More Dining Questions

[amy390]

Going to the land of Mickey 9/23-9/30 on DDP. Couple of questions (ok maybe a few):

1. Day 3: We (me, DH & DD 4yo) are doing the princess breakfast at Epcot. Spending the day there and then dinner at Coral Reef. Is Epcot interesting enough for a 4 year old to stay there all day?

2. Same question for Animal Kingdom except it's late breakfast OOP at Rainforest Cafe with dinner at Cape May Clam Bake.

3. Is it worth going to Whispering Canyon for a meal on our "free" day or should be go to Downtown disney?

4. Where is the best place to see Ariel/Little Mermaid characters?

5. Doing the following character meals: Day 1 - CRT dinner, Day 2 - Chef Mickey's breakfast - Day 3 - Princess Storybook breakfast, Day 7 - Cinderella's Gala Feast - Day 8 (final day) Character breakfast somewhere. Question: Is it overkill with all these character meals? I'd like to get in a good mix of characters - although my DD is big time into the princesses.

Thank you!

 

[cdntourguide]

1. there is lots to do at Epcot, the day will just rush by. There is Turtle Talk , and nemo characters, Figment, a short film based on Lion King, Soarin, Test Track, Universe of Energy, Innovations (make your own robot), all sorts of characters to meet in the different lands, Japanese Lady candy maker, Chinese Acrobats, USA marching band, boat rides in the lake. Space ship earth.

2. AK is a magical spot especially for children. The petty zoo, Bugs Life, meet lots of characters, Lion King show, Pocohantas, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur and the the boneyard. Plus a bird show, and the walks to see animals and birds on the different paths. Best of all the Safari: you could do this three or four times and see something different each time.

3. Down day, what is that? A trip to Whispering Canyon is always worth it. If you want to go to DTD: you can go and then take the bus to FW for your dinner (or lunch). if you go to WCC first, you can take the FW bus to DTD. So either way you can do DTD and WCC and still have time to do nothing.

4. Ariel at the Little Mermaid show at MGM.. Character meet behind Dumbo in Fantasyland.

5. Character meals at Disney are all special: I would add Crystal Palace to your selections. Excellent interaction with the characters from the POOH stories.

Have a great time

 

[Letsbgoofy]

1. It's hard to answer that question without knowing your child. At 6, my DS loved Epcot. We travel at the end of August, so we never stay at the park all day though. They have great fountains to play in that are a nice break for kids. Will she nap at all?

2. Same answer. Every child is different as to their interests. It's very hot at AK; we never stay all day.

3. It depends on what you want to eat. A trip to the WL is never a waste of time in my opinion. You could rent bikes and ride over to Fort Wilderness. All the horses used in the parades are kept there - I love to go see them. Last I knew there was also a small petting zoo. You can also rent boats and spend some time out on the lake.

4. I love the LMM show at MGM, it might be a litle dark and scary for small kids though. Deosn't Ariel have a grotto at the MK?

5. Character meals were always my sons favorite part of the trip when he was young. It's a great way to see the characters without having to wait in line or hunt all over the park for them. Another benefit is that most are buffets and kids don't have to wait to eat. The question is, is that too many character meals for you adults?

 

[Lesley]

For questions 1, 2, and 3...what the others' have said....

4. Ariel is in the show at MGM, but does not do character greetings there. She can be found doing greetings at her Grotto in the MK. She is also at the Princess Storybook meals sometimes...with her legs, not fins. We saw her there at dinner in January.

5. If your child does not do lines well, character meals are the way to go. My 6yo loves the characters but doesn't want to take time out from riding rides to greet them. The character meals are great for her. But even at 4 when she was willing to wait in line for characters, she enjoyed the meals. I'll second the recommendation for Crystal Palace. We've had both breakfast and dinner there and it was very good.

 

[beattyfamily]

just an fyi...Ariel makes appearances at Princess Storybook for lunch and dinner!

I agree that Crystal Palace would be a nice addition unless you are all set with character meals.

If it's your first trip, then I think it isn't character meal overkill.

At least you are doing CRT dinner where there really is no character interaction except when you meet Cinderella downstairs...then the Fairy Godmother and the two mice Suzy and Perla will do a quick 'show'.

1900 Park Fare will be Cinderella, Prince Charming, Suzy and Perla and the Fairy Godmother in the lobby.

PSB breakfast should have Belle in her yellow gown at the entrance and then Sleeping Beauty, probably Snow White, and we've also seen Mulan, Jasmine and even Alice sometimes.

Enjoy your trip planning!