to evaluate how YOU and YOUR family vacations.
If you tend to eat more meals in the room, or pack picnic lunches, you likely will get a bigger savings from a room or package discount that does NOT include free dining.
Again, I strongly recommend speaking with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner like myself to help you identify the best vacation package for your family.
If you have any questions, or would like to get quotes on any packages or vacation dates, please email me at brooke@disneycastledreaming.com. You can also reach me on Facebook or Instagram, also at DisneyCastleDreaming.
Here we are in October….Fall is here and it’s Halloween time. Of course, at Disney, Halloween time is starting earlier and earlier every year. This year, it began in AUGUST. They decorated for fall and Halloween early in the 2nd week of August and the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party was August 17th this year! I’m sorry, I just can’t get in the mood for Halloween when I’m still hoping for beach and pool time, Disney or no Disney!
This is one of my favorite videos: it shows Walt Disney World getting ready for Halloween VERY quickly. This particular transformation is from last year, but they follow pretty much the same process every year. It’s short, but I think it’s kind of amazing how quickly Disney can make magic overnight….Take a look….
The video HELPS with the Halloween mood, but I still just couldn’t get in the mood until the weather here in the Midwest started to cool off and October showed up. I realize that it’s still in the 80’s and 90’s in Florida, and that will continue for a few more weeks (or more)–but for us here in Chicago, October means cooler temperatures, leaves changing color, windy and often rainy days…so I tend to associate those things with Halloween.
So even though a few weeks of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween parties (MNSSHP) have already taken place, I just couldn’t bring myself to post about this year’s party until now.
And really, many of you are starting to think about next year’s vacation plans, and you may be considering a trip for next fall. September and October can be a wonderful time to visit Walt Disney World–kids have gone back to school, and while there are a couple three day weekends here and there, any family vacations planned during this time will require pulling kids out of school, at least for a day or two, and many families can’t make that work. This CAN translate to lighter crowds than you might see at other times of the year.
If the fall is an option for your family, you could be considering MNSSHP. With ticket prices starting at $85 and climbing as high as $125 for parties at the end of October, you may be asking yourself….$100+????? Is it worth it???
That’s the big question, right? And unfortunately, as ticket prices keep climbing every year, and the number of tickets they sell for the parties appears to keep climbing as well, that question is getting harder and harder to answer.
A few years ago, I would have told you, ABSOLUTELY, YES! I would not have even thought twice. I would have said, “If you have the time and the funds, plan on attending the party.” In those days, the tickets maxed out around $70…and Disney carefully capped the crowds to keep the parties feeling very much like a special “privileged” VIP event. Don’t get me wrong; there were definitely lots of people, especially for “sold out” parties; however, these days, “sold out” is much closer to peak park attendance and borders on unpleasant, at least in my opinion.
What this means is that it’s not the automatic ABSOLUTELY YES that it used to be. Now, it’s more important to really think about whether this is a value for you and your travel group. Does this make sense for you?
Let’s take a look at the basics first.
What are you getting for the price of your ticket?
Access to the Magic Kingdom with your party ticket as early as 4 p.m., until the party ends at Midnight. Note: the party doesn’t actually begin until 7 p.m.–however, if you really want to maximize the value of your party ticket, do NOT use a park pass day to visit any parks on party day. Make it a relaxing day. Enjoy the resort, or plan the party for your travel day. Get to the Magic Kingdom in time to enter the park at 4 p.m., so you can play a little and perhaps eat dinner before the party begins. Bonus: If you’ve managed to have a restful day, you’re much more likely to have energy to enjoy the whole party–right through until the end–Midnight. If you’re likely to be wiped out by 9:30 p.m., most likely you won’t feel like you got a good value for your $100.
Boo to You Parade: The Boo to You Parade is ONLY offered during MNSSHP. It’s offered twice a night, and a lot of people with little kids tend to clear out after the first parade. I usually recommend hitting the second parade…While lots of people are watching the first parade, you will likely find shorter lines for attractions and character greetings. In my opinion, the Boo to You Parade is a really great parade. If the weather is good, you usually get to see the Headless Horseman riding along the parade route shortly before the parade begins…it’s eerie and awesome. The parade is fun, and there are lots of things you don’t normally get to see. Having said that–if you have been to these parties a couple of times, the parade doesn’t change. It doesn’t get updated, it hasn’t changed in several years. I love it, but it alone is not worth the price of the ticket, especially if you’ve seen it before.
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Characters in Costume: One of my favorite things about MNSSHP is that you get to see the characters in their Halloween costumes. I really enjoy seeing Minnie in her Witch outfit or Daisy as a princess and Donald as her knight….Some years there is some variety in the costumes, but reviewing pictures from the last few years, it seems that many character costumes get repeated. Regardless, it’s still a lot of fun.
Picture Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Special Character Greetings: MNSSHP is especially fun if you love character greetings, because often, there are characters available for character greetings during the Halloween party that you would never get to see otherwise. For example, this year’s party features Anastasia and Drizella (Cinderella’s stepsisters), Cruella DeVil, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, the Queen of Hearts, Jack Skellington and Sally, the Gravediggers, Brer Rabit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, Moana, Jafar, Tarzan, Jane, Terk, Elvis Stitch, Lotso (Toy Story 3), the Seven Dwarfs, Alice and the Mad Hatter, among others. You’ll also find a lot of your regular favorites in their Halloween costumes, like Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. And of course you can still find all your favorite princesses at Princess Fairy Tale Hall.
Photo Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
One caveat to consider: As both parties and character greetings have become more popular, the lines have gotten longer and longer for many of the more popular “unique” characters at these parties. If that picture with the Seven Dwarfs or Jack & Sally is your holy grail, you may need to plan your entire party experience around it, getting in line extra early, and being prepared to WAIT. Last time I went to MNSSHP, we saw lines for some of the most popular characters that exceeded 90 minutes. These parties are only five hours long, and that if you stay until midnight, so you do have to prioritize what you REALLY want to do.
HalloWishes: What would an evening at the Magic Kingdom be without fireworks? MNSSHP is no exception. Usually at 9 or 9:30 p.m. (check the schedule for the night of your party), Disney will present HalloWishes, a spectacular Villains themed fireworks spectacular…and it is really terrific. And again, it is something you can only see if you’re at the party. Or having dinner at Narcoosee’s at the Grand Floridian during a party. Or at the California Grill at the Contemporary Resort. Or on the beach at the Polynesian Resort. Or on your Magic Kingdom facing balcony at Bay Lake Tower. But I digress. Honestly, while all those locations outside the park are great ways to watch Disney fireworks and get a different perspective, there is nothing like BEING in the park during one of the shows to really be WOWED. And HalloWishes is a WOW show. At least for me personally. But I’m a big fan of Disney fireworks shows, especially all the incarnations that have been at Magic Kingdom. This is another show that has remained the same for many years. I still love it, I still think it adds a lot of value to the party, but I know there are those that say that if you’ve seen it a few times, it might not be worth the ticket price anymore. Or that it might be wiser to squeeze in another character greeting or attraction instead of watching HalloWishes.
Hallowishes fireworks Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Photo: Disney Parks)
Pictures Courtesy of Disney Photopass Gallery
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular:This is a very popular stage show that was new for the 2015 MNSSHP, based on the very popular Disney “cult classic” 1993 film staring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. While the movie basically bombed when it originally came out, it has become a revered Halloween seasonal favorite for many as the years have gone on, thanks to frequent cable and network airings. The Castle Mainstage productions are always very popular at these parties; the shows are usually 20 – 25 minutes long, and generally fairly crowded. This one has been more positively received that the two Villain themed shows that preceded it…but it has the same idea at it’s heart…bring as many favorite villains on to the stage as possible as Halloween is the time when the villains get to rule the night…It’s a great chance to get pictures of villains you may not see very often.
Picture Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Scream-o-Ween Dance Party: These dance parties are fairly hilarious…this one is in Tomorrowland, and includes Mike, Sully and Boo. They try to get everyone dancing and usually, it’s the littlest kids that are the most fun to watch.
Trick or Treating: There are several candy stations set up throughout the park, so you can take you trick or treat bag to each station (wait in line) and get your “free” candy. For me personally, these are kind of a waste of time. The candy is usually not great–it’s whoever donated it that year–there’s almost never any chocolate (probably smart in the Florida heat and humidity…but come on! Halloween without Hershey kisses or mini-candy bars??? It’s a crime!!) Anyways, it’s usually odd flavored hard candy or other strange things–I don’t know, I haven’t been too impressed with this element of the parties. I think if you have little kids that LOVE to trick or treat, they might get a kick out of it, but the lines were so long at the last party we went to, it just was not any fun.
Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet: Sure you can see the “Dapper” Dans any old day at the Magic Kingdom, and they are terrific….but you can only find the “Cadaver Dans” at MNSSHP. These guys perform in Frontierland try to kill you with laughter…or something like that. They’re pretty fun if you catch them.
Picture Courtesy Disney Parks Blog
Special Treats: There are special food items and treats that are only for sale during MNSSHP. Note: If any of these items turn out to be REALLY popular, you may see them show up on a regular menu or kiosk in the future…sometimes the parties are a bit of a testing ground for new items. Or a “special” themed cupcake that’s only for the party will end up being sold during the day throughout October. So take the “only for sale during the party” idea with a grain of salt. This year’s “special treats” include: Pumpkin Cheesecake (Main Street Bakery), Hades Nachos (Pecos Bill’s), Worms and Dirt (Pecos Bill’s), Zero Waffle Sundae (Sleepy Hollow), Jack Skellington Cake Push Pop (Sleepy Hollow), Madame Leota Dessert (Liberty Square Market), Hitchhiking Ghost Dessert (Aloha Isle), Oogie Boogie Meringue (Gaston’s Tavern), and the Muenster Smash Burger (Cosmic Ray’s).
Pictures Courtesy Disney Parks Blog
Special Party Only Merchandise:There is special merchandise that is only available during MNSSHP. And they are NOT kidding with this one. The stuff comes out at 7 p.m. (or a little before) and you cannot buy it without a party ticket. AND once it’s gone, apparently, it’s gone. I have been disappointed a few times by having my heart set on a particular pin or shirt, only to find it was sold out by the time I got to a party (or was ready to buy at the end of the night). This year’s special party only merchandise includes a limited edition Magic Band, party themed pins, special passholder only pins, and a villains themed pin set; party themed shirts and an ear ornament, themed to the party. There is also a line of products themed to the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, including a mug, tote bag, shirt and collectibles. Some items are special for passholders only. There’s also a line of “Hocus Pocus Costume” t-shirts designed to “sub” for a costume–and again, only available at the Party. The “party only” merchandise has always been a big draw for me for these events I’m not gonna lie. I’m a shopper. There’s no getting around it. If the party’s at the beginning of your trip, take advantage of package delivery, and have your purchases delivered to your resort for free. Then you don’t have to lug them around the party all night. A word of warning: Buy it when you see if the first time if you want it….or risk dragging your poor husband through every shop in the park as the park is closing to find that exact special party only item you HAVE to have that you didn’t buy when you saw it earlier in the evening…not that I know anything about that, of course.
Pictures Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Shorter lines for popular attractions due to smaller crowds: This one is getting a little more questionable as Disney is selling more tickets for these parties, and the parties are becoming more crowded. Generally, the idea is that because the park is closed to day guests, and the number of party attendees is “much less” than a typical “crowded” park day, the attraction lines are shorter. However, the same thing happens during the party that happens during the day: people gravitate to the most popular attractions, so some queues for less popular rides are walk ons, and there will be long lines at popular attractions. The line might be 60 minutes instead of the 150 minutes you might see during a typical crowded afternoon, but during a short 5 hour party….you have to decide how much time you are willing to wait in line, especially if you know you may be able to ride these same attractions later in your trip. It does get better later in the evening, especially after the first Boo to You parade is over, and even more so after the fireworks. The last two hours are usually pretty good for both character greetings and attractions, unless the party is VERY crowded, with obvious exceptions being VERY popular character greetings (like Jack & Sally) and attractions (like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).
Exclusive Photopass “Magic Shots”: there are special magic shots that Photopass photographers can only do during MNSSHP. If you’ve been reading my blog for long, you probably already know that I am a NUT for photos, so the special magic shots are a real seller for me, especially because they really weren’t doing these a few years ago…this is one of the areas where the parties have started offering MORE, instead of less. This year, there are a number of special magic shot opportunities, according to the Disney Parks Blog. There are a couple shots on Main Streets where your party will be joined by some mysterious “ghostly” visitors. At the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, you can get a great shot where the headless horseman joins your family. There’s a scary glowing pumpkin shot that mimics the traditional “Tinkerbell” in your palm photo…that one looks pretty cool. Over near the Haunted Mansion, you can hitchhike with some friends, take a ride in a ghost driven hearse, and perhaps meet a very famous HatBox Ghost. The ghostly ones are my favorites, and I’m excited to see so many new ones have popped up.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Photo: Disney Parks)
Pictures Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
And there’s one more “hidden” benefit, that’s not TECHNICALLY included in your party ticket, but tends to be one of the BEST parts of attending a MNSSHP: seeing all the guests that come to the party in costume! Costume regulations and rules have gotten a lot more strict in the last couple of years due to safety concerns, so this isn’t QUITE as much fun as it used to be, but it is still a heck of a lot of fun. I’ve been surprised at how many guests dress up in costume. Some go VERY elaborate–others go pretty casual and easy with it, but it’s so much fun to see what everyone has thought of! And it’s even more fun to plan a costume for yourself or a group theme for your whole family or travel group….Just keep in mind the warm temperatures. You do NOT want to spend the evening melting in your costume…and be sure to review Disney’s costume guidelines here.
I wish I had a better picture of this, I know it’s a little blurry, but I had to share. One of the cutest costume ideas I saw at the last MNSSHP I attended.
Picture Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
So we come back to the original question: Is it worth it?
Some things I suggest you consider:
Have you ever been to a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party before? If not, I think you should probably put a point in the YES column. It’s definitely something everyone should do at least once, if they have the opportunity and means.
Do you like Halloween? Let’s face it, if you are NOT a Halloween person, don’t like it when people dress up, don’t see the point of trick or treating and don’t enjoy scary movies (even funny/scary)…You probably should just give MNSSHP a pass. It’s just not your cup of tea. However, if you LOVE Halloween, love getting dressed up, LOVE all things ghostly and pumpkin related…you may want to put another point in the YES column.
Can you plan the party attendance into your trip so that a) you don’t spend the whole day in another park and get worn out b) you are able to be in costume, ready to start your evening, at Magic Kingdom, at 4 p.m. (or 5 at the latest?) c) feel like you are likely to be able to enjoy the whole party, all the way through until Midnight? and d) deal with the impact that late night will have on the NEXT day–can that day be a rest day? Or a water park day that starts at 10 instead of 7? If all these answers are yes, that’s another point for the Yes column. If all are NO, then you may want to pass on the party. If you come down more mixed up, you probably need to do some careful thinking.
Do things like special merchandise, special food, special photopass magic shots ONLY available tat the party matter to you? If they’re important, put a point in the YES column. If you could care less, that’s a point in the No column.
How do you feel about parades? If you love the idea of a unique, nighttime parade featuring characters you don’t often get to seem, put a point in the YES column. If you really don’t enjoy parades, hate having to find a place to sit or stand to watch the parade, get annoyed with the crowds, etc., that’s a point for the NO column.
How do you feel about fireworks? If you are a fireworks fiend, put a point in the Yes column. If you don’t care about them, or strongly prefer to avoid them, that’s another check in the NO column.
Picture Courtesy of Disney Photopass Gallery
Where do you land on special Character greetings? Are they important to you? If so, that’s another Yes vote. If you can’t be bothered, that’s a big NO.
How many people in your group? What are their ages? There are a couple of reasons to look at this. For two adults, it’s a lot easier to move around the party and avoid crowds, moving quickly and adapting the plan as needed. For two adults and two kids in strollers, it gets more difficult to move through crowds, and the priorities are doing things that will make the kids happy. Skipping the trick or treat stations may not be an option. Staying until midnight may not be something you want to do. You need to plan ahead for parade and show seating, which will eat up some of your time from attractions, character greetings or trick or treating, so you’ll need to consider your priorities. For three adults, a six year old and two teens, there are still more things to consider. Do you want to stay together the whole time? Split up for part of it? Does everyone have the same interests? Do you want to focus on the shows and parade, or rides and character greetings? Think about the group you would bring to the party. Consider whether they would enjoy it, and whether you would enjoy it with them. If the answer is yes, then that’s more points in the YES column. If you’re not sure, you’ve got some more thinking to do.
Can you afford it? This is REALLY the big question. A Disney vacation is an investment. For many of us, it’s something we have budgeted for, and planned for and saved for. You have to consider your budget. Realistically, can you afford the tickets for the party for your group? Will it put a dent in your food budget or your souvenir budget? Or, since you are doing the party one day, could you buy 1 day less on your Magic Your Way tickets, and make up some savings that way? Could that make it work for you? I know not everyone needs to worry about these matters. For some people, budget it not a concern. If money is no object, and you want to go to the party for 2-5 hours, go for it. It’s a fun time, with lots of unique experiences. But for those of us who are more budget conscious, it usually means a trade off. What do I have to give up, if I buy these tickets? So give that some thought, and make sure you are comfortable with your choice.
Consider the value: If you pay $100 for your party ticket (less if you go in August or September, more if you go closer to Halloween), and you attend the party from 7 p.m. – 12 p.m., you’re spending $20 per hour for the party. Think about all the things available at the party, and recognize you will not be able to do all of them. Think about the things that would be most important to you and your travel group, and imagine that with proper planning you’ll be able to do at least most of them. Would you feel like you got $20 per hour worth of value for each person? Would you feel good about your investment? If you enter the park at 4 pm, you’ve added a couple hours to your park time, and now you’re spending $12.50 an hour. Conversely, if you leave at 10 p.m. and arrived at 7 p.m., you’ve spent $33.33 an hour. You are the only one that can determine the right value for you and your family or travel group.
Do I still think the parties are worth it? Mostly. It’s hard, because I struggle a little bit with that “good old days” thing. They used to not be so crowded. They used to be more affordable. They used to have this. They sometimes had that. Blah blah blah. But time marches on, and we live in the here and now.
Picture Courtesy of Disney Photopass Gallery
Today, given what we are hearing about the crowds and the lines, is it still worth it? For me personally, it’s probably still yes. It’s not as strong a yes as it used to be, and I’d try to stay a lot closer to that $80 than the $100. If I really wanted to attend, I would spend some extra time planning and try and choose a night that would hopefully not be sold out or super crowded. I would choose a night earlier in the season when prices are lower, and I would take advantage of whatever discounts I could. I would probably plan my night pretty carefully to make sure I could maximize the things that are important to me and my group. But gosh…when you sit down and think about all that you can see and do in 5 hours, all the options available…it’s hard to imagine NOT finding $20 per hour worth of value in that….for me personally. But that’s me.
I love the parade, I love the fireworks, I love the shows, and the silly dance parties and seeing everyone all dressed up. I love the special merchandise and the silly special food items, and the Haunted Horseman. I love the characters that wander around, talking to guests, that you don’t have to wait in line for, that you might just bump into. I love the different lighting and music that plays during the parties. I love the festive mood of the parties. I love watching little kids’ faces when they see the gravediggers making sparks on the street with their shovels during the parade, or when they see Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween finery.
You have to think about what you love. And what’s important for your vacation. Your group. And your budget. And then of course you have to think about the magic and the memories you want to bring home from your trip. And if it makes sense for you and your group, go for it.
The bottom line: you’ll have lots of amazing moments throughout your trip, whether you go to the party or not. Come on, it’s DISNEY! You KNOW it will be magical!
In last week’s post, I talked about the advantages and disadvantages of making advance dining reservations (ADRs) for Disney table service restaurants. If you read that post, you know that I am a FIRM believer in ADRs, and ideally, I recommend booking as soon as your window opens, whenever possible.
Currently, I am 8 days away from my November anniversary trip with my husband, and in the midst of planning a spring trip with my mom. This weekend, the 180 day window opened up for the May trip I’m planning with mom, and I promised to let you know how my ADR mission went.
In a nutshell…Very smoothly. I was able to book every reservation that I wanted, and in fact, I booked several extra as I’m not 100% on our vacation schedule and our plans just yet. I’ve set reminders in my calendar to make sure I cancel extra reservations as we get closer to finalizing our plans. It helps that our dates fall in the first week of May—after most of the heavy Spring Break crowds are gone, and before all the kids get out of school for the summer. Generally, this is a slightly less crowded time to visit, and it works perfectly for my mom and I. We’re going the weekend before her birthday and Mother’s Day, and while I’m expecting pretty warm temperatures, the heat and humidity won’t be at the extremes of June and July, making for a more tolerable visit for us northerners.
When mom and I go to Disney, generally the big draw is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. My mom is an avid and gifted gardener, and Epcot is never more beautiful than it is during Flower and Garden. In past years, my job made it difficult for me to take time off work, so our trips were usually very short weekend trips, sometimes two full days, sometimes three. This year, my work schedule is a little more accommodating, so we’re planning a full 5-6 days for our trip, which is very exciting. I’m planning two days at Epcot for sure, and we’ll have one day where we don’t visit any parks at all—probably spend a few hours at the pool and visit Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney).
We have not made flight arrangements yet and Disney has not released official park hours yet, so I’m not able to completely plan our agenda this early. However, I don’t want to lose the advantage that can be gained by booking ADRs 180 days out, so even though I don’t have an EXACT plan yet for our trip, I made a loose plan, with a couple contingencies, and went ahead and booked the reservations that I wanted. That’s the strategy I recommend for you, whenever possible. Take advantage of that early booking window. You can always make changes later!
Key things to think about:
Who is in your traveling party? Are you traveling with kids? With seniors? With people that love sushi or only eat fried food? It’s important to understand WHO you are traveling with. I’ve learned that my trip is much more enjoyable when I plan the trip keeping everyone else’s preferences and priorities in mind.
Are there any special celebrations during your trip? Are you celebrating anyone’s birthday or an anniversary? If so, make sure that at least some of your plans center on that person or that event.
Make sure you note any celebrations on both your resort reservation and any meal reservations you make. While you should never expect special treatment, Disney will sometimes add some extra magic to make your celebrations extra special.
Make sure you get celebration buttons at the front desk or at guest services. Again, you don’t want to expect any special treatment, but if the person in your group with a celebration is wearing a button advertising that fact, you’ve increased the odds that SOMETHING COULD happen for them. At minimum, they’re likely to get a lot of happy wishes from total strangers, and that’s always fun, right?
How does your party like to travel? Is everyone a night owl that would sooner starve than be up early for breakfast? Or do you have a group of early risers that will be chomping at the bit to get going by sunrise? It’s important to try to structure your touring (and, by extension, your meal plans) to accommodate your group. This minimizes the stress on everyone, and significantly increases the odds that everyone will be happy with your plans.
How many meals per day will your group eat? Some families always eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, while others skip breakfast completely, but might have a late-night supper a few hours after dinner. It’s important to consider the habits and needs of your unique group.
How many days of your trip will be “Park” days? How many will be “Resort” days? Do you have any water park visits planned? How about Downtown Disney? While I don’t want you to feel that you have to nail down exact activities for each day of your vacation, it is a good idea to map out at least a general outline.
Does anyone in your group (or more than one) have a FAVORITE restaurant or quick service meal location that they MUST visit during your trip or [insert dramatic tone here] their “vacation will be ruined!!!” ? (You’d be surprised how often I hear that a vacation will be RUINED if something is left out, or a particular attraction is closed, or it rains, or is cloudy…you get the idea.) Perspective is important! But, while I don’t think we want to assign vacation destroying potential to any one meal or attraction, if your party has favorites, you may want to try to include at least some of those considerations in your planning.
If you have people in your group with very different tastes or priorities, you may find it helpful to give everyone a day where THEY are the primary focus. For example, if you have one kid that LOVES Sci Fi, and the Rock-n-Roller Coaster is their FAVORITE attraction, perhaps you plan your Hollywood Studios day to include lunch at the Sci Fi Dine-In Theatre and fast pass plus reservations for Rock-n-Roller Coaster and Star Tours. Then plan another day around a different child’s interests at their favorite park. If you have eight kids and a 5-day vacation, you may have to get more creative than that, but hopefully, you get the general idea.
What kind of budget are you working with? I’ve found the farther in advance I plan my trip, the better I’m able to manage my budget to make sure we can do the things we want to do. Shorter notice trips generally mean more economical meal and snack choices—perhaps more meals back at the resort or in the room, or perhaps even off property. Eating at Disney is not a budget friendly proposition, so it’s a good idea to review menus and prices when you are planning to help set expectations and to help set goals for pre-trip savings. In the trip I’m planning for the spring, I have a couple higher end meals planned. If, as we get closer, I’m not able to save as much money for the trip as I currently plan, I may cancel or change those reservations. Right now, I have lots of time, so I’m optimistic, but we all know that things can happen to derail the best laid budget plans.
Over the years and planning MANY trips to Disney, I have learned that my strategy in planning a trip for my husband and myself is very different than when I plan for trips that include my nieces and nephews or the trips that I plan for my mom and myself. Consider your audience. Just because your read about “the perfect Disney itinerary” on a Disney trip planning website, doesn’t mean it’s perfect for YOUR group. YOUR perfect itinerary may be very different, based on what is important to your group. AND that may change year-to-year, as your family or travel group changes. Don’t be afraid to re-assess and re-focus during your planning. People change, priorities change and Disney changes.
I realize I’m advocating a lot of planning ahead, both in this post, and in some of my other trip planning posts. And absolutely, I think advance planning is KEY to a successful and enjoyable Disney vacation. BUT, I have also learned to relax a little bit, and to build some flexibility into my plans. I think it’s just as important to include some blocks of time in each day where anything can happen. I might have a loose idea, for example, we will hit Park A, and we will be there ½ hour before the Park opens. We have lunch reservations at X and dinner reservations at Y. I’ll plan some fast pass plus reservations for late morning or early afternoon, and have a plan for where we will start when the park opens. If there is nighttime entertainment, I’ll be cognizant of what time that’s happening and have a general idea of when and where we want to get positioned to enjoy that. Otherwise, I try to relax and see where the day takes us.
The trips I take with my husband tend to be a little more structured, because we both have a TON of favorite attractions and I want to make sure we both get to do as much of the things we like as possible, so I will have a stricter plan of attack, to make sure we get to everything. Trips with kids tend to be much more loosey goosey, just because there are so many variables and unexpected surprises that pop up with kids…you have to be much more flexible—but it’s also critical that you have a broad idea of the major attractions that are a priority because you will have more distractions making it more challenging to stay on track and get the major stuff on your list accomplished.
My trips with my mom are less structured than when I travel with my husband, but more structured than when I travel with children. When I travel with mom, our schedule tends to be more relaxed, and we spend more time sitting, talking, and people watching with a glass of wine 😊 and not quite as much time going from attraction to attraction. I also don’t usually plan any character meals with mom as she’s not really into the character thing. (Although I do generally drag her in for some character photos here and there, and she’s always a good sport about it!)
Also, neither one of us are much into breakfast, so we’ll probably get some bagels or toast and fruit and just eat light breakfasts in our room at the resort. Saves a few bucks and helps get the morning off to a bit more relaxed start. It’s been a few years since our last trip, and I’m really looking forward to some quality time with mom.
I’m hoping we’ll have some time to stop by the newly remodeled Wedding Pavilion where Frank and I got married…I want mom to see it since they’ve redone it. We also may tour a couple of the resorts that have changed a lot in the last few years. I’d love to see the Polynesian now that it has DVC Villas on Seven Seas Lagoon, and Wilderness Lodge now that it has new additions. We’ll play it by ear, but resort hopping is always fun. Lots of great places to sit and relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy the views!! We haven’t decided how many park days we will do this trip yet, so I built a few different options into my preliminary plans.
We will arrive on a Wednesday—since we don’t know yet what time our flights will be, I don’t know if we’ll end up visiting a park that day or not. Usually on a travel day, we’ll visit Disney Springs or check out the Boardwalk area. I made reservations for dinner at the California Grill. Located at the top of the Contemporary Resort, California Grill offers great views of the Magic Kingdom and the Seven Seas Lagoon, terrific food and a diverse and large wine list. An added benefit is that the restaurant features a couple of catwalks where guests can walk out onto the roof and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. During the daytime, the catwalks are a terrific location for pictures. I usually try to plan one really good meal during our trips where we can dress up a little bit and take our time and have a leisurely meal. This trip, this is that meal.
I also have an alternative plan, in case we decide to visit a park that day: I booked a dinner reservation at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom with preferred access to Rivers of Light. I don’t expect we’ll end up doing this, but I have a couple of months to make that decision.
Since the primary focus of the trip is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, I’ve planned two days at Epcot: Thursday and Sunday. I made reservations for lunches at Rose and Crown in the UK and Via Napoli in Italy, and our dinners are planned for Chefs de France (in France 😉) and La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico. These are all places we’ve visited before and enjoyed. Via Napoli was a favorite on the wedding trip, and mom and I both really like Chefs de France, so I wanted to make sure we hit both of those.
Friday is a little up in the air at the moment. We will either do Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios that day. Or, if we decide to park hop, we will visit Magic Kingdom in the morning and Hollywood Studios in the afternoon and evening…probably with a break in between. To allow for any configuration of those two parks on that day, I booked one lunch and one dinner reservation at each park. Once I have a better idea of our actual plan, I will cancel the extra reservations. At MK, I booked lunch at the Plaza and dinner at Jungle Skipper’s Canteen. At HS, we have lunch at Sci Fi Dine In Theatre and dinner at the Brown Derby. The Plaza is one of our favorite restaurants at Magic Kingdom and is a great place for a sandwich or a salad. Brown Derby is a higher end dining experience at Hollywood Studios; we’ve eaten here for both lunch and dinner before and had great experiences each time. Jungle Skipper’s Canteen is new, and we haven’t been there before. Frank and I are trying it out next weekend–how THAT goes may affect this reservation!
Hollywood Studios
Saturday, I have planned as a rest day—possibly a water park day or maybe a pool and shopping day. I booked a dinner reservation at the Boathouse in Disney Springs in case we end up over there, and I figured we’d grab lunch at our hotel or by the pool. The Boathouse is one of the new places at Disney Springs, and I thought it sounded like a place we’d both enjoy.
Monday will be our last day and will be a travel day. Depending on how many park days we decide to do, we will either visit Animal Kingdom today, or we will have a casual day, maybe at Disney Springs or hanging around the resort until we go to the airport. In case we go to Animal Kingdom, I made lunch reservations for Yak and Yeti.
As you can tell, I’ve left a lot kind of up in the air. At this point, that’s ok. I’ve made sure we have reservations for most meals, and I have a loose plan for our trip. I may still play around with reservations over the next few weeks, until we firm up our travel plans a little bit. Given specific week we are traveling, most reservations should be attainable for another month or two. If we were going during a busier week, booking early like this would have been CRUCIAL. Now, it’s just more of a security blanket. By about 90 days out, I like to have a pretty solid plan, and at that point I’ll release any extraneous reservations, if I haven’t already, and I’ll start planning our fast pass plus reservations.
Also starting to make lists for a potential big family trip with the nieces and nephews in late 2018 or sometime in 2019. The more people involved, the more lists 😊 I find myself making. Absolutely love seeing the kids at Disney; their perspective is so different and so much fun to watch.
What trips are on your horizon? I’d love to hear what you’re working on!
One key way to make your Disney vacation more enjoyable is to plan ahead and make some Advance Dining Reservations for sit down meals (Disney calls them “table service” meals) during your trip.
In the early days of traveling to Disney, I never wanted to “waste time” on table service dining. I was very focused on attractions and shopping, and didn’t want to sacrifice time to sit down and order and wait for my food. What I didn’t realize is that often, so-called “quick service” meals take just as long to get through and are often so much more stressful than a table service meal.
If you visit during crowded times, you can end up waiting in line for long periods of time just to get your food. Then, you and your family are walking around with trays of food in your hands, searching for an empty table — or watching people like vultures waiting for them to finish and leave so you can battle the nearby family, also standing there with trays in their hands, for the space. Ah, quick service dining…survival of the fittest! And when you finally get your seat, your food is cold (if it was hot to begin with) and you find yourselves being watched by more vultures waiting for you to hurry up and vacate your hard-won table. It’s so NOT relaxing and recharging. And, to make matters worse, (yes I’m generalizing here) many many quick service offerings are very basic, blah and overpriced. I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions to this—there are definitely some VERY good quick services places on property—but for the most part, Disney’s “quick service” options are like most fast food offerings. They fill the hole in your stomach, but don’t offer much in the way of flavor or experience.
As Disney’s popularity has grown with travelers from all over the world, there are rarely slow times with light crowds any more. During seasons that used to be slower, Disney now offers promotions designed to attract budget conscious travelers, and they are very successful. These days, you can expect at least mid-level crowds almost every day of the year…and the number of days with high volume crowds seems to increase every year. Higher volume crowds mean table service restaurants fill up way in advance, leaving the average day guest to rely on quick service…which can too often lead to the scenario I described above.
A Disney vacation is an expensive vacation. Your park tickets are pricey. It can be very easy to think that you have to spend every minute possible on attractions or in shows to maximize the value of your ticket. However, I have found that I’m actually able to accomplish more, AND the day is much more enjoyable when we take a couple of breaks to sit and enjoy leisurely table service meals. And let’s face it—this is the actual REAL goal of vacation, isn’t it? To have a good time with our loved ones? Sometimes we forget in the overwhelming baggage that an expensive vacation with a lot of expectations brings with it—the goal is to have a good time. If you have a good time, you’ve gotten good value. If you ride every single attraction but everyone is cranky and crabby and fighting…did you get good value? I argue that you did not. So slow down a LITTLE bit, take a break, and sit down and eat. 😊
Via Napoli, Italy, Epcot
Advantages of Table Service Dining:
You know what time and WHERE your next meal will be.
If you are budget conscious, you can review menus and pricing online prior to your vacation so you can plan for what you’ll spend on the meal. (To be fair, you can do this with quick service meals too, but generally, if you are going the quick service route, you won’t necessarily know WHICH quick service restaurants you will want to visit, so you’d have to review a lot more menus and prices.)
You get to SIT DOWN AND RELAX. I cannot stress this one ENOUGH. Taking a little time during a busy theme park day to sit down in a comfortable seat and truly REST for a meal is PRICELESS. I realize for many parents or caregivers, even a sit down meal is not a chance for you to relax because you have to take care of your kids—however, sitting down at a reserved table is MUCH more relaxing than standing in line, carrying trays and trying to keep your kids corralled while you search for a table. I promise!
There is air conditioning. Many quick service restaurants offer outdoor seating, usually covered but not always. Some do offer indoor seating, but not all and for those that do, it’s often not enough seating. 8-10 months out of the year, Orlando weather feels uncomfortably warm to most of us that live in other areas of the country. And at least 5 months out of the year, the weather truly is HOT, and even seasoned Orlando residents avoid being outside in the heat and humidity as much as possible. Running all over the parks in that heat can really wear you out. Taking 30 – 60 minutes out of the heat to rest in the A/C is good for all of you…babies to seniors. Have a relaxing meal, recharge your batteries, and you’ll be ready to face the next part of your adventure.
There are no vultures circling. Now, I’m going to be brutally honest here: Disney is a business, and all of their dining options, quick service and table service, are based on the concept that the more people you serve, the more money you make. So the table service restaurants have gotten pretty good at turning tables fairly quickly. The upside to this is that when you’re really hungry, you are usually getting your food very quickly. The downside? Once you’re done, the servers do expect you to move on. BUT you don’t have to. If you need a little time to regroup, to rest, take your time. There won’t be other diners swarming around you with trays, but you may get some extra attention from your server or the host or hostess as they keep an eye out to see when you leave.
You can have amazing experiences. Some table service dining are character meals, where various characters stop by your table to interact with your group and pose for pictures. Most character meals also do little mini-parades where all the children join in and march around the restaurant. Sometimes, various characters will wander through table service restaurants that AREN’T character meals. If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, you may end up with a surprise or two at a table service meal that they just don’t have time or resources to offer at a quick service restaurant.
Early morning table service meal reservations can get you into the park before it opens to the public. I have to tell you, if you are a Disney fan, there are few things more exciting than walking up Main Street with 10 or 12 other guests on it instead of hundreds!!! And after breakfast, when you are held at the hub until the park opens, and you can turn and look down Main Street and watch the surge of people coming in and heading towards the castle…it’s a magical moment, that’s for sure!
Disadvantages of Table Service Dining
You MUST plan ahead. There is just no getting around this. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been sitting waiting for our reservation to be called and I’ve watched MANY people approach the podium, hoping to get a last-minute reservation for later that same day, or hoping to walk up and get seated—99% of the time, those people walk away disappointed. DO NOT ASSUME you will be able to get seated at a table service restaurant at any of the parks at any time during your trip without an advance reservation. You will most likely be disappointed.
You have to be aware of your table service dining reservations when planning your fast pass plus reservations and as you go through attractions during your day. You don’t want to be in a 45 minute line for Space Mountain when you have a dining reservation at Jungle Skipper’s Canteen in 15 minutes.
Table service dining can be more time consuming. Personally, I have found that we can usually get seated, order, get our meals and pay in 30-45 minutes for lunch and 45-90 minutes for dinner, depending on if we include appetizers and/or dessert. Theoretically, you COULD probably do quick service more quickly than that, especially if you choose to eat at non-peak periods (before 11:30 am or after 2:30 pm for lunch, for example). BUT honestly, I believe in my heart of hearts, that you need (at least) a 45 minute break in the middle of your day—so while you may save time doing quick service dining, I suggest you still take a full 45 minute break.
Table service dining is usually more expensive than quick service. There are a couple exceptions, and it of course depends on what you order, but generally speaking, you’ll spend more money to dine table service than you will to dine quick service, especially if you choose specialty locations (Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle, for example) or character meals. Careful planning can minimize the difference if character meals and specialty locations aren’t important to you, but if you are extremely budget conscious, you won’t be able to plan as many table service meals unless you stick to the most economical options.
Disney charges a $10 per person cancellation fee if you cancel with less than 24 hour notice or don’t show for your reservation. They implemented this policy a few years ago, and they are not kidding around. They used to have issues with restaurants booking up and then half the reservations not showing up, it was awful. People would go booking crazy and never go back and cancel the extra reservations, which made it difficult for anyone else to get a reservation for anything EVER. Note: They will work with you for emergencies or special situations that come up—just make sure you call BEFORE the reservation time.
Less flexibility: The biggest disadvantage is the loss of flexibility. I know for many people, true freedom is important to them on their vacation, and having to be tied to a particular park or meal reservation feels constricting and less fun for them. I know this is aggravating for some people, and I understand. If freedom is more important, you won’t want to be tied down with dining reservations—but understand the trade-offs. You’ll probably stand in more lines waiting for food, and the quality of food you get may not be as good as it would be if you had a dining reservation for a table service meal. It’s all about trade-offs, and only you can decide what’s most important to you!
Sci Fi Dine In
Even if you’re not a planner, and don’t want to be tied down to a particular park or meal, I strongly suggest that you take a look at the dining options available at each park you plan to visit to see if there are any that you REALLY want to make sure your family is able to do. If so, make the advance dining reservation as early as you possibly can…just in case. You can always cancel it later. (Make sure to cancel at least 24 hours before your reservation to avoid $10 per person fee). Even just a couple of reservations will ultimately help make your trip more enjoyable in my opinion.
Booking Your ADRs
You can book online at Disney Dining Reservations or call 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463). If you are booking online, you will want to be signed in to My Disney Experience so that the system will recognize you and your hotel reservations (assuming you have one!). If you are calling, you will need your reservation confirmation number.
When Can I Make My Reservations?
Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance for most table service restaurants. If you are staying at a Disney resort hotel (including Disney Vacation Club resorts), your window opens up 180 days from the first night of your reservation…and you can book dining for the entire length of your reservation—up to 10 days.
Disney is a pretty popular place, and seasoned Disney travelers (or those Disney travelers working with savvy travel agents) KNOW that many Disney table service restaurants book up months in advance, so if at all possible, you want to plan ahead and book your dining reservations as early as possible.
You can always cancel or make changes later…but better to have a reservation and later cancel it, than to decide you want a reservation later on but be unable to get one.
What this means for you:
Best case scenario, you want to be planning (at least the basics) your trip at least 6 months in advance—ideally 8-10 months in advance.
If you are planning to stay on Disney property, book your hotel reservation at least 7 months out to ensure you have that full six-month window to book your dining.
Generally park hours are not released until 90-120 days out. While this most likely won’t really affect decisions you make about lunch or dinner, this could impact breakfast reservation decisions. You can use sites like touringplans.com to see anticipated park hours and crowd levels, based on previous years, but understand that those hours may be different that the actual hours, once Disney releases them. And even then, Disney may change the hours a little closer to your trip, based on resort reservations and anticipated crowds.
You need to decide, at least loosely, which parks you plan to visit on which days of your vacation. You also need to consider whether you plan to park hop or not.
You need to review the various table service dining options available at each park and create a short list of the ones you’d like to try and visit during your trip.
Do you have any special occasions you are celebrating during your trip? If so, are there any places you’d like to try for your celebration?
Don’t forget about the resorts. There are many really good table service restaurants at the various resorts around property—if you’re a foodie, Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian is an award winning fine dining experience that is consistently rated one of the finest restaurants in the American southeast. The California Grill at the Contemporary is located at the top of the Contemporary resort and offers stunning views of the Magic Kingdom as well as an award-winning dining experience.
Photo: Disney Parks
Photo: Disney Parks
Are you planning to spend any time at Disney Springs? If so, you may want to plan ahead there as well…there are lots of quick service and table service options at Disney Springs, and the reservations aren’t quite as challenging to get as they are in the parks, but during peak periods, you’ll be grateful you made reservations months in advance!
Decide if character meals are important for your group. If they are, decide WHICH ones are highest priority. I tend to recommend Character meals for early pre-open breakfasts…I personally think the breakfasts are a better value than lunch or dinner and you can get the added bonus of getting into the park early before the rest of the visitors.
Chef Mickey Character Breakfast at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Character Breakfast at the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom
Find out if any of the restaurants you plan to book require upfront payment. For example, Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle at Magic Kingdom requires 100% payment at the time you make the reservation. Most table service restaurants do NOT require this payment, but I don’t want it to be a shock when you go to book.
Determine which of your desired reservations are the most difficult to get, and try to take care of those first. Some of the most difficult reservations on property include Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada at Epcot (Warning: this is a “signature” dining experience and is PRICIER than you would probably expect, especially at lunchtime. Be sure and review the menus and prices before you book!), Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest (dinner) at the Magic Kingdom, The Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot, and most other character meals.
If you’re not sure, take some time to review the menus and reviews on Disney’s website and on other great sites like the Disney Food Blog.
I’m currently getting ready to book the advance dining reservations for the trip I’ve got planned with my mom to go down for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in May. My reservation window opens tomorrow, so in my next post, I’ll update you all with how that goes! I’ll also talk a bit about which restaurants I personally prefer for this trip, and why.
In future posts, we’ll take a look at the Disney Dining Plan and unique dining experiences at Walt Disney World. I’ll also take a look at the best (and WORST) table service and quick service options to be found. Do you have a favorite Disney restaurant? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
One of my very favorite times to visit Walt Disney World is during the Christmas Holiday Season. I LOVE seeing all the resorts and theme parks decorated for the holidays, and I love the little “extra” holiday magic and cheer that seems to permeate WDW at this time of year. Having said that, however, I do want to add that I tend to avoid the ACTUAL holidays as the crowds Thanksgiving week and the week before and after Christmas tend to be INSANE, with parks reaching capacity and actually closing to additional guests on some days. The last time I went for the week of Christmas, we were in the Magic Kingdom on a day the park closed to additional guests at 10 a.m.!! The crowds were crazy. Standby lines were up to four hours for some attractions, and it was uncomfortable and difficult to even just walk around. Moods were challenging and finding the holiday spirit was a little more difficult than usual. I don’t enjoy the parks as much when they are that crowded, so I tend to avoid that time of year. (Note: It is ABSOLUTELY possible to go and have a great time during the holidays, as long as you set your expectations properly, plan ahead and pack your patience. I don’t want to imply you can’t have a terrific vacation at this time of year—it’s just a little more challenging. I’ll cover that in a separate upcoming post.)
I have found that by visiting in mid-November or early December, I can enjoy most of the benefits of the Holiday season at Walt Disney World without the Thanksgiving or Christmas crowds. If you are lucky enough to visit WDW during this time of year, I highly encourage you to take some time to visit some of the resorts to see their Holiday decorations—each resort decorates differently, and in accordance with that resort’s overall theme. I’ll talk about “Resort Holiday Décor” (another favorite topic) in a separate post, AFTER our upcoming vacation when I hope to get some updated pictures, time permitting!
Many of Disney’s holiday festivities can be enjoyed with your regular park admission. Hollywood Studios Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! And Sunset Seasons Greetings are included in a visit to Hollywood Studios this year, and Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays and classic Candlelight Processional are both part of your standard Epcot visit during the season.
At the Magic Kingdom, however, many of the “special” holiday activities are part of a special ticketed event: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) begins in November and runs several evenings per week through Christmas. On the days when the party is held, the Magic Kingdom will close early to regular park guests. If you are visiting WDW during this time, I strongly suggest you check the party dates and plan to visit the Magic Kingdom on a non-party date, unless you have park hopping tickets and can visit a different park in the evening, once the park closes.
MVMCP requires separate admission, and includes special shows, parades, character greetings, merchandise and fireworks only offered during the parties. The tickets are on the pricey side, so deciding if MVMCP is right for your vacation takes some consideration.
PRICING
Pricing varies for the party, based on the day. Weeknights earlier in the season are a little more economical….the most expensive dates are after Thanksgiving and peak a few days before Christmas. MVMCP occurs on 24 nights, starting on Thursday, November 9 and running through Friday, December 22. In November, the dates fall primarily on Thursdays and Fridays, with a couple Sundays and Tuesdays. There are no parties Thanksgiving week. In December, it’s most Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Prices start at $89 for adults (plus tax) and $84 (plus tax) for children, ages 3 – 9 for early parties and rise to $95 for adults (plus tax) and $90 (plus tax) for children after Thanksgiving, and peak at $109 (plus tax) for adults and $104 (plus tax) for children just before Christmas. There are a couple Fridays in December with $99 (plus tax) tickets for adults and $94 (plus tax) for kids.
Note: Disney Vacation Club Members do have access to slightly discounted pricing…but for select nights. For the early parties in November, DVC members can save $7 per ticket; later in the month, the savings drops to $4 per ticket—and there are no DVC tickets available after December 12. Annual Passholders have access to the same discounts as DVC members.
You can click here to buy tickets direct from Disney: Disney MVMCP
Undercover Tourist: You can save $7 off the price of the regular Adult ticket by purchasing through Undercover Tourist here: Undercover Tourist MVMCP
Note: UT prices include tax where Disney ticket prices don’t add the tax until you check out. This sometimes can cause confusion, so I wanted you to be aware.
UPDATE: Some December dates have already sold out this year, including December 8, 19, 21 and 22.
SCHEDULE
The party officially starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 12:00 a.m. Guests with party tickets can enter the Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m., but party-related events, characters, and merchandise will not be available until after 7 p.m.
Something they started last year that will be continued this year is that the park will close to regular day guests without party tickets at 6 p.m. That should significantly help with the crowds at the beginning of the party. In past years, some day guests would stay and enjoy some of the atmosphere, shows and merchandise without having purchased a party ticket, and this created some frustration and larger than anticipated crowds for party guests. Day guests couldn’t access any rides without a party ticket, but if they avoided cast members, they could still enjoy some of the other benefits. Hopefully, the extra hour before the party start will help the cast members move most day guest stragglers out before the party starts. While I understand the frustration of day guests not wanting their day to end early, if I pay extra to attend a special ticketed event, I expect that everyone else enjoying the event with me has also paid the premium. Disney does a good job of alerting guests that there will be a party that evening and the park will be closing early, so guests can plan to attend a different park that day if they choose, or if they have park hopping privileges, they can “hop” to a different park at 6 pm when the Magic Kingdom closes.
To maximize the value of this pretty expensive ticket, I recommend you plan to be at the Magic Kingdom at or near 4 pm. This gives you the opportunity to enjoy a few rides and have an early dinner before the party begins, and gives you a little more park time for your party dollar. Fast Past Plus reservations are not available during the party, but you should be able to book a couple for the late afternoon. Remember, Fast Pass Plus windows are one hour, and you have a grace period of 10-15 minutes after the window closes to use them. You may want to try and book a 3:30 FP, a 4:30 FP and a 5:30 FP if there are attractions available that work for you. Arriving at 4 p.m., you’re within your 3:30 – 4:30 window for the first attraction. No FP+ will be available after 6 p.m.
Guests with Party tickets will be issued a wristband. You MUST have a wristband to ride attractions, shop or dine after 7 p.m., once the party has begun. If you enter the party at 4 p.m., you will get your wristband then. If you are in the park on a regular admission prior to 4 p.m., (I don’t recommend burning a regular park day on a day when you have a party ticket unless you are an Annual Passholder) there will be stations at various places where you will be able to show your park ticket and get your wristband. Yes, Disney will sell same day party tickets to day guests in the park who want to stay for the party—unless the party is already sold out. Same day tickets are priced higher than purchasing in advance.
The official show and parade schedule for 2017 has not been released yet as the first party is not until November 9. I will update once the “official” schedule is out there.
But unofficially, based on last year’s schedule, I think there are a few things we can count on:
It will SNOW on Main Street. At many points throughout the evening, SNOW will fall. For those of us from snowy climates, this may not be that exciting. But for thousands who NEVER see snow, this is a relatively big deal. And, I have to admit, does add to the Holiday magic. (Protect your cameras though…the “snow” has soap in it and is not great for those expensive lenses.)
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will happen twice during the party. Once relatively early and once later in the evening. Last year, the times were 8:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Note: that’s the time the parade will depart from it’s starting point in Frontierland near Splash Mountain. Depending on where you go to watch the parade, your time to see the parade may vary. Generally, the first parade is more crowded than the second, although if you go on a very busy/popular/sold out night, it is likely that BOTH parades will be very crowded. This is a big highlight of the party for me—it’s one of the best parades Disney does, second only to the Halloween themed Boo to You parade featured during the Halloween parties. Note: After the parties end just before Christmas, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will happen during regular park hours for a few days, so if you ARE going to be in the park during Christmas, you CAN see this parade during the day without a Party ticket. I really like seeing it at night though.
Holiday Wishes Fireworks will happen between the two parades. Last year was at 10:00 p.m. I LOVE fireworks, and Disney fireworks are just AMAZING. Holiday Wishes is another favorite of ours. This is another MUST NOT MISS part of the parties for us.
Frozen Holiday Wish will happen twice during the evening. This is the short “mini-show” where the castle’s holiday icicle lights light up for the evening. The first show was at 6:30 p.m. last year, so day guests could see it as well as party guests. The second show was at 8:15 p.m. Generally, both of these are pretty crowded, but the second will be less crowded than the first. (Note: This happens every night during the holiday season, usually at 6:30 p.m., so this is one party event that you don’t have to be at the party to see, you can see it on another night if that works better for you.) I am a BIG fan of the icicle castle, my husband will tell you I take dozens of pictures of it every trip during this time of year…but the extreme crowds in the hub and on Main Street for this make it a hit or miss, no big deal for me personally.
Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration (Castle Forecourt Holiday Show) will happen several times during the evening. Last year’s times were 7:40 p.m., 9:25 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 12 a.m. This holiday themed show features Mickey and Minnie as well as many other characters and runs about 25 minutes. For us, this is a must-not-miss show, so we will try to catch it sometime during the party.
Totally Tomorrowland Christmas will happen several times during the evening. This is a cute show at the back of Tomorrowland, and features Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, and Mike Wozowski and is upbeat and fun. It’s around 15 minutes long. Last year’s times were 7:40 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:20 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. This one is cute but unless we happen to be back there when it is happening, we don’t tend to catch it. Too much else to do!
Character Greetings will happen throughout the party. Another big highlight of MVMCP is the special Character Greetings you may not be able to get any other time. Some characters have special Holiday/Winter attire, and sometimes there are characters (Scrooge McDuck) that you NEVER see. One really popular staple is Jack Skellington in his Santa suit. Once this year’s information with specific characters and locations is released, I will update this post.
DINING
There are “complimentary” treats available during the party to party guest. Usually there are four locations that feature treats. Last year, you could find Hot Cocoa and Snickerdoodle Cookies at the Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland; Hot Cocoa and Peppermint Bark Cookies in Tomorrowland at the Lunching Pad; Eggnog and Ginger-Molasses Cookies in Liberty Square at Heritage House and in Fantasyland, you could find Apple Cider, Sugar Cookies and Snow Cones at Pete’s Silly Sideshow. There are healthy options available upon request.
In addition, some of the Quick Service spots that remain open during the party (this is LIMITED, so I recommend you have dinner BEFORE the party—besides, you don’t want to spend time sitting down and eating when you could be enjoying all the party festivities!!!) offer “special” items only available during the parties. These are NOT free, but can be fun “Special” treats. Last year’s special treats includes Holiday Tree cupcakes, Peppermint hot fudge sundaes, Frozen Snowflake cupcakes and holiday cookies.
Most restaurants close early on party nights, so plan to eat early. Again, you probably don’t want to spend party time eating dinner. Our very first Holiday party we didn’t plan for dinner, and didn’t realize how limited dining options would be after 7 p.m. We ended up getting room service at 1 a.m. back at our hotel! Don’t assume all the Quick Service places will be open—Pinocchio’s Village Haus becomes a treat station and Columbia Harbour House closes completely. You can make Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) for sit down restaurants up until the party starts; if you don’t have a party ticket, be advised that they will ask you to leave the park after you have finished dining. I recommend planning either a late, big lunch and snacking during the party or doing an early dinner (before 6 p.m.). This year, we’ve got reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern at 5:25 p.m. on party night. We’re planning to enter the part at 4 p.m. and hitting a couple of rides before dinner, then we’ll be all set for the party!
ATTRACTIONS
Most, but not all, attractions are open during the party. Usually, less active attractions like Carousel of Progress are closed. Generally speaking, party crowds are lighter than a typical busy Magic Kingdom day, and there are no Fast Pass Plus reservations so everything is standby lines. Usually, lines for the attractions that are open are significantly shorter than during a regular day, especially later in the evening.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the newest “big” attraction—it tends to still have long lines, even during the parties. If possible, get a pre-party fast pass to minimize your wait time for this one, or plan to visit it near the end of the night. I wasn’t successful in my Fast Pass mission, so I will be keeping an eye on the wait times here throughout the night. It’s our first night of vacation, and our first time back in three years so hitting our favorite attractions IS a priority for us…just not the only priority.
Obviously, sold out parties and more popular evenings are busier and have longer lines than earlier, less congested parties. If you plan to attend a party closer to Christmas, be prepared for heavier crowds. If you set your expectations properly, you will still have a great time—you just may have to be a bit more strategic.
Disney has not yet officially announced which attractions will be open during the party, but usually all the most popular attractions are open. One of the best values of the party for us is being able to walk on (or have very short waits) for most of our favorite attractions. It can still be a struggle to get everything done though, so make sure you take a look at everything you want to do during the party and plan your attraction visits AROUND the special party events. You don’t want to be riding It’s a Small World and miss the special, party only Fireworks, if the fireworks are important to you. Yes, riding all your favorite attractions with short lines is AWESOME, but most likely, you will be visiting Magic Kingdom at least once more during your trip—make sure you get the most bang for your park ticket and take advantage of the party activities you won’t be able to do on a regular day. If that Scrooge McDuck meet and greet is important, prioritize that over a third time on Pirates, know what I mean? Don’t let time get away from you. The actual party time is 5 hours, 7 p.m. until 12 a.m. That’s actually NOT a lot of time with all the activities and character greetings going on. Pick your most important activities and make sure you work everything else in around those.
PHOTOPASS/MEMORY MAKER
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you already know that I am a BIG proponent of PhotoPass and Memory Maker. For me, photos are my FAVORITE souvenir. Writing this blog, looking through photos of past parties and park visits brings back feelings and memories—it’s hard to top having visual captures of special moments and memories. I mean, the moment my husband proposed is forever captured in a PhotoPass picture—it’s a running joke between us that I drag my husband and any other family members traveling with us to as many PhotoPass photographers as I think I can get away with before they kill me. Some family members are more understanding of this than others. Note to self: Death is a quick way to ruin a vacation!
Unless it’s a really short trip, or you just REALLY don’t like getting your picture taken, I highly recommend purchasing Memory Maker before your trip. If you have an annual pass, Memory Maker is included with your Annual Pass. Here’s a link to my detailed post about PhotoPass and Memory Maker: Disney PhotoPass/Disney Memory Maker
During the parties, there are usually some special “Magic Shots” or “Animated Magic Shots” that are available ONLY during the parties. If you aren’t familiar with “Magic Shots” these are the pictures where a PhotoPass Photographer “adds a little magic” to the picture after he/she take it. Some “Magic Shots” from last year’s MVMCP included Toy Soldiers, Tinkerbell in her Holiday outfit, Jack Skellington’s dog Zero, and the “Kringle Krew” dancing through pictures in “Animated Magic Shots”.
PhotoPass Photographers will be at many locations around the party, and they stay out until after the party ends and the park closes, so take LOTS of pictures. The more you take, the better the odds are that you will LOVE some of the finished results! I like to play the odds! 😉
After the party, you’ll find special borders and stickers available to you for the pictures taken during the party.
Note: If you DON’T have Memory Maker, Disney DOES offer a one day option for $59.99 that you can have guest relations add to your account—If you think there’s a remote chance that over the course of 5 hours (or 9 hours if you enter the park at 4 pm) you’ll like at least 5 pictures enough to want to keep them, this is a DEFINITE MUST. (Of course, if you’ve read any of my other posts, you know that I recommend you get Memory Maker for your trip anyway—if you already have Memory Maker, your party pictures will automatically be part of it, along with the special party-only borders and stickers.)
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Disney offers a Holiday Wishes Dessert Package for an additional price. Each package includes desserts and beverages and special fireworks viewing areas. The Fireworks Holiday Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace features reserved seating throughout the experience, both during the Dessert Party and during the fireworks. Tickets for this package are $79 for adults and $47 for children ages 3-9 (tax not included). This is IN ADDITION TO your ticket for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
The Fireworks Holiday Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing includes desserts and (non-alcoholic) beverages and a seating area for the dessert portion of the party; after dessert, you are led to a standing room only viewing area in the Plaza Garden. Tickets for this package are $59 for adults and $35 for children ages 3-9 (tax not includes). This is IN ADDITION TO your ticket for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
I am a fan, generally, of Fireworks Dessert Parties, especially for very crowded park days. In fact, we have tickets for the Plaza Garden Viewing party for another night during our trip, primarily for just that reason. The park will be crowded, and we LOVE Disney Fireworks and getting good pictures of them are very important to us. The parties are a good way to insure you have a great spot to view the fireworks and who can resist lots of desserts? I don’t think the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Pary is the best value—while you’ll have seating the whole time, it’s a lot of money for a chair and it’s not the best spot for the Fireworks. I was really happy when they added the Plaza Garden option as it’s more economical and, I believe, a better spot to see the fireworks. We’ll find out when we get there in November! I’ll be taking pictures and posting my review after our trip.
BUT: Even though I am a fan of the Dessert Parties in general, I do NOT think they are worth it for the parties. Unless money is just NOT an issue at all for you, and you could potentially attend more than one party during the season, I don’t think the Dessert Party (either one) is a good value during the limited party time. Basically, you’ll end up spending 1 hour or more at the Dessert Party, and while that will include the fireworks, it’s a BIG CHUNK of party time where you won’t be available to do other party activities. Or you’ll cut your dessert party time short (potentially missing out on the treats you are paying for) to enjoy more of the party activities. I think it’s a losing proposition. The party ticket is already pretty pricey, and then to add another $60-$80 (plus tax!) on top of that just seems pretty excessive to me. In addition, the party crowds ARE smaller than a regular park day, so I don’t think it’s as important to set aside a special viewing area for the Fireworks. We’ll find out for sure when we are there in November; I’ll be posting a review of this year’s party and our personal experience after our trip.
The MVMCP Fireworks Dessert Party might make sense for you if you’re attending a sold out party, have issues standing for long periods of time, or if you have big issues with the crowds; if you can afford it, and it makes sense for you and your traveling group, go for it.
BOTTOM LINE: IS IT WORTH IT?
Everyone is different, and I encourage you to think about your unique situation to determine if this is a good value proposition for you and your traveling party.
Things to consider:
Ages of Your Group: If you have very young children, you may not want to attend an event that keeps them up past midnight. Alternatively, you may choose to leave the party early to protect their bedtimes (and your enjoyment with them the next day 😉 ). If this is the case, your party time shrinks from 5 – 9 hours (if you enter the park at 4 p.m.) to 3 – 5 hours. The party may NOT be a good value at that point—you have to evaluate what activities you could complete in the available time to determine if there’s enough value for it to make sense for YOU.
What you have planned for the next day: If you have a BIG day or really early start planned for the next day, you may NOT want to do a party that lasts until Midnight. We tend to MAXIMIZE our party enjoyment which means we stay as long as we can, until they basically kick us out 😊. Think about how long it will take to get back to your resort. Depending on where you are staying and how big the crowds are for the buses and monorails, it could be 2 am before you are in bed. This year, we have an Epcot day planned for the next day, with a 9 am park open. I will probably make breakfast in our room, so hopefully we won’t have to get up until 7ish…and we can walk home from the Magic Kingdom, so even staying late, we should be in bed by 1ish. Think about what you’ll do the next day. Can it be a rest day? Or a sleep really late day?
Do you (and the rest of your group) enjoy the holidays? If yes, the party is a big YES. If NOT, avoid the party—you will NOT be able to escape Christmas music and holiday magic if you attend MVMCP.
Finances: There is not getting around it: These party tickets are pricey. A few years ago, tickets were under $60, and the decision was a LOT easier. Now that tickets are nearing $100 for what is, essentially, a five-hour event, the decision is not as clear cut. However, the party does include a LOT of value. The parade and the fireworks alone are worth the cost of admission TO ME. Your mileage may vary. Short attraction lines and unique character greeting opportunities are extra value FOR ME. Throw in free cookies and special PhotoPass Magic Shots and I’m THRILLED. But everyone is different. For us, this meant working a couple extra weekends to make enough extra $$ to be able to do it. It also meant NOT doing a couple other things we might have done otherwise…but for us, this has a lot of value, and is an important component of this year’s vacation.
Souvenirs: Are you a pin collector? Do you always try to find that one t-shirt that no one else has? The parties feature unique merchandise that is ONLY available during the parties (and sometimes at outlets a few months later, haha). Last year’s party only merchandise includes several shirts, a Christmas ornament, a special magic band, and some special pins, including a limited release pin only available for Annual Passholders. The pins almost always sell out, as does most of the other limited edition special “Party Only” merchandise. Disney has not shared what this year’s merchandise will be, but one of the advantages of attending a party earlier in the season is that you are much more likely to have a lot more to choose from than later in the season. They don’t re-order; once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Park Bag
So…is it worth it for YOU? I’d love to know what you decide. For us, it’s absolutely worth it. We LOVE the Christmas parties. I am SO excited that we are kicking off this year’s trip with the party—it will be a GREAT way to celebrate our anniversary and our return to Disney.
I can’t wait to share with all of you our party-going experience after our trip! 22 days to go!
One question I get asked a lot is “Should we purchase the Memory Maker?”. The short answer: It depends.
Ok, for me, it’s pretty much always YES…but I’m a HUGE photo nerd.
For more NORMAL people, there are several things to consider, and I will get to those in a moment. But first for those of you that DON’T know:
What is Disney PhotoPass?
Disney PhotoPass is a service that Disney added years ago, and I think it’s absolute GENIUS. Basically, they have photographers stationed at numerous locations around each park to take pictures of you and your group. This completely solves the “Did Mom even GO on that vacation? She’s not in ANY of the pictures” dilemma. For many families, there is always one person that takes all the pictures and they are never in any of the shots. Or, people rotate who takes the pictures, but there are never any pictures of EVERYONE together, because one person always steps out to take the picture. For some, Selfies have helped to address this problem, but with a Selfie, it’s still really tough to get a group or to include people AND a landmark in the picture.
The Solution
Disney has solved that. Basically, the PhotoPass photographer will take your group’s picture, usually with a park icon or landmark in the background, and then they will either scan your magic band (the easiest) or give you a PhotoPass card with a 16-digit number on the back. Note: If you are given a Photopass card, immediately take a picture of the back of the card just in case. If you lose the card, but have the number, you can still locate your pictures.
Big Group Attractions
Generally, at big group attractions where PhotoPass take lots of pictures (Enchanted Tales with Belle, for example), the photographer will hand out PhotoPass cards at the end; once you enter the number on your computer, you’ll have access to ALL the pictures they took during that particular event. If your kid had a role in the show, you do NOT want to lose that number! So take a picture of the back of the card, just in case!
PhotoPass photographers will also take pictures using YOUR camera or phone, so don’t be afraid to ask. This can be a way to save on Memory Maker or PhotoPass downloads.
Ride Photos and Videos
Some rides take your picture during the ride…those are now PhotoPass pictures, and can be attached to your Magic Band or PhotoPass card. The RFID technology in your MagicBand communicates with the reader at the attraction and automatically adds the photos or videos to your account.
Splash Mountain Attraction Photo (Photo: Disney PhotoPass)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the rain Photo: Linda Harkness
Character Meals
Some character dining meals also offer PhotoPass pictures, but not all of them. Also IF there is a PhotoPass photographer at a character meal, it will usually just be for a picture you take before you enter the restaurant. PhotoPass photographers do not go around with the characters as they visit your table, so ALWAYS bring your camera to character meals.
After You Get Home
After your trip, you will be able to visit the PhotoPass website to view all your pictures. You can add borders and stickers to the photos, and you can make products like Photobooks, calendars and mugs featuring your pictures on the Disney PhotoPass website. One picture can turn into 10 or 15 by the time you are done playing with borders, cropping, black and white, etc. Some borders are unique to particular locations, seasons, or events, adding a little extra magic to those photos.
PhotoPass pictures are also now available in the My Disney Experience app, so you’ll be able to look at them as your trip goes along. Most photos and videos appear in your app within 20 minutes.
NOTE: Pictures are only available on the PhotoPass site for about 30 days (unless you are an Annual Passholder.)
What is a Magic Shot?
Magic Shots are pictures taken by a PhotoPass photographer with a little something extra magical added later. The most common ones feature TinkerBell standing on the palm of your hand, or a bunch of balloons added to your upstretched arm. There are a variety of Magic Shots available at different times. During Star Wars Weekend a few years ago, we got Magic Shots with light sabers added. Recently, they added some pirate themed Magic Shots near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
During Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party, there are special Magic Shots offered near the Haunted Mansion that feature some Happy Haunts.
How to Get a Magic Shot
Disney changes what Magic Shots are available from time to time, and not all PhotoPass photographers will offer to do them. Your odds are better if there’s no line and if you’re nice and friendly. PhotoPass photographers work very hard, and are on their feet for many hours a day, usually in pretty hot temperatures and sometimes not treated very well by guests. In my experience, if you are nice and there’s not a line, they’re more likely to spend a few extra minutes with you, and usually that results in some Magic Shots. To see what Magic Shots are currently available, visit the albums at the Disney Photo Pass Facebook Page.
What is Memory Maker?
Memory Maker is the product Disney sells that enables you to download all the PhotoPass photos, including attraction pictures and videos, linked to your My Disney Experience account for one price. You get the rights to the photos, allowing you to print them through any service you like. If you DON’T purchase Memory Maker, you can download individual PhotoPass photos, Magic Shots or attraction rides or videos, but individually, they are priced high.
Another benefit of Memory Maker: SHARING. If you have friends or family that share media with you via My Disney Experience, you will have access to all the PhotoPass photos and digital content on THEIR PhotoPass account, too. For our wedding trip, this worked out AMAZING. We purchased the Memory Maker and our whole group shared their pictures with us. Combining pictures from everyone, we got to see lots of amazing moments that we missed during the trip. We made CDs for everyone after the trip with all their pictures after we’d downloaded them. This is a great way to help defray the cost of Memory Maker—if you can share the cost with other family members, it makes the purchase much more palatable.
How Much Does Memory Maker Cost?
Currently, you can purchase Memory Maker for $199. If you plan ahead and order Memory Maker at least 5 days BEFORE your vacation, you can purchase it for $169. Note: Photos in your PhotoPass account will expire 45 days from the date taken, so make sure you download all your pictures before you hit that 45-day mark.
Note: If you are an Annual Passholder, PhotoPass downloads are included with your Annual Pass (Photos and other digital content expire 365 days from date of capture for Annual Passholders). For us, this was a big factor in choosing which park tickets we’d purchase this year. But that’s a topic for another day 😉.
So, back to the original question: Should I purchase Memory Maker?
Yes, I strongly recommend you purchase Memory Maker for your vacation (purchase it in advance to save $30) unless
you hate having pictures from your vacation with everyone in them, including you
it’s a super short trip, and you’re not likely to have the chance to have many PhotoPass shots taken
you (or most of your group) refuse to pose for pictures
rides: you don’t care about attraction photos or videos or you don’t tend to ride any rides
Basically, if pictures are NOT a priority for you or your group, Memory Maker probably DOESN’T make sense for you.
If finances are a concern, and let’s face it, for many of us, finances are a major concern, you can try and play the odds. If you think you’ll end up with 10 or less pictures that you’ll really want to “OWN”, you could try NOT purchasing the Memory Maker. But if you get home and find there are 50 pictures you can’t live without, you’ll find yourself spending MORE money after the fact. At the prices Disney charges for individual photo downloads, if you end up wanting 15-20 of the pictures, you’ll spend more on individual downloads than you would on Memory Maker, which would get you EVERYTHING taken during your trip and linked to your account.
Note: You CAN purchase Memory Maker after your trip, but at the $199 price, not the pre-trip $169 price. But if you find you have LOTS of pictures you want to download, it will probably be cheaper to buy Memory Maker, even after your trip, than to purchase individual downloads. (Tip: if you have any friends or family traveling within 30 days of your trip, you could split the cost of the Memory Maker and share your photos and digital content. Just make sure to add your borders and download the pictures relatively quickly after the second trip is complete–you don’t want to risk any pictures dropping off).
A Disney vacation is a significant investment, and I firmly believe capturing those memories in photos is an important part of that investment. So, I plan for Memory Maker (and the post – vacation photo book I will make) in my vacation budget and savings plan.
Maximize Your Investment
I will say this: If you DO make the investment in Memory Maker–make sure you take advantage of it! Hit lots of PhotoPass photographers around the parks, use different poses, ask for Magic Shots. You don’t want to get home and regret the purchase. As long as you use it, Memory Maker can be a good value. With individual pictures priced at $12.95 (5×7), it doesn’t take THAT many photos for Memory Maker to make sense.
As I mentioned before, I’m a total photo nerd. I make my poor husband stop at almost every single PhotoPass photographer in every park. I LOVE having pictures from our vacations. We went once for a weekend trip (Memory Maker was more economical in those days, granted) and I almost didn’t buy the Memory Maker…I decided to go for it, and was so happy I did. I think I ended up with 45 PhotoPass pictures from that trip, before I started adding borders and stickers, and cropping them, etc. It was well over 100 by the time I was done “playing” and downloaded them. That’s a pretty light PhotoPass load for us, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on any of them.
Sharing
For the wedding trip, there were only 3 park days, but we ended up with more than 200 pictures, once everyone shared their media with us. It was AWESOME. (Note: If one person buys Memory Maker, that purchase is linked to THAT account and they are the only account that can download the pictures for everyone that shared media. Everyone linked to the account can VIEW them, but only the purchaser can download. It’s super easy to share after you’ve downloaded though, so I don’t view this a big concern—just wanted you to be aware.)
Also, I like to stack the odds. If you take one picture, the odds are fairly high that you won’t love it. If you take 20 pictures, the odds are fairly high that you will love AT LEAST 2 or 3 of them!
Spaceship Earth (Photo: Disney PhotoPass)
Photos are a great way to relive magic moments. Disney vacations are typically FULL of magic moments you don’t ever want to forget. Disney’s PhotoPass and Memory Maker are great tools to help make sure your memories are preserved.
Make a Copy!
One more tip: If you do purchase Memory Maker, or even just individual PhotoPass photo downloads, make sure you make a back up copy of the files and store it somewhere different from where you store the original files. The cloud, another computer, a jump drive–just have a copy. I’m currently hunting for PhotoPass pictures from our January 2014 trip. With all the wedding planning that year, I didn’t do my usual routine with Disney trip pictures, and they are NOT where they are supposed to be. {sigh. I know I made a copy. I just don’t know WHERE I made the copy 😉}.
Do you have any questions about PhotoPass or Memory Maker? I’d love to hear from you! Or send me your favorite PhotoPass pictures and I will share them here, with your permission (of course!).
Most beer, wine and cocktails are included, if available at chosen quick service venue. Some exceptions do apply. Guests must present valid ID to be served alcoholic beverages. Beverages may ONLY be redeemed with the quick service meal.
One of my very favorite times to visit Walt Disney World is during the Christmas Holiday Season. I LOVE seeing all the resorts and theme parks decorated for the holidays, and I love the little “extra” holiday magic and cheer that seems to permeate WDW at this time of year. Having said that, however, I do want to add that I tend to avoid the ACTUAL holidays as the crowds Thanksgiving week and the week before and after Christmas tend to be INSANE, with parks reaching capacity and actually closing to additional guests on some days. The last time I went for the week of Christmas, we were in the Magic Kingdom on a day the park closed to additional guests at 10 a.m.!! The crowds were crazy. Standby lines were up to four hours for some attractions, and it was uncomfortable and difficult to even just walk around. Moods were challenging and finding the holiday spirit was a little more difficult than usual. I don’t enjoy the parks as much when they are that crowded, so I tend to avoid that time of year. (Note: It is ABSOLUTELY possible to go and have a great time during the holidays, as long as you set your expectations properly, plan ahead and pack your patience. I don’t want to imply you can’t have a terrific vacation at this time of year—it’s just a little more challenging. I’ll cover that in a separate upcoming post.)
