Again.
I know, Dad, I know – we go there every 18 months. (Totes not true, btw, we haven’t been there since October 2010, so it’ll be 20 months by the time we get there. But it’ll have been three years since the kids have been there so we’re not completely out of control. No we’re not!)
Well if that wasn’t a little glimpse into my psyche.
Anyway.
I’ve been waiting on tenterhooks for Disney to release their fall free dining dates, and yesterday they finally did. If you’re traveling between August 25 and September… oh, just go here if you want to read about it. But the short version of the story is that we’re going to Disney and we’re going to eat for free.
If you like eating as much as Andy and I do, that’s a very big deal.
So, as soon as I booked the trip, the race was on to get our ADRs (advanced dining reservations for you non-Disney freaks). Planning our meals is one of my very favorite things about planning Disney trips (see above, re: like to eat). This time around, we’re going with a few old favorites and trying a few new places too, and I couldn’t be more excited.
We have ADRs for…
— Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios. Breakfast with Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. This one is mainly for Sam, but who doesn’t love Mickey waffles?
— Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios. The main reason I booked this one is for the Fantasmic package – dinner guests get special reserved seats at Hollywood Studios’ end-of-the-night show. Fantasmic is one of the few major Disney World attractions I’ve never experienced, and I’m very excited!
— Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. This is another new one for us. I’ve read good things about it and I hope it lives up to the hype. I generally think the Magic Kingdom food leaves much to be desired, but hopefully this will surprise me!
— San Angel Inn in Epcot. We ate there a couple years ago the day after we ran the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon, and it was about the best meal I’d ever had in my life. The wide selection of margaritas didn’t hurt anything.
— Tusker House at the Animal Kingdom. This is also a character breakfast – Donald and his friends decked out in their safari gear. This serves two purposes – it fulfills the required Mickey et al character meal and also gets us into the Animal Kingdom before the park opens, so we can go straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris, which is supposed to be amazing first thing in the morning.
— ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. This is a new one for us too, and it’s a Hawaiian-themed dinner show.
Sounds great, don’t ya think? Those are our “table service” meals. Our free dining plan also comes with one “quick service” meal per day. Some of our favorite quick service stops include Cantina San Angel in Epcot and Wolfgang Puck Express at Downtown Disney.
Needless to say, I am geeking out about all the planning involved in getting ready for our trip (not just the food, I swear! That was just the most pressing matter). I’ve renewed my subscription to TouringPlans.com, and I’ve got a spreadsheet detailing the best and worst parks for each day and which day we’ll follow which touring plan of attack. They even have an iPhone app that shows current wait times! I think my iPhone might replace my trusty little notebook that contained all my spreadsheets the last time we went. Ah, technology. An OCD nerd’s best friend.
Wooooohoooooooooo!!!!
(You can find my Top 10 Disney Planning Tips here. At least those were my best tips before we actually went – here’s what I learned while we were actually there!)
I am just starting to plan a trip (our first since 2009) for January 2013. Where are you staying? We have 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 4 and 2)….the choices are overwhelming to me at this point!
We’re staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. Your group size makes it tough! Have you looked at the new Art of Animation Resort? They have family suites that sleep up to 6. We were actually thinking of staying there, but it wasn’t included in the free dining so we couldn’t justify it. One of the All Star resorts has family suites as well. I’ve also heard good things about the cabins at Fort Wilderness. Have fun planning!
Stay at Port Orleans, Riverside, Alligator Bayou. Each room includes two beds, plus a free trundle. Great when you have 3 kids! We are eyeballing the new Art of Animation Resort for our next trip, though.
Port Orleans is the best.
UP
Lived in Florida for 18 years, Disneyed OUT!
UP
I would never go to Disney unless YOU planned the whole thing for me. Because the planning is exactly what I don’t want to do. I’m only mentally equipped to go on a vacation where you lay on the beach all day and buy your food from a cart. š
GREAT choices! You’re going to love the Tuskar House breakfast and the safari early in the morning. The animals are up and moving when it’s cooler and depending on the time/day, they’ll just have been released into the habitats so much more fun to watch then. I was there last week and did the safari first thing and last thing. The differences in what animals we saw was astounding! Way more in the morning.
We did the Mama Melrose thing a few years ago, and I wasn’t that impressed. However, I think that was the HOTTEST it had ever been when I was there, so eating warm food wasn’t that appealing to me at the time. I’m pretty sure my husband enjoyed his meal.
The others on your list we haven’t tried (and we go about once a year – completely spoiled). I’ll for sure have to put San Angel Inn on our list. Sounds yummy.
So excited for you. I know you’ll have an AWESOME time. Can’t wait to hear about it.
We’re currently planning our next trip for December. A couple days at the parks before we get on the Disney Dream for Christmas week. Can’t wait!
Oh I’m so jealous!!!!!!! I am dying to do a Disney cruise. Have a wonderful time!
I have only been to Disney twice in my entire life, at maybe 11? and again at about 22, both trips planned and escorted by my mom. We ask every year if the kids want to go and the conversation goes like this:
me: “so do you guys want to go to Disney World this year?!??”
kids: nah, not really
me: “WHY NOT?!??”
kids: why?? we don’t even really like any Disney characters or movies anyhow so what would the point be?? Hey, instead, can we go to Harry Potter Park?!?? or the beach? or the dentist? just please don’t take us to Disney!
I have no idea why – but they just don’t want to go….maybe I just need Emily to plan my trip!
Brady–every time I go to Disney I think about you because somehow I remember that you stayed at the Contemporary, which was fairly new back in the day, and I was so impressed by that. We always had to stay in our RV at the campground.
Oh my gosh, I remember that too! We never stayed on-site as kids… no, Dan booked the Howard Johnson’s with the cockroaches (or palmetto bugs, whatever. They were big.) down the road. He should have let Marie plan the trip!
I was just reading about this deal coming up again on Mouse Savers. We went in September last year, got the free dining, and stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. We cannot wait to go back in a few years. Your tips were so useful. They saved us much inconvenience and made our trip go smoothly. I hope you guys have a great time!
That makes me so happy!!!! Thanks for sharing. How was POFQ?
I am a HUGE fan of the convenience of the Dining Plan and a hustler when it comes to making reservations (we even did Cinderella’s Castle for lunch last time.) HOWEVER, my husband and I have noticed that both menu selection and food quality have dramatically decreased each time we go.
Even our FAVORITE place, the Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge, had really poor food-quality the last time we were there. (and also lost our reservation)
Our best meal of the whole trip was when we went off the plan to eat at T-Rex.
We always try to go in September or October and have done the FREE Dining Plan–and would do it again for the cost-savings and convenience.
I’ve heard similar things… that is rather depressing! The first time we used the DDP, appetizers and tips were included, but that’s not the case anymore. We went to WCC in 2007 but haven’t been there since. I enjoyed the monstrous Diet Coke they brought me the third time I asked for a refill. I wish more places would do that.
I’m so jealous! I love Disney!!! We went last year when my son was 2 1/2 and we only had enough time for 1 day at the magic kingdom. He took a 3 hour nap and was so crabby. I’m waiting til he is 4-5 before we go back again. The information for the parks and resorts are so overwhelming. I’m with Jenny, i need you to plan my trip;)
Next time I will definitely do lots of research and stay in a resort. Thanks for all your tips and keep them coming!!
Emily – this is awesome! My family goes every three years because we are a part of the Disney Vacation Club. I will have to check out the planning tips and the wait times on the phone. My dad and I love planning these trips. Thanks for the info!
Hi Emily,
We did free dining in August 2010 and loved it! The hit of the trip was Storybook Dining in Epcot. It is sooo good. It is way better than Cinderella’s Castle and you get complimentary pics with Belle! We had a late dinner there, spent $200 for a party of five and it was free b/c of the dining plan! It only counts as one meal, too.
We loved the Tusker house for lunch!
Do you know anything about the 1900 Park Fare? We might try that next time.
Info about the storybook dining is below.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/akershus/
Have fun! We are thinking about going in late August to take advantage of the free dining and the fact that my girls are ages 4,6, and 8!
Katie
We just planned a trip to Disney for May and then they came out with the Free Dining a few days later. We are also staying at the French Quarter and have our (table service) meals all planned out. I am so exicted I can’t stand it. I have never been to Disney and neither have my kids (4 and 18 months). My 4 year old will be beside herself eating at Cinderellas Royal Table. Now I am off to read your tips for Disney.
We JUST got back from our first ever Disney trip and I posted a pic from the Tusker House character breakfast. LOVED it. The food was awesome. We had 10 a.m. reservations so we were able to load up on breakfast and then head to the park all day. We also tried Via Napoli, the new Italian restaurant in Epcot, and I highly recommend it. I was bummed because we could not get reservations for Ohana but my daughter’s 4th grade teacher raves about it and says it is the BEST meal at Disney!
We also took advantage of the Feb/March free dining plan special. It’s definitely the way to go, in my opinion!
I want to go back again!