Speaking of those, and since this thread seems to have caught the attention of several upcoming visitors, might as well throw some character dining preferences out there.

Sadly, it's been a few years since my last visit so some of these may have changed a bit (and always research, the fan sites like disboards & others are great for this sort of updated info) but among those that stand out in my mind are

Cinderella's Royal Table - in the castle at MK. Probably the pinnacle of c. dining because of the location. Cindy, of course, and an assortment of prince/princess style characters.

Chef Mickey - character breakfast at Contemporary. I'm a breakfast guy so unlimited bacon certainly put this one near the top of my list. Includes Mickey and a variety of main characters (i.e. Donald, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, etc. Chip & Dale were also mainstays IIRC)

Crystal Palace - MK ... buffet style (as most c. dining seems to be) featuring Pooh & friends. I'd probably recommend this as one of the best for younger kids, the characters work beautifully & since they're all oversized fluff, they're perhaps the most charming.

Another favorite of ours was Liberty Tree Tavern (ham/turkey with traditional sides served family style was a great relief vs counter fare & buffet) but I think it may not be doing c.dining at the moment, I'm not seeing it on some of the more current lists online.

Maybe some FOFC'ers with more recent experiences can add/revise this list.

I'd add a couple of other ones we've been to on a regular basis.

There's a princess-themed breakfast at Epcot in the Norway restaurant that's fantastic. It's a bit more intimate than other locations, allowing for close-up viewing of your favorite princesses (the dads like this part as much as the kids). Really good food with some nice Norwegian options like smoked salmon.

We've also been to the dinner at Chef Mickey's. The kids have their own buffet section filled with things like spaghetti, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc. My kid loved that she had her own area. It's even a lower counter so they can serve themselves.

Is park hopper worth it on like a 4 or 5 day vacation?

Akershus rocks !

I didn't mention it mostly because I was thinking that my wife mentioned something about some changes to it (no clue about the details) and wasn't sure if most people would like the menu as much as I did.

Oddly enough, that princess driven c.dining experience provided us with single most memorable moment of all of them. To this day we still tease my son (at around age 4) about being so taken with Belle that he quickly ducked his head to avoid having her see him blush at her approach ... and efficiently plopped his hair straight into his orange juice. Maybe you had to be there, but it was comedy gold that still embarrasses him to this day :)

Absolutely IMO.

I wouldn't even consider a trip of more than 1-2 days w/out using PH. Feels too restricting otherwise, no PH limits your ability to mix & match dining with park attractions, and there are simply some parks that don't warrant a full 2nd day but could easily be enjoyable for a 2nd trip of a half-day.

FWIW my kids HATED Cinderella's Royal Table, mostly because the food was a bit more upscale, not really a kid's menu. My daughter loved meeting the princesses but hated the dinner.

Crystal Palace is great. We also like the Hollywood & Vine diner over at Disney Hollywood Studios, if your kids like the Playhouse Disney stuff: Little Einsteins, JoJo, etc.

I appreciate all of the comments here regarding young children because it's a topic I have been pondering. I have a 5 month old and am a fan of going to Disney World, as it's always a relaxing and fun vacation. My thought on taking the little on way about 2.5 years old and some of the comments here may have sold me. Keep those comments coming...

May not be a factor for you, but for the indefinite future the monorails are stopping one hour after regular park closing for both MK and Epcot. Something to keep in mind if you are staying at a monorail resort and attending the evening Extra Magic Hours at either of those parks (taking the monorail back may not be an option).

I saw that earlier this week too, can't quite put my finger on the logic behind it though.

Monorail Carmageddon.

Lots of speculation out there, but I'm leaning towards the maintenance angle. The only thing confirmed so far is that there is definitely a hard stop for them 1 hour after regular park closing time. If there is maintenance going on, that will come out soon enough. No doubt some local fanatics will drive up and down the roads looking for evidence of track maintenance in the middle of the night.

It's an absolute must. Wouldn't even consider going that many days without it.

I highly recommend getting a pass to one of the DW tour guide websites (I use and can vouch for Walt Disney World Vacation Planner for Orlando, Florida Vacation TourGuideMiKE). The last two trips I've taken I've used the predicted crowd levels on his site to plan which days I'll be in which parks (usually morning in one park and evening in another) and it makes a HUGE difference. Also, he has simple plans of attack (broken down by the ages in your group in some cases) as to how to tour each park to get the most bang for your buck. Totally worth the $22 investment IMHO.

I'm going to be contrarian here. The parkhopper option is nice for some things, yes. But, it is simply not possible to do everything you might want to do in a given park in one day, particularly if you have never been before and want to try everything. So, there is no real need to be able to hit 2 or more parks in a day. In my opinion you can easily get by without this and save $100-200.

Another thing to consider: by the time you walk out, wait for the bus, ride the bus to your hotel, wait for a bus to the other park, ride that bus, and walk into another park, you've lost an hour or more out of your day. (There are no direct park-to-park buses). The only part of this that is restful is the bus ride, if you get a bus that isn't crowded and you can sit, so you can't really count this as taking a break, either.

We've tried it both ways and neither is bad. You can just get by fine without paying the extra money IMO.

Character dining impressions? I think I'm going to go for the Cinderella's Castle one for my six year old daughter, and the Chef Mickey one for my 4 year old son.

Both solid choices. Crystal Palace at MK makes a good 3rd choice if needed since you get entirely different characters (Pooh) than either of the other two.

Yeah, that's great. You'll have a great time.

I am also looking to do our first family trip with our kids in the near future 2012/2013. On the opposite side I have a 4 year old boy and 8 year old girl . Next year would seem to be the perfect time to take them but next year is also our 10 year anniversary so probably can't afford that in a trip to Disney all in one season. I am wondering from others experience is waiting till my daughter 10 a mistake? I am thinking more for the 10 year old?

Why not do them both at Disney? Most of the hotels have a place you can drop the kids off for a day of fun, or take the grandparents with you and let them watch the kids one night. My wife and I have a great time at Disney, both with and without the kids.

I'm kinda w/gstelmack on this one ... at least as long as you don't have something else planned for the anniversary of course.

The dining experience at Victoria & Albert's seems almost tailor-made for such an occasion.

+1. There's some fantastic adult-only options at Disney and the kids will hardly miss you if you put them in a program for an evening or two. Tons of great fine dining options and a night out at Downtown Disney with dancing, concerts, and adult drinks.

An excellent one is the California Grill at night. They let all the diners walk out on an observation deck on top of the Contemporary and watch the fireworks in the MK. Quite a different perspective and fun way to see something that is now familiar to most.

Jelly Roll's or Atlantic Dance, both on the Boardwalk, are choices my daughter and son-in-law go when they want to dance. Younger crowd, too. I've only stuck my head in, so I don't know more.

Cinderella's Castle used to be (likely still is) hard to get in at certain times of day/year. IIRC they start taking reservations six months ahead, and you may very well need to call as soon as reservations are available for the day you want.

That said, the one time we ate there we were walkups. It was off season, mid-afternoon, and it was long ago (10-15 years). Don't know if you could still pull that off without being really lucky.

Yes, it's a mistake. Largely because adult prices start at age 10. If you go at age 9, she'll be less than half of your cost now than she will be a year later.

Yes, the walk-up at the Castle still happens almost every day because people simply don't show up for reservations. That said, don't count on it, certainly not for more than four people.

Not true. Park Hopper is now $85 for 10+ and $79 for U-9. So $6 per day savings.

On tickets, we used to buy an annual pass that started, say Aug 23 and ran to August 22 of the next year. Then we would plan for the next trip to END on Aug 22 of the following year. That way we got two trips on one annual pass. Actually, we'd went down at Christmas, too, so we got three trips on the annuals, but that's excessive for most of you.

Looking at the Disney site, Annual pass is now $553 and 10 day No Expiration (I"ll let y'all look up the rules on that) is $571. If you plan on two 6-7 day stays (like we use to), the annual pass is a good deal over a ten day No Expiration. Used to be more, but things change.

I think OldGiants is the same way I am since his family loves Disney World too. Our family looks forward to annual or bi-annual trips to Disney. It's a part of what we do to spend time together. Reading regular posts on this thread is getting me more and more excited about our trip in September.

I know that big kids aren't supposed to be this excited about Disney World, but I'm all fired up to head down. My 4 year old is now over 40", meaning she can now ride most of the rides at the parks with us. My 2 year old will get her first experience and she'll talk nonstop about it with her sister over the following months. It's going to be a blast.

For those who have a trip coming up, I'll mention that the official WDW page on Facebook is a pretty good way to help build & maintain excitement while you countdown the days.

They actually have an iPhone app where you can enter the date and time when your flight to Orlando departs. Every time you get on your phone, you get a countdown until your Disney vacation.

Thanks guys for feedback. Good info on the 10 year old price jump. I was planning a trip for a week somewhere between Thanksgiving and Xmas which would be a month before the girl turns 10. I am not going to worru to much on the anniversary as the wife wanted a new diamond as the one she got a decade earlier was fairly small and she also wants a boob job. Don't think they do those at the Magic Castle;)

You're right. There are savings, but not a lot of savings. Not sure why I thought it was so much. But the kids meals if you eat inside Disney World are a fair bit cheaper for kids 9 and under.

This deserves its own thread.

Pics plz k thx.

:)

My girls got really excited last night. We're now exactly one month from our departure to Disney World. Mickey Mouse was nice enough to send us our baggage tags for the Magical Express along with a promotional pamphlet that included a 'Getting Ready for Your Trip' DVD! My four year old was thrilled that Mickey sent her a DVD to watch. We immediately threw it into the DVD player and watched the entire DVD from start to finish.

I was impressed by how many of the rides and attractions she remembered from our last trip when she was two years old. She spit out random comments about what we talked about while riding certain rides. She also started bouncing up and down when they showed the princesses and recommended getting an autograph book. She gave me specific instructions on which autograph book and pen was required for her visit.

My two year old just kept screaming 'Mickey!' and 'Minnie!' every time they popped on the screen. She gets to start making those same memories this year. We're really excited to get down there.

On the autograph book, remember which signatures she gets. If by chance it gets lost, head over to City Hall and check with lost and found. Tell them which book and the characters who signed it. It will take awhile, but they will find the book with the signatures you tell them. The Guest Relations people take classes in the character signatures (with the character actors) so they know how to do them. My daughter told me signing/replacing autograph books was among her favorite duties. Putting a smile on a crying, tear-filled face always makes the day.

Same thing goes for those propeller driven personal coolers. They have dozens in Lost and Found and really do want you to take one. Even if you've never actually bought one.

Good info. Always good to find ways to keep the kids happy. :)

Heading out for Disney at the end of the week. I've got a free countdown clock on my iPhone that counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until we leave. My four year old has been checking it 2-3 times a day. She's pretty fired up about it all. Her cousin (who is going as well) came by today to play and they talked non-stop about all the rides they wanted to go on.

Happiest Place on Earth, here we come! :)

Silly as it may sound, it really can be. I hope it is for you & your family the way it has been for mine.

Not sure if this was mentioned/you're already aware but just in case ... with a girl that young, "waking up Tinkerbell" could be an extra magical moment. Not sure if this still works the same way (it stopped while the shop was being refurbished, no idea if it's reopened yet/resumed the tradition) but this link explains it pretty well. Do some discreet checking on the status if you've got an early morning at MK.

DisneyDaddy: Tip Tuesday: Waking up Tinkerbell

Also, don't forget to learn everything you can about Hidden Mickeys. Great way to pass the time for young & old alike.

I saw that there's actually an iPhone app that tells you where every single Hidden Mickey is located. Might be a fun way to help the kids look for extra Mickeys. Thankfully, we're going to Disney at a time when lines should be very short. We went the same week a couple of years ago and rarely had to wait more than 5-10 minutes on the rides.

I hope everyone had fun. We went down in mid-November and attended Party for the Senses, a great (but expensive) dinner event in EPCOT. While down there, our Imagineer daughter showed us the 'Secret Project' she has been working on.

It's "Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom" and the fixtures (her small part) are visible throughout MK. Here are recent links to the testing by cast members and such.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom play testing reveals map, cards, and more interactive Walt Disney World game details | Inside the Magic

UPDATED: First Full Look at Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom – Photos & VIDEO | Disney Projects

Add this to the expansion/renovation of Fantasyland coming in February, and there is every reason to get down there this year.

We'll be there week after next for a few days, courtesy of several years worth of cash-back on our Disney Rewards Visa.

It'll be interesting to see how it goes after so many trips but not having been in several years.

Mrs. SpeechCoach and I have been to Disneyland each of the last two years. We didn't get to go this year, but my sister and her husband decided to take their 2 year old daughter, and I got to be the Uncle. We stayed at the Disneyland Resort, but we found that the niece was too young. She freaked out while waiting at the entrance to California Adventure, and nearly made us cancel the character breakfast when she threw a huge tantrum before going into Ariel's Grotto. She then hid under the table from the princesses, until Belle stroked her hair and gave her a big kiss. We had fun, but it really depends on the child.

I've begun planning a Disney World trip for next October. Thanks to everyone who has posted in this thread, as it was one of my early starting points in doing some research. I'm sure I'll post a few times in here over the next month or so as I get closer to nailing down my plans.

Yeah, if a kid doesn't like characters, that age won't work. Some kids are scared of them, but I know my 2-year-old gave Pooh a bigger hug than I get when she got to meet him. So 2 years old isn't too young, taking a kid that is scared of people in costumes is going to be a problem.

Yeah, my 20 month old was passing out hugs to anything in a costume, so you definitely have to know your kid to know whether it will work for you or not.

The character thing is why we haven't gone to Disney before now. My 4 1/2 year old daughter was scared of Santa the last two years, as well as pretty much any "characters" that were life-sized rather than TV-sized.

This year, I've spent some time talking to her about Disney World (the castle at the start of the movie!) and how we want to make sure she has fun there with the princesses rather than being scared like she has in the past with Santa. She aced Santa last weekend, so either she is growing out of the fear or she is motivated by Disney. I'm not sure I care all that much which one it is, just happy that this is no longer an impediment for me booking the trip.

Just to be safe, though, we won't be going for another 10 months. So hopefully she continues to get more comfortable and confident in those kind of situations.

Leaving for WDW early in the morning, back late Friday. Staying at French Qtr, which was paid for (along with parkhopper passes & meal plans) entirely with reward points from our Disney Visa. Yeah, took about five years to pull that off and even then it was using the personal card for some company bills that actually did the trick.

Very uneasy about the trip tbh, our finances bear little to no resemblance to what they were 4-5 years ago when we were there last & that vivid reminder has me incredibly depressed. Never dealt with the meal plan thing before either, so from a purely Disney standpoint I'm not entirely confident that it will be as straightforward as it seems to sounds. Then there's the highly anticipated return for my son, but what differences will there be for him going at 13 rather than 8-9 as he was last time? His pre-trip excitement level is about the same as any of the other numerous visits, but how will it be after three days on site?

We shall see.

When I went to WDW at 13, I was really loving it. It was summer then, though, so some of the reasons I had a blast aren't going to be there in the winter (even in central Florida). Back then there were only two parks (and 1 water park), so it was easy to run into the same people (girls) many times during a vacation.