Hello Mickey Mouse, here we come!

In My Humble Opinion
21

Eating on property

Decide whether you want counter service (fast food, hereafter FF) or full service (waiter service, hereafter, WS). Each park has both, although I really don’t know much abouth the full service ones at Animal Kingdom.

Most FF places tend to get very crowded around the regular dinner hours, so start hunting one down before the kids (and you) pass the point of no return screaming munchies. Usually plenty of popcorn, soda and ice cream carts abound so you can stave it off a bit, but plan ahead somewhat.

If you plan on going to any WS restaurant on property, I believe that you, as a registered Disney guest, can make reservations up to 30 days in advance (double check with Disney info line (407-824-4321). Or, if you want to wing it, check with guest services the moment you enter the park (at MGM, there is a seperate kiosk at the corner of the main drag and Hollywood Blvd., just for dining info - reservations at the 50s Prime Time cafe [retro kitschy 50s decor with food scenes from classic 50s sitcoms - check out the full service bar/waiting area: Archie McPhee died and went to heaven here] or the SciFi Drive In [50s fintailled Caddies with a 45 minute loop trailer of B movie clips and concession stand ads]).

EPCOT (sorry, I’m a traditionalist) restaurants are mostly WS, so if you want a particular restaurant, make a reservation early. Rose and Crown (England) has a dining area that faces the water, so pretty much, if you happen to luck out and get an 8ish reservation, you might get lucky and snag a table on the veranda so you get a close up view of the fireworks (they tend to let the folks eating on the porch stay there for the fireworks. No guarantee, however: you might be indoors, since it is a popular viewing site and EVERYONE and his/her brother wants that vatage point.

By the way, Disney chefs are above and beyond accomodating when it comes to food allergies and special needs. I told the waiter at Canada (fantastic food, btw: decor is a bit lacking) about my allergies to onions, leeks, scallions, etc and (former)Roommate’s allergies to mushrooms. The next thing I knew, the head chef was sitting at the table with us, menu and pencil in hand, crossing out items, indicating which dishes could be modified and which sauces were premade. All to make sure our experience did not include a trip to the hospital. Color me among the impressed. Heck, given two days notice, you can get kosher meals, too.

My review of EPCOT World Showcase restaurants:
Mexico - left me underwhelmed. (also has FF)

Norway - don’t do buffets (bariatric patient), but gets great reviews from folks who have eaten there. (also has pastry shop)

China - s’okay - tastes the same as the FF right next door)

Germany - buffet, but with a alphorn & oom-pah band show

Italy - far above Olive Garden - I’ve not had a bad meal here yet.

United Stand - only FF - no WS restaurant at all

Japan - my usual haunt - two separate restaurants - Teppanyaki and Tempura (also FF, up a steep hill) as well as a Kakigori shaved ice stand (mmmmmmmm, melon). And they’ve just revamped the entire Mikimoto store. There is now a sake tasting bar right next to the exhibit on the history of Japanese baseball

Morocco - okay food, great dancing and drumming. (also FF)

France - two separate restauants (upstairs is far more expensive), but I found neither was really worth the costs (also a pastry shop and two wine tasting areas

England - has definitely improved over the years. Full bar attached to restuarant (check out the piano entertainment) Also, FF - fish & chips)

Canada - another personal favorite (beaver tail stand on the walkway, but damn, no poutine)

Okay, so I am an EPCOT fan - it’s fun to chat with the college program folks from other countries (they are here for about one year) about their home area. Besides, I get quite a bit of exercise doing my daily after-work walk around the lake (1.2 miles, approx.)

Also, consider some of the hotel retaurants - another favorite of mine is the Artist’s Point restaurant in the Wilderness Lodge. The menu changes seasonally, but they also serve a variety of wild game (elk, rabbit, etc.) Spoodles at Boardwalk is another good place, as is the Cailfornia Grill (Contemporary Hotel - very expensive, but the top pick of all the food places on property).

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The only full service restaurant at AK is Rainforest Cafe. Since they are all over, skip it. There is another Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. (Screech-owl, you don’t think Victoria and Alberts is the top pick?)

(We love the restaurant in Mexico and I had two of the worst meals of my life in the restaurant in Italy - so tastes differ. The restaurant in Morocco we go to at least once a trip. I also don’t like English food “If you want to eat well in England, eat breakfast three times a day.” Oh, and I love the Norway ride.)

But again, I’d really recommend you not use your short stay to eat. We have been known to, but we go every year for a week. Another thing I really recommend to people staying longer is the water parks. I think the snorkel tank at Typhoon Lagoon is about the neatest thing ever.

23

I’d say that with kids, going out to eat in the evening will probably more of a hassle to you and the kids as chances are they’re dead tired and cranky from running around in the park all day.

So I’d go for a Character Breakfast or have lunch at one of the park restaurants. They’re less crowded then anyway hence more enjoyable with children. (And usually less expensive).

I’ll second screech-owl here in saying that the Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant at EPCOT is probably a good idea. All kids enjoy having their food flipped about at the table. Then again, they might try it at home afterwards :slight_smile:

If you want to go out for a dinner at night, they offer babysitting services at most hotels. Then you can have a nice quiet dinner to yourselves after the park hubbub.

24

Closed Attractions or “Things change, your memory is faulty, too bad, so sad…”

Yup, times change. And so do some of the attractions. Either permamntly, or for seasonal maintenance.

Recent ones, off the top of my head:

MGM -

Great Movie Ride - down for seasonal maintenance - should be open again sometime in June. Really needed a good scrubbing.

Hunchback of Notre Dame - Requiesat in pacem. Gone.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid - finally reopened after major cleaning.
EPCOT -

Wonders of China - new film being put in place

In fact, from what I’ve been told, all three films (China, Canada, and France) are being revamped/replaced. 'Bout time too. Great films, but really starting to show their age.

Mission: SPACE - not open yet. Due out sometime this summer, although sometimes that can change. Heck, TestTrack was delays by several months, due to the attraction not living up to safety expecations… :eek:
Animal Kingdm

“Countdown to Extinction” - has been renamed “Dinosaur!”, since folks were calling that anyway. I’m waiting for “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” to be renamed “A Bug’s Life”, since people are calling it that anyway, despite the fact that the attraction opened before the movie did.

(Oh, and on this attraction (which rivals “Dueling Dragons” for the honor of “World’s Longest Queueline”), just back in your seat. Sit way back with your back against the seat back… :smiley: )

“Primeval Whirl” is very deceptive - it looks like one huge roller coaster, but it’s really two separate coasters side-by-side, with the two queuelines splitting it down the middle. Much shorter than you would think.

Magic Kingdom

Diamond Horsehoe Review - is or will be overhauled very soon. Soon the corny jokes and CanCan dancers will be replaced by the western characters from Toy Story. Can’t find the article from the Orlando Sntnl*, but it was in the paper about a year-ish ago.

The Lion King Show (not to be confused with the one at Animal Kingdom) is being replaced by some sort of 3D attraction. I’ll check out more about this at the park this weekend.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - dead in the water. Now a character greeting area.

Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management - DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THIS ATTRACTION.
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…Okay, much calmer. Updated with the bird characters Iago and Zazu. Snippets of the old songs, pedictable plotline and, well, let’s say, this one sounded much better on paper. Now I am not one of the ones who screamed bloody murder when Mr. Toad was closed and replaced by the motion sickness-inducing Winnie-the-Pooh ride (although Toad was the only place on property that had a picture of a semi-nude woman – (former)Roomate loved the ride for that reason alone), and was never really a fan of the original Enchanted Tiki Room (I would sneak out the side door and leave (former)Roommate in there stuck through the whole show) but clearly, this is one revamping that should have gone through several more committees, and been circulared-filed at each step.

(No, screech-owl, tell us how you really feel…)

Carousel of Progress - cooler heads prevailed here: it has not been shut down completely. Like the Tiki Room, this is one of Walt’s originals. It has been somewhat updated, but only operates during high season (summer, Christmas, Easter) as a crowd control, get-'em-off-the-streets attraction.

You can always call Disney info (in one of my previous posts - they can tell you, generally, what is down permanently or seasonally. Also, realize that sometimes rides do break down during the day. It happens. Not pleasant (amazing how many people will claim that “<name of attraction> is the ONLY thing we ame here to see and we have to leave now”, get their money refunded, but still be in the park six hours later. Just like the wheelchair jumpers (people who rent wheelchairs, then switch with other members of the party). But I digress, this is not the pit, and not worth blowing a vitriolic gasket.

There are prolly a few more. I shall sacrifice my day off this weekend, and wander the parks for updates for you.

25

My family went to Disney World for several consecutive New Year’s Eves in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I’ll share some of my advice, gleaned from experience and guidebooks.

Start early, stay late, and take a break in the afternoon.

Drink LOTS of water. Wear a hydration pack.

Eat off-hour. Have lunch around 11 or 2, dinner around 5 or 8. Since you’re staying on the property, you might be able to make restaurant reservations through your hotel.

Go to the left. Most people (in theory, anyway) automatically head to the right – the attractions to the right of the entrance, the line entrance on the right.

Pace yourself. Don’t run yourself into the ground. Take in a show.

Spaceship Earth is a great “one last ride on the way out” attraction. I’ve gone on it at ~11:50 pm, with no line.

Look for extras, especially behind the scenes tours. Some are geared towards kids, some for adults, some for certain interests. Two examples: I’ve been on an architecture tour at EPCOT, where we went backstage at various points. And the Living Seas exhibit has by-appointment diving in the pavillion’s tank; I plan to do this the next time I go to Disney.

Eat a good breakfast. Grocery stores are your friend. So are sit-down restaurants.

Carry healthy snacks and juice packs. Avoid high-fat overpriced snacks.

Did I mention taking an occasional break? Don’t try to do everything. You won’t.

Let the kids pick some things to do.

Do some things without the kids.

Have a wonderful time! That’s what Disney is all about. You’re only as old as you think you are; this is a chance to recapture some parts of being a kid. Only now you can afford it. :slight_smile:

26

Did anyone get the rain question:

Keep going. It always rains in Florida. The lines get shorter because people think its going to last - it seldom does. Epcot is a great place for a rainy day as it has lots of inside stuff to spend your time - then you just dart from pavillion to pavillion. But in reality, most Disney attractions are either inside or covered. You will get wet, but you won’t be sitting in the rain.

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And don’t ask the Cast Members how long it’ll rain - people used to do this all the time…the rain is about the only thing not orchestrated by Disney. If it starts in the afternoon, chances are that it’s only a quick shower anyway.

Another thing so you don’t need to ask (at EPCOT): The restrooms are located to the right of every pavillion.

28

Wow! We are counting down the days now and doing a lot of walking to try and be prepared for all the walking. I called the hotel and they said that we can go the park the day we check in and they will be happy to hold our luggage for us so we will have 4 days at the park!!! Thanks again! Keep the great info coming and have a magical day!

I’m so excited! Can you tell?..!!!