In working for Our Laughing Place Travel, I find that one of the most asked questions is “how do I eat with the characters in Walt Disney World?”  Of course, being a character groupie, I always have some great answers.  I wanted to share some of my Character dining knowledge with everyone.

When thinking of dining, it seems to be easier to break the choices down by area.  I will start with the parks.

Magic Kingdom:  Cinderella’s Royal Table is one of the most popular, and needless to say, one of the most difficult meals to grab a reservation.  It features characters at all three meals. Characters vary, but almost always include Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother and may include Belle, Jasmine and Snow White.

Crystal Palace is a great place to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends.  You can catch a snuggle from Eeyore or bounce with Tigger.   Piglet can also be seen shyly greeting guests.

EPCOT:  Another very popular restaurant is the Ankershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion.  Here you can visit with Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Mary Poppins.  For a special treat,  Ariel will occasionally stop by in her gown.

If you are searching  for Mickey, Chip and Dale and Pluto, head over to the Land Pavilion in the Future World section of Epcot.  Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast  features a “farmer style” meal.  Yummy!

Hollywood Studios is where you can find the younger Disney fans.   Hollywood and Vine offers breakfast and lunch with Playhouse Disney.  Daily, Special Agent Oso, Handy Manny and June and Leo roam around the restaurant for photos and greetings.  If you have older children, they can take advantage of the dessert and sundae station while their younger siblings enjoy the characters.

The Animal Kingdom features a character breakfast, and lunch  called Donald’s Safari Breakfast and Lunch  located at the Tusker House in Africa. Characters include Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Mickey. Be sure to fill up before you tackle the African Safari!  I’ve heard that some folks are gone for days!!!!

Along with the parks, the  Walt Disney World resorts have character meals, as well.

Beach Club Buffet in the Cape May Cafe serves breakfast every morning with Goofy, Minnie, and Donald.  If you are looking for a great buffet, this would be a smart stop for an EPCOT morning.  The restaurant is within walking distance to the rear entrance to the park.

A hugely popular character meal is Chef Mickey’s in the  Contemporary Resort.  This breakfast and dinner buffet is served with love along side Mickey, Chip, Dale and Chef Goofy.   Not only is the meal wonderful, the view is amazing as the Monorail runs straight through the building.

When we started thinking about a vacation two years ago, my husband and I were leaning toward a cruise on the Disney Cruise Line.  We are serious Disney people and after over 25 trips to the parks, we wanted to try something different.  At the time, my twin boys would be celebrating their 19th birthday on the ship.

We sat down at the dinner table to let them know that we were leaning in the cruise direction, thinking, of course, that they would be ecstatic at the idea.  We couldn’t have been more wrong!  They were very unhappy.  The first thing out of their mouth was “you’re wasting our Disney money”!

After much persuasion, they decided to give it a try.

We decided to go with two cabins.  With the boys both over six foot tall and weighing in around 175 pounds, it would have been a tight fit in a standard cabin.  My husband and I opted for a Standard Outside Cabin with Verandah and the boys were happy with the Standard Inside Cabin.

When we arrived at the ship, it was much larger than I had imagined!  Not to mention breathtakingly beautiful!  All of us got a kick out of our names being announced as we entered the ship:)

I think it was when we ate our first “welcome” buffet and attended the send off party that they realized that this was going to be a classy vacation.

Over the next few days, my boys ate things that they had never even heard of before the cruise.   I heard them order escargot and caviar.  They loved the idea of walking on the deck and having a piece of pizza in their hand at all times!  They ate like kings!

My favorite part was that we all had a chance to completely enjoy each other’s company.  There was no cell phone calls or texting at the table.  They were old enough to be in the “adults” only areas of the ship so we were together every day.  (After noon, that is.  They were teenagers – they needed their sleep!)  If you ask them, their favorite day was at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  This is where they discovered their new love of snorkeling.

All in all, we all had a fabulous time.  Being new at cruising, we had opted for the 3 night Bahama’s Cruise.  We are now saving for a 7 night Disney cruise to anywhere!  As we disembarked, I left feeling like we were a closer family.  I forgot the fact for a moment  that - soon - I would be losing my boys to college… and later wives.

To Disney Cruise Line I have but two things to say, thank you for a wonderful family vacation and sorry about the mess and smell in that one cabin on level 6!

What’s the most magical night in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World?  That would be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!  It would even put a smile on Scrooge McDuck’s face!

The party officially begins at 7:00pm and runs until midnight.  When you walk under the train station. glance down Main Street and see the Castle Dream Lights, your jaw will drop in awe!  It is one of the most beautiful sights to behold.  If you prefer, you can stay in the park and watch the Castle Dream Light Ceremony.

The night includes a special Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, featuring Santa Clause, an extra special Wishes Fireworks display and free treats.  Most of the attractions operate during the party, as well.

Standing at the end of Main Street with free cookies and hot chocolate in hand, snow falling on my head, eyes fixed on the incredible castle before me, melts my heart!  It makes my tummy pretty happy, too!

The party is a special ticket event.  Check with your OLP Agent for the date that would fit best with your schedule.  She can pre order the tickets for you and make some great dining suggestions.

The scheduled dates for 2011 are:

November 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, and 30; December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 18. Prices for the party are as follows (all prices listed include tax):

Advance Purchase for November 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 29, and 30; December 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14: $60.66 for adults 10 and older / $55.33 for ages 3-9
Passholder and DVC Member Discounts for November 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 29, 30; December 4, 6: $56.40 / $51.07
Day of Event: $67.05 /$61.72

We started our first family trip when my twin boys were 2 years old. Most people thought that we had lost our minds! It actually ended up being a fun filled trip! (On this trip, as well as all to follow, we were accompanied by my parents.) The most important thing was to keep the kids happy and their bellies full. That was an easy task. With all of the character dining, we accomplished both, at the same time. Their favorite place to dine was Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends in the Magic Kingdom. The loved Eyeore and Piglet visiting the table. There was constant movement and noise to keep their attention. The SpectroMagic parade was another favorite. From their strollers, they loved watching the lights coming down Main Street. That year, Disney featured a special stage show with all of the afternoon cartoon characters. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time at that show.

We rode Dumbo, It’s a Small World and Peter Pan about a hundred times! As you would imagine, the Magic Kingdom is where we spend a majority of our time. We came home with almost every character sold in the parks and DownTown Disney Market Place.

Our next few trips were during their grade school years. They still loved the character meals, but this time we expanded our horizons. They decided that their favorite was now Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort. They were out of the strollers and running from one attraction to another. During these years, our money was spent on play sets and figures. The pool at Port Orleans Riverside, which was at that time Dixie Landings, played a huge part in our vacation. The water slide was a huge hit!

The boys’ taste in rides changed dramatically. They headed toward the more daring rides like Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. We started venturing over to the other parks. Epcot seemed to play a big part in our schedule during the elementary years. We headed to Innoventions and seemed to never leave! They loved the interactive attractions. The restaurant of choice during these years was Sci Fi Dine In Theater.

In 1999, we were chosen to be the Grand Marshall of the Magic Kingdom parade. What an honor!!! We were led to the backstage area and we were featured in the parade. We got to ride a shiny, antique firetruck. This was a special trip because it was our final time to travel with my father who passed away the next year.

As my boys turned to teenagers, I thought that our Disney days were over. To my surprise, they asked if we could return, once again. Of course, I was all for it! This time, everything was different. We ate at the fine dining restaurants. Their tastes had matured and Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian) and Le Cellier (Epcot’s Canada Pavilion) had become favorites. We spent hours in each of the World Showcase pavilions, studying the artwork and building structures. They even tried out the German that they had been learning in high school at Germany in Epcot. Disney Quest was also a favorite. They loved playing the games, both virtual reality and the “oldies” that their dad and I used to play. When we offered to by souvineers, they headed straight for the magic shop, Magic Master, in Disney’s West Side.

I think the best part of our “teen” trips is that they are now old enough to stay in the parks witout our supervision. The buses assure them a safe way to the home resort. My husband and I can relax by the pool or take a closer look at the other resorts.

So, when someone asks me the best age to visit Disney World, I have to honestly say, “every age”.