Our favorite places to eat at… The Magic Kingdom

I’ll start my restaurant recommendations at the happiest place on earth with the first park. After years of exploration, my family and I have decided that the Liberty Tree Tavern is the ideal place for lunch in the park. Located in Liberty Square, which is nestled between Fantasyland and Adventureland, the tavern has a nice centralized location. It’s really close the The Haunted Mansion, a must see on any trip the The Magic Kingdom. And it doesn't require a credit card to make the reservation!

I love their New England Clam Chowder ($6.99) and almost always get the New England Pot Roast served with mashed potatoes and garden vegetables ($17.99). They also have an Angus Chuck Chesseburger with fruit or fries ($13.99).  They even have Roast Turkey served with herb bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a garden vegetable ($15.99) or salads for the more health conscious ($5.49). For vegetarians, there is also a vegan burger which can come with fruit or sweet potato fries ($11.49). At dinner, they serve a family-style feast, with turkey, carved beef, and sliced pork for $35.99. 

We saw this parade right outside of the Liberty Tree Tavern.

There are two character dining restaurants in The Magic Kingdom. The Crystal Palace offers a buffet with the gang from Winnie the Pooh. The price level tends to be $15 for kids and $35.99 for adults from breakfast or lunch, and then $36 to $59.99 at dinner, but the prices sometimes go up around the holidays. Guests must give a credit card to make a reservation here.

If you want to dine with princesses in The Magic Kingdom, then you want to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table which is inside the castle. Meals here include a photo package and the princesses will come around to your table. Meals here run $36 to $59.99 no matter when you go. (I would recommend the princess meal at Epcot over this, unless you really want to eat in the castle or are only going to The Magic Kingdom). You have to prepay for this meal with a credit card.

The other two places that take advance dining reservations are The Plaza Restaurant and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. The Plaza has sandwiches and salads for $10.99 to 16.99 which includes a side. Tony’s is inspired by The Lady and the Tramp and has sandwiches, pastas, and flatbread for under $20 most of the day and a steak at dinner for $28.99. You can make a reservation at either of these two without a credit card.

Here’s a list of all the places to eat (counter and table service) in The Magic Kingdom: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/dining/

Feel free to comment with your own thoughts on any of these places. I am hoping to try somewhere new on my honeymoon, as I can’t remember the last time I ate anywhere other than the Liberty Tree Tavern at this park. Though, pot roast does sound tasty… 

200 days to go!

Which means that if you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort for our wedding you can make dining reservations soon. Those staying at a Disney resort can book them over the phone 180 days in advance of your arrival by calling (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463). Otherwise, you can book them online http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/ or by phone starting at 180 days in advance of each dining reservation.

Me at Narcossee's during our site visit last summer

Many Disney table-service restaurants are busy enough that they do not have same-day walk-up availability, so it is a good idea to make a reservation if you want to guarantee a spot at a given restaurant. This is especially true for some of the specialty restaurants such as Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle at the Magic Kingdom.

Some locations require prepayment in advance, using a credit card:

• Cinderella’s Royal Table - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/cinderellas-royal-table/
• Hoop Dee Doo Revue  - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hoop-de-doo-musical-revue/
• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/disneys-spirit-of-aloha-dinner-show/
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/mickeys-backyard-barbeque-dinner-show/

A number of other restaurants require you to use a credit card to book, but they will only charge you if you are a no show and have not canceled at least a day in advance. The charge is $10 for person. Again, this is only if you don’t show up or cancel the reservation. These restaurants include:

• 1900 Park Fare - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/1900-park-fare/
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/akershus/
• Artist Point - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/artist-point/
• California Grill - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/california-grill/
• Cape May Café - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/cape-may-cafe/
• Chef Mickey’s - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/chef-mickeys/
• Cítricos - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/citricos/
• Crystal Palace - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/the-crystal-palace/
• Flying Fish Café - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/flying-fish-cafe/
• Garden Grill - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/garden-grill/
• Hollywood & Vine - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-and-vine/
• Hollywood Brown Derby - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-brown-derby/
• Jiko - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/jiko-the-cooking-place/
• Le Cellier - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/tusker-house/
• Narcoossee’s - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/narcoossees/
• ‘Ohana - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/ohanas/
• Tusker House - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/tusker-house/
• Victoria & Albert’s (cancellation policy is $25/per person) - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/victoria-and-alberts/
• Yachtsman Steakhouse - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yachtsman-steakhouse/

Some of these are the best places to eat at Disney, so do not let the credit card guarantee scare you off, just remember to cancel your reservation if you cannot make it. Also note that Disney will not let you make multiple reservations for the same meal, since you can only keep one.

I will do some posts on my favorite places to eat at each park as well as at the wedding hotels soon. Feel free to post any questions about dining reservations here if you have them. 

Planning on visiting a park?

A number of the websites I read have suggested that ticket prices for Disney parks will go up sometime in June. Therefore, if anyone is planning to visit the parks while attending our wedding, it might be a good idea to buy your tickets soon. Tickets are good for 14 days after you first use them.

If you plan to visit more than one park per day, you will need park-hopper tickets. The best deal for these depends on how many days you plan to go to the parks. If it is less than 4, your best bet is the discount on our wedding website:https://apps.facebook.com/disney-weddings/sites/4647 

If you plan to visit the parks for 4 or more days, undercovertourist.com has the best deals, and I can provide  the best link to them via email to wedding guests. 

If you are only interested in visiting one park for one day, consider attending Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (as noted below) or see if your local AAA office has any discounts. 

Brian in front of Big Thunder Mountain at the Magic Kingdom

Some tips about park tickets:

• Take a picture of both sides of your ticket when you get it (or photocopy it). This will allow Disney to help you replace the tickets if they are lost or destroyed.

• Keep your ticket in a safe place while at the park, you will need it to get Fastpasses which allow you to skip the lines for rides. 

• Avoid buying Disney tickets from Ebay or people who are reselling tickets. This is illegal and not something you want to get involved in. 

• All tickets are associated with your fingerprint once you use them, so you cannot trade or share tickets. 

• Decide how many days you want to visit the parks and how many parks you want to see each day before buying your tickets. This can make a big difference on how much your tickets cost. 

Feel free to post any questions about tickets and I will try to get answers for you. Also email me if you want the link to the cheapest tickets for multi-day park visits. 

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

A special holiday event at Walt Disney World is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Disney recently announced the dates for this year, which coincide nicely with the wedding.

During the event, guests can experience special holiday parades and fireworks. Most of the attractions are open and there are opportunities to meet Disney Characters throughout the park. There are also complimentary cookies and hot chocolate as well as snow on Main Street, USA.

The party is held from 7 pm to midnight on these nights. I have heard that guests have gotten in as early as 4 pm, but I can't confirm that. This year will actually be the first time I attend! =)

December 13, 16, and 18, tickets are $62.79 for adults and $57.46 for children 3-9 years old if you purchase them in advance. These prices include tax. Tickets are $6 more the day of the event and sometimes they do sell out.

December 14 and 20, the tickets are $69.18 and $63.85 in advance.

Click here to buy tickets.

This is a great option if you want to go to The Magic Kingdom after our wedding, as the reception will end at 4 pm, leaving time to change and then go enjoy the festivities. These tickets are also cheaper than a one-day ticket to the park (which runs $90.53 for adults and $84.14 for kids ages 3-9). 

Mousesavers.com recommends having dinner at Tony's Town Square or Liberty Tree Tavern right before the party. Make sure to make dining reservations when they open. (I'll explain dining reservations in a later post closer to when you can make them.)

What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit at Disney!

For more details and some interactive video, check out Disney’s site for the party. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/special-events/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party/ 

Our story so far...

Today has been a flurry of wedding-related activity, so I think now might be a good time to check off some of the details we have already taken care of for the big day. =)

I have my dress! I know that some other details might be more important, but I am really happy with my choice and it is currently in the guest room just waiting for alterations this summer. I’ve ordered my veil, but it hasn’t come in yet. Hopefully it shows up before the move. The only information I am willing to give publicly about my dress before the big day is that it is white and from Alfred Angelo.  

I also recently found my wedding shoes and they are awesome! They only have a two inch heel, so hopefully I won’t sprain my ankle at this wedding.

We have our venues booked, of course. I’ll do a post later with more details about Disney’s Wedding Pavilion and The Grand Floridian. I am really happy that we got our first choice of locations for both parts of the wedding. We even have a view of the castle during our cocktail hour. Magical!

We have booked our officiant, who is really nice and I think will do a great job.

We’ve also booked a photographer and videographer. We’re getting engagement pictures taken by our photographer during our planning session next month. I’m sure I’ll share those on facebook once I have them.

We have also booked our hotel rooms for the wedding. I recommend all of our guests book as soon as they can to get the best deals. Just call (407) 827-6799 and let them know you are booking for our wedding. 

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, two graduate students met and fell in love. One day, Brian decided he wanted to be with me forever. On February 13, 2011, he took me to the Borders we loved to go to. He said there was something he wanted to show me in the Romance section. Once we were there, he got down on one knee and said, "I want to go to the bookstore with you for the rest of my life." Then he asked me to marry him. I said yes.

When it was time to decide where to get married, there was no question about where I preferred. I grew up in Florida and Disney World was a big part of my life. Luckily, Brian and my family thought this was a great idea. So now we are planning our Fairy Tale Wedding at the Happiest Place on Earth. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to start our marriage.

In this blog, I will post information for our guests about various aspects of the wedding and Walt Disney World. I’ll also post some updates of the wedding planning process. I am so excited that we are getting close to the wedding date and want to share my joy with all of our loved ones. Have a magical day!