The Perk of Early Planning: The "Must Get" Disney Reservation!

My "must get" Disney reservation is not made for a particular restaurant, made to enjoy a particular food, or even to visit a particular resort.  My reservation is made for a partiular time.

One of the perks to planning your Disney vacation far in advance is that you are ready to go at the 180 day mark, when Disney opens the Dining reservations window.  Planning early means that not only do you get your choice of restaurant, but even your choice of dining time.

For my family that means one thing - a breakfast reservation in the Magic Kingdom before the park opens.  WHAT, you say?  Before the park opens?  Can you even do that?  Absolutely, and it is just magical!

Imagine strolling through the turnstiles of the Magic Kingdom with out a stroller nipping at your heels.  Enjoying the relative coolness of the morning hours, as you enter the park.  Have your camera ready to snap a picture of your child's face as you round the square and the castle comes into view.  Stop for a moment and enjoy - it is the only time you can do so in the morning without the risk of a mini stampede running you over.  Wave a cheerful good morning to all of the PhotoPass photogs ready to snap your picture as you walk down Main Street.  Don't be tempted to stop too soon...keep walking to the hub and find that last photographer.  He or she will be ready to snap your picture in front of the castle in the empty park.  Or by the Partners statue with nobody in the background.  Get ready to snap away and get some of the best pictures of your entire vacation.

The Photopass photographers are usually just standing around waiting for families to stop buy, so they  have lots of time to take pictures.  We had a mini photo shoot the last time we were there first thing in the morning - complete with costume change! 

As we continued across the hub to the castle, we found other photog with a different angle of the castle.  Since we planned for picture time and still had several minutes before our reservation, I handed over out PhotoPass card.  The photographer, said, "Let's do something a little different.  We have the time and the space!"  She snapped some pictures of us as we walked up to the castle holding hands and then some more as we walked back.  How cool is that?  My oldest said she felt like we were shooting a commercial. I'll bet not many folks have similar pictures in their Disney scrap books! 

Once our picture taking was done, we strolled back up the ramp, into the castle and dined with the princesses.  A bonus feature of the early morning reservation is that we finished our meal at 8:55, 5 minutes prior to the park opening.  So as the masses were trucking down Main Street, we were hopping on Dumbo and getting a jump on the day!

So how you can you re-create this experience?  It is actually pretty easy.  On the 180 day mark, make a breakfast reservation on a day that the park opens at the usual 9am. Do not schedule breakfast on an early opening day or if there are Extra Magic hours.  This could mean folks traveling at peak times may be out of luck.  Aim for a breakfast reservation at or before 8:20.  This will usually give you enough time to get a jump on the day by being at the back of the park when the park opens.  Make sure you arrive with plenty of time before your reservations - allow for slow buses, security bag checks, walking time, and of course, plenty of picture time!

There are two restaurants that offer breakfast prior to park opening. The Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends, which is the more affordable option, requires a credit card guarantee, and costs 1 dining credit on the Disney Dining Plan. You can expect, but are not guaranteed Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore and Piglet. Cinderella's Royal Table is the other option. You can expect, but again are not guaranteed, some combination of Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, and Ariel. Cinderella's Royal Table requires either prepayment in full or 2 table service credits and a credit card guarantee if you are on the dining plan. The princess meal also includes gratuities and a photo package which somewhat offsets the eye popping price tag.

So what if you can only find a reservation 10 minutes before park opening?  I say go for it!  You will miss much of that coveted first hour the park is open with super low crowds, but the experience and pictures are probably worth it - particularly if you have another morning set aside to get an early spin on Dumbo!

So what if you waited to long to book and the early morning time are completely booked up?  All is not lost!  Cancellations happen all the time.  Just be diligent and troll for reservations regularly.  You just might get lucky!

Changes Ahead: Disney World Dining Reservation Policy

If you have not been making dining reservations lately, you may be unaware that Disney has been tweaking their Dining Reservations policy over the past few months. If you have ever stumbled onto a Disney message board, you have inevitably seen a post from a proud park goer boasting that they have booked a breakfast, lunch and dinner reservation for EACH park for EACH day of their vacation. Why would anyone go to such lengths? The reason given is they just do not want to be tied down to a plan…they just want to wake up and go where the mood takes them, and they want to be guaranteed a great reservation. As they delight in their superior ADR prowess, every other reader of the post is getting ready to give it to him…with both barrels. And I can understand why – by making a reservation in each park and perhaps a few resorts that person is keeping the rest of us from getting a coveted dinner at ‘Ohana or breakfast with the princesses. As a travel agent, I find myself scouring the internet looking for cancelations for my clients, in case someone was kind enough to cancel some of their double, triple, and quadruple booked reservations. And Disney…well they are stuck with empty tables, that could otherwise be filled.


Disney has been working to combat this problem in many ways. First of all, you are no longer allowed to double book dining reservations. If you create a reservation for a meal on a particular day, you are given a prompt that you already have a meal booked for that date and time. You will be asked which one you would like to keep, and the other will be canceled. This is a great feature as it not only prevents a accidental (or intentional) over booking, but it saves a step of having to cancel a previously made reservation. Nice!

Disney also has started sending out email reminders. With so many smart phones, families stay plugged in - even on vacation. A quick email is a great way to remind folks where they need to be. And if you need to cancel – they provide both a phone number and a link for you to do so. Easy! If you last minute planners are reading between the lines here, that means 24-48 hours is a great time to troll for cancelations.

Finally, and perhaps most controversially, a new policy effective October 26, 2011, will require a credit card guarantee for new reservations at Signature Dining and most Character Dining locations. Cancellations to reservations made less than one day in advance will incur a $10 charge per person listed on the reservation.

A few restaurants have already had this policy in effect, but the new policy will greatly expand the list. The $10 per penalty is not huge, but will certainly give triple bookers a cause for pause! Only serious diners need apply! While this can be a little frustrating, and some “innocent” dinners may be caught up in the penalty charges, this should mean more reservations available for those who fully intend to eat at the restaurant booked.

A word of advice: Be careful scheduling Signature and Character meals on your arrival day! A delayed flight, or excessive potty stops on your drive can mean that you not only miss a reservation, but will face a penalty if you do. Also, if you plan your trip and fully intend to go, but end up canceling your plans – be sure to cancel your dining reservations as well!

A new phone number has been added, specifically for canceling dining reservations. Avoid those penalties by calling 407-WDW-CNCL within the appropriate cancelation window.

The following locations will require the new credit card guarantee (Note: This is just a credit card guarantee, not a prepayment of your reservation):

• 1900 Park Fare
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Cape May Café
• Chef Mickey’s
• Cítricos
• The Crystal Palace
• Flying Fish Café
• The Garden Grill
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Hollywood & Vine
• Jiko – The Cooking Place
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Narcoossee’s
• ‘Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurant
• Victoria & Albert’s – $25 per person
• Yachtsman Steakhouse

The following locations still require prepayment of your reservation (or a credit card guarantee if you are on the dining plan):

• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

Overall, I think these changes will result in a better experience for everyone. Just remember to cancel your reservations if you do not need them – credit card guarantee, or not!

Do you REALLY save money on the dining plan?

To dining plan or not to dining plan...that is the question.

Many of the families I work with are gung ho about signing up for the dining plan, and others are more than a little suspicious. Critics of the dining plan site its cost, the overabundance of food and not wanting to be “tied down” to dining reservations so far in advance. While all of that is absolutely true, I decided to wear the hat of my number crunching husband. I took the practical approach to see if the dining plan actually saved us money. Turns out, for our family, the dining plan is not only a winner, but a BIG winner.

We opted to go for the Regular Dining Plan, often called “Plus Dining”, which consists on one table service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per day for each night of our resort stay. This plan made the most sense for us because I like to have one sit down, relaxing meal each day. In fact, it is my favorite part of the day. I love to be face to face with the family and talk about what we loved, what we didn’t and what we are looking forward to the next day. After we order, I have been known to discreetly pull out the video camera and do a quick interview with the kids. I love hearing about the day in their own words while it is still fresh. I like the break, the “forced” time out from the world to relax and really talk.

Another reason the dining plan makes sense for our family is that I hate nasty surprises. My thought going into the trip that I would either break even or come out slightly ahead cost wise with the dining plan (Boy was I wrong, I came out WAY ahead!). I signed up any way because I wanted to know exactly what our food costs were going to be.  The husband I and decided that even if we ultimately spent a little bit more on the dining plan, it would be worth having as a sort of "insurance" policy.  Also, I like to splurge a little on vacation and Idid not want to “settle” for the hamburger when I really wanted the steak. It was a good feeling knowing that meals were budgeted and paid for in advance. We could order whatever we wanted off the menu guilt-free….no surprises…no sticker shock.

To be fair, the critics of the dining plan do have some reasonable points. If you have paid for so many table service meals, you want to make sure you use them, which requires dining reservations…which requires advance planning. Of course, if you want to eat at any particular tables service restaurant, you will need a dining reservation whether or not you are on the dining plan! I also tend to plan most of my park days well in advance any way. While I do not necessarily believe in scheduling every second, I do not like crowds, so for most days I pick my park based on crowd levels…once I pick my park my dining falls into place.

Assuming that you are going to eat one sit down meal every day, the most compelling argument against the dining plan is the cost and the “too much food” aspect of the plan. So I dutifully saved my receipts and crunched the numbers. I looked at the numbers in two ways…what I actually ordered vs what I would have paid and what I would have ordered if I were not on the dining plan vs what I would have paid. If I were not on the dining plan, we might have shared a snack instead of buying more to take home with us, we would certainly have skipped dessert at lunch, and instead of my husband and I both ordering dessert at dinner, we would have gotten one to share.

I figured that I would have come out ahead on the apples to apples comparison, but what if I compared apples and oranges?  What if I compared the cost of the dining plan to what I would have ordered as if I had to pay on the spot? Would that 1 dessert and 1 snack for the family to share ultimately mean the dining plan cost us more than it was worth?

Well...let’s see… I used our first 4 park days as an example since we ate one quick service and one counter service meal each day. I totaled up what we ate and subtracted the cost of the dining plan to see the savings. To be fair, I did order more than I would have if I were not on the dining plan so I subtracted out the “extras” that we would have passed if left to our own devices.

So over our first four days, we saved over $280 on dining! If you subtract out the extras we still would have saved over $190! I must admit that I was really surprised at the savings. I honestly thought we would come close to breaking even or maybe end up getting out snacks “free” out of the deal.

To be fair, if we were not on the dining plan, I might have chosen some less expensive restaurants. For example, I might have traded in Liberty Tree Tavern for the Plaza. I also may forced my kids to eat from the kids menu. But I am sure that I still would have kept some of my favorite higher end restaurants in the mix. Of course, some of those snacks that I subtracted from my end of day total went to buying rice crispie treats to bring back home as little gifts…so that savings would ultimately have been added back into my souvenir budget.

For our family the biggest savings was a result of having children under the age of 9 on the dining plan and eating at buffet restaurants. The cost of the kids dining plan is $11.99. The cost of some dinner buffets is $14.99-16.99. So we came out several dollars ahead with just one meal! Also, Disney does not distinguish between adult and child counter service credits, so if my kids preferred something on the adult menu, I allowed them to order it. While Disney policy states that kids under 9 should order from the kids menu when available, every cast member when asked, allowed me to order from the adult menu for my kids.

So is the dining plan for you? I give you an enthusiastic “YES!” if one or more of the following is true:

• You plan to sit down and eat one meal a day.
• You have a budget that is important to adhere to.
• You have kids in the 3-9 age range.
• You enjoy eating from the "higher end" of the menu.
• You enjoy eating at "higher end" restaurants.

And if all of the above are true - you are crazy NOT to be on the dining plan!

If I can help you with your vacation planning please contact me at TMC Travel or by email.  As always there is no fee for my services!

Food Allergies, Disney World, and You

It seems like more and more families I know are dealing with food allergies these days. I am not talking about the old fashion "belly aches" that my brother got if he ate something with oats in it, but serious, potentially fatal food allergies.  Families dealing with food allergies live in a constant state of high alert....every label must be read, every snack checked, and every meal carefully prepared to avoid cross contamination with a potential allergen.

If you are a family dealing with food allergies from mild to severe, I have GREAT news for you!  Disney cares!  A LOT!! 

As a travel agent, I have worked with many families dealing with food allergies, so I thought a first hand call was in order so I could let my clients know what to expect.  I am happy to report that I got some great information!

First Steps
First of all, if you are headed to Disney and have food allergies, your first call (after me of course! ;)) should be to the Disney dietary request hotline at 407.824.5967.  When I called I was instructed to leave a message and someone would contact me within 2-3 business days.  To my surprise, my call was returned within an hour or two.

I spoke with a fantastic and knowledgeable cast member who patiently answered every question I could think of.  She told me that she was giving me generalized information, as I was not calling with a specific allergy.  If you call with a specific allergy or allergies, you get specific information...go figure! 

There is no guarantee that your allergy can be accommodated, but you can be sure Disney is used to dealing with the major offenders (gluten or wheat, shellfish, soy, lactose or milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or eggs).  Every effort will be made to make sure your visit is a safe one.  Disney also clearly points out (as families dealing with food allergies know) "it is ultimately always up the Guest to use his or her individual discretion to make an informed choice regarding whether to order any particular items, since the Walt Disney Company cannot guarantee that allergens may not have been introduced during another stage of the food chain process—or even inadvertently—by us."

It is all about the details!
After you make contact with the Special Dietary Requests office, they will complete a form detailing the type and severity of your allergies.  A copy will be send to your resort hotel, as well as all of the restaurants where you are planning to eat.  (This is where planning ahead with your ADR's really pays off!)  This form will be sent directly to the chef ahead of time to make sure that he is aware of your allergies and his kitchen is stocked appropriately.

At this time, the Special Dietary Request office will give you some great "need to know" information.  For example, if you have a serious shrimp allergy, dining at Columbia Harbor house would be a serious risk for you.  They can also make recommendations of various Counter Service locations through out the park that can most easily accommodate you.  For the record, every restaurant will try to accommodate you, but if you are "winging" things or just prefer the path of least resistance, knowing where you can be easily accommodated is certainly handy.

When you make your reservations, you should also note your allergies on the standard form provided.  This information goes to the hostesses and waitstaff to make sure they are properly alerted.  This does seem a bit redundant, but it is worth doing to make sure everything is a safe as it can be.

When you Arrive
Table Service Restaurants - When you give your name to the hostess, he or she will likely immediately acknowledge your allergies.  If not, be sure to mention it!  The hostess will alert your sever and the chef.  Expect the chef to come to your table to discuss your allergies and any accommodations that need to be made.  The chef will advise you as to what is safe to eat from the menu, or will offer to prepare you something to your liking. How cool is that?
Buffet Restaurants - Expect all of the same as you would from a menu service restaurant, but with a twist.  If you have a less severe allergy, the chef will walk down the buffet with you and let you know what is safe to eat.  If you have severe allergies, the risk of cross contamination is too high on a buffet, so the chef will as what you would like and he or she will specially prepare it for you.  Again, how cool is that?
Counter/Quick Service Restaurants - Alert the cashier of your allergies and a chef will be sent out to speak with you. The chef will let you know what is safe for you and will see that it is safely prepared.  Again, all locations will accommodate you, but you may find it easiest to stick to the restaurants that can accommodate most allergies.

It's my party!
Planning a celebration?  Need a cake?  Not a problem!  Call the cake hotline  at least a week in advance, preferably longer, and let them know your needs.  You will have a safe cake waiting to celebrate your special day!

Plan ahead
Please plan on contacting the Special Dietary Request a minimum of two weeks in advance.  Some meals (such as vegan meals, low protein meals, and kosher meals) are prepared at an off site location and shipped in.  Adequate notice is requires to make sure your meals are where they need to be.  Also, restaurants and resorts will actually stock their kitchens based on your needs.  Soy milk can be easily found around the property, but Disney will happily stock Lactaid for you if you need it.  All you have to do is let them know.  (I know!  How cool is that?!)

As I concluded my conversation with the great lady at Special Dietary Requests, I asked what else I needed to know.  She repeated that every guest is given specific information based on their specific needs...so I have the feeling that I only scratched the surface.  She also indicated that Disney regularly reviews and changes their policies to better serve their guests, so even if you are a Disney pro, you need to check in each visit to make sure your needs are considered.

She also referred me to the official Disney web page on the topic.  Click here for more information.

So...happy (safe!) eating!

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This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles.

Still hoping to for that hard to find ADR?

Only a small percentage of Disney die hards are willing to be up by 6am 180/190 days before they vacation to make sure they get that coveted Le Cellier reservation.  Many families to not even plan their trips until 2-4 months before the fact.  Others did manage to get reservations, but at off peak times or on days that are not ideal for their travel plans.  If you are any of those people, listen up!

If your perfect reservation is not available at first glance, keep trying!  People do cancel reservations.  One key time to try is 45-50 days or so before you hope to dine.  For Disney package holders, final payment is due 45 days prior to travel.  Many people use that as their "do or die" date and if they opt not to travel, many will cancel their resort and dining reservations all at once.  That is your chance to swoop in and scavenger for some good finds!

Right now is a great time for late November and December travelers to look for those hard to find reservations.  The Candlelight Processional packages were released yesterday and many people are cancelling their "backup" ADR's.

Finally, keep tabs on the Monthly Cancellation thread over at disboards.com.  Nice people over there post when they are cancelling their reservations which will allow those "in the know" the best time to time their dining searches.

Good luck...and happy dining!

What is an ADR and why is everyone so crazy about it?

An ADR is Disney–speak for an advanced dining reservation (sponsored by the Department of Redundancy Department). An ADR works a little differently than a traditional reservation. Instead of reserving a table and having it waiting for your arrival, you will be seated at the next available table for your party. Some franchise restaurants have a similar “Call Ahead” seating option. Unlike calling ahead to your local Applebee’s before you leave your house, in some cases your ADR’s must be made first thing in the morning almost 6 months before you plan to enjoy your meal. For those of you thinking that I surely made a typo, I can assure you I did not. Disney starts taking reservations 180 days* ahead of schedule and some restaurants book completely within minutes of the reservations window opening. Yes. I AM serious.

How Do I Make an ADR?

The good news for those making ADR’s is that you can now make your reservations online as well over the phone. Disney has also launched a new online reservation system that is much more user friendly than it's previous version. You can make a specific request for date, time, and restaurant and immediately book it if it is available. If your selection is unavailable, alternate times will be offered if they are available.  Alternate restaurants at the requested time will also be offered. This is a  HUGE improvement over the previous reservation system!

You can also be very broad with your request, which is a handy feature if you are closer to your planned dining date. You can simply input a date and “lunch” and all available restaurants and times will be returned for you to make your final selection. Easy! If you are not near a computer, you can still go the old fashioned route and call (407)WDW-DINE and a real, live will help you.

When Should I Make My ADR’s?

The short answer is that you can start making ADR’s 180 days in advance. The longer answer is that if you are a Disney resort guest you get an additional perk when making your ADR's. Instead of making your reservations 180 days in advance for each reservation (calling every day for several days in a row) you can make all of your reservations at one time, 180 days from your check in date. Disney calls this the 180 day +10 plan. You can make one call and make your reservations for the next 10 days of your trip. This can give you a 190 day window for some reservations - a HUGE advantage if you are trying to book the hard-to-get restaurants!

*Due to a current glitch in the new reservations system, reservations are being taken 190 days head instead of 180 days + 10. It is not clear at this time if this will become a new policy or if the glitch will be fixed. Knowldege is power on this!  This glitch occured between the 180 and 190 day mark for my trip.  I was lucky enough to get what I wanted, but I know of some folks who did not know of the glitch and were shut out by the 180 day window. 

The online reservation system opens at 6 am EST. If you have a “must get” reservation, make sure you are online and ready at that time.

So, Do I Really Have to Decide Where I Want to Eat Six Months From Now?

Absolutely - If you want to eat at a popular restaurant.
Yes - If you are traveling during a busier time – anytime that school is out.
Certainly – If you are traveling during a Free Dining period. More guests will be taking advantage of the Dining Plan and ADR’s will be harder to come by.

What are the hardest to get ADR’s?

The three hardest to get ADR’s are for Le Cellier (Epcot), Coral Reef (Epcot), and Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom). These restaurants regularly book to capacity 180 days ahead.

The next tier of hard to get ADR’s include Chef Mickey’s (The Contemporary), The Garden Grill Restaurant (Epcot), Tusker House (Animal Kingdom), The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom), Tappan Edo (Epcot) and 50’s Prime Time Café (Disney’s Hollywood Studios). These restaurants generally are completely booked 80-120 days ahead.

What if my 180 day window has already passed?

Do not despair! While the more popular restaurants may already be booked you will certainly find a place to eat. Also, you can count on the fact that many guests will end up canceling their reservations for one reason or another. The new online ADR system makes checking for cancellations a piece of cake! If you really are looking for a hard to find spot, be persistent! Check online a few times a day for cancelations. Be especially persistent in the 45-55 days prior to when you are hoping to find a reservation. Disney travel packages must be canceled 45 days prior to travel, so you may be able to pick up a reservation from someone who waited until the last minute to cancel their trip. I personally was able to get a coveted breakfast for Cinderella’s Royal Table in Cinderella Castle only 5 weeks ahead! If all else fails you still have one other option to try…the walk in. If you arrive promptly when a restaurant opens or at the end of a service period, you may be able to be seated without an ADR, even in the most popular restaurants. This is a last resort option and is highly unreliable, but it never hurts exhaust all options!

Anything else I need to know?

• Disney suggests you arrive 15 minutes prior to your ADR.
• I suggest that if you are using Disney Transportation to arrive at your ADR time, allow more time that you expect to get there. Leaving your resort or theme park an hour before your ADR would not be too early if you are depending on bus transport!
• Because you do not have a true “reservation” for a specific table you can expect to wait when you arrive at the restaurants. In most cases the wait will be less than 15 minutes, but in peak season, it is not unheard of to wait 30-45 minutes.
• If you make an ADR and your plans change, be sure to cancel! Not only will you make someone else’s day, but you may avoid a “no-show” cancelation fee. Such fees are only charged by a few restaurants that require pre-payment with a credit card.
• For Breakfast ADR’s, a great trick is to make your reservation before the park opens. You can get into the park before the masses and can get some great pictures of an empty park. I treasure my photos of my little princesses in front of Cinderella Castle with no one else in the background! Plus, you are already deep into the park when the park opens and can be first in line for a headliner attraction!
• Most restaurants are super casual – it is a theme park after all! However some of the nicer restaurants located in resorts have a “business casual” dress code. If you are in doubt, be sure to ask!
• You will be given a confirmation code for each reservation you make. Be sure to hang onto it in case any issues arise.

Refillable Mugs - The Ins and Outs

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you can purchase a Refillable Mug for $13.99 + tax. The purchase of a mug, entitles the "mug holder" to free refills at their resort for the length of their stay. The mugs can be purchases and refilled at the resorts quick service dining location. Some resorts also have a second beverage station located near the pool.

How big is it? The mug holds 16 ounces and is nicely sized to fit in a cup holder when you get home.

Which drinks can I put in the cup? You can refill your mug with any fountain drink from your food court. You can also refill it with coffee or tea - but if you are a southern gal like me, be aware there is no proper sweet tea on property!

Are there any drinks I can't put in the cup? Yes - Disney does not allow you to get free refills on milk and juice...and I would not expect the local barkeep to refill it with a frosty margarita, though I am sure many have tried!

Can I refill at the parks? No. The mug can only be refilled at your resort. You can, however, fill your mug and head off to the parks with your mug in hand.

Do I need to bring dish soap to clean my mug? No. Disney has a mug wash station near each fountain location. You can wash it before you refill. If you are worried about throwing a dirty mug in your park bag, just bring a gallon zip top bag from home. Then there will be no worries about an errant drip leaking onto your touring plan!

Can I reuse my mug on my next visit? If you have ever been on a Disney bulletin board, you will find some crazy debates on this topic! The mug you purchase is to be used for your length of stay only. If you choose to bring it back with you on subsequent trips, you technically are stealing (but the mug police are not going tackle you on the spot). In fact, to follow the letter of the law, if you split your stay between 2 or more resorts, you have to purchase a new mug for each resort. I am pretty much stickler for following rules, but even I could sleep soundly reusing my mug in that case.

Is it worth it? Probably the most asked question and most difficult to answer, as it is so subjective. Obviously, the longer your stay, the better value the mug is. From a dollars and cents perspective, you will be getting a mug that you can take home as a souvenir. It is not as good a quality of mug that you would buy in the parks, but it is more than "serviceable". (In terms of quality, think nice free give away offered by a radio station or store) At home, I would expect to pay $4-5 for the mug alone. At Disney, I would expect to pay twice that. As for the drink itself, you can expect to pay over $2 for each fountain drink at a resort.

If you simply must start and end your day with a Diet Coke, your mug will quickly pay for itself. Also, if you expect to make regular use of your mug, consider requesting a room closer to your resorts quick service location. If you are staying at the sprawling Caribbean Beach Resort, for example it may not be worth a 10 minute hike to refill your mug!

Is the mug on the Dining Plan? Yes. And no. If you are on the Quick Service or Deluxe Dining Plan, one Refillable Mug per person is included on your plan. If you are on the regular dining plan or paying out of pocket for meals, then you will have to pony up the cash to purchase a mug.

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There's an App For That....Dining

I have a new addiction (besides obsessively planning my next trip to Disney World). I am addicted to my iPod Touch. So addicted that I am trying to justify the purchase of an iPhone now that I have started working as a Travel Agent. Now I have a real need to check my email anywhere, right?

You can imagine how happy I am when my obsessions intersect in the form of Disney Apps. From time to time I will review an app to help you decide it if it worth your time and money.

I will start with a favorite: Disney World Dining. Not sure if the Dining Plan is a good call? Wondering how soon you will break even on your Tables in Wonderland Card? Need to make sure that your picky mother in law will find something she will enjoy for dinner? Then the Disney World Dining (WDW Dining) app is for you!

Disney World Dining is an easy to use, intuitive app that lists menus for all restaurants at Disney World. It is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch no 3G or wi-fi connection is required to access the data, making it perfect for Touch users to use in the parks. The app is available in the App Store for $1.99.

When you open the app you are presented with a list of each park and resort. Within each park, the restaurants are nicely organized by land, making it easy to locate the restaurant you are looking for. When you drill down to a specific restaurant page there is a brief summary of the restaurant, a photo, and some key information, including whether the restaurant is a table or counter service, if the Dining Plan and Table in Wonderland card is accepted, and the average entree price. You can then further drill down to specific menus. The menu often includes a brief description as well as the price. I am not including screen shots of the actual menu, as I don't want to land myself in any trouble!

From the main restaurant screen, you can flag a restaurant as a favorite which will include it on the "My Favorites" tab located on the Home Screen. This allow quick access for future review.

Also from the Main Restaurant screen you can access the Scheduler Function. The Scheduler allows input of ADR information, including Date, Time, Confirmation Number and Party Size. All scheduled events will be included in the "My Dining Schedule" screen tab located on the Home Screen.

Once your schedule is complete it can be emailed directly from the app. A search function is also available to find restaurants, but the great organization of the restaurants makes it almost superfluous. GPS Functionality will show restaurants nearest your location iPhone users have additional functionality of being able to call WDW-DINE directly from the app.

Overall, this is a great little app. There is a significant amount of information available right at your fingertips, it is well organized and easy to use. Assuming the developer maintains the app with menu updates, this app is very worth the price.

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This post is part of theDisney Blog
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My Best Free Dining Tip!

This tip is going out to families with kids in the 3-9 year old bracket...

• Is your child an adventurous eater?
• Does a kids meal leave your child wanting more?
• Does your child covet your (or their siblings) grown up dessert?

If you answered yes to anyone of those questions, listen up! If you are taking advantage of Free Dining via PIN Code or seasonal promotion consider buying your child an adult ticket. Isn't that way more expensive, you ask? Well, yes it is more expensive, but not by much! If you are planning on purchasing a 3-10 day Magic Your Way Ticket the price difference between an adult and a child ticket is only $33. Not $33 per day...but $33 total! Pretty neat, huh? Your child will have many more menu options and you have a fabulous dessert to use as bribery through out the day!
Of course, you can purchase an adult ticket for your child even if free dining is not offered, but you will have to pay the much higher adult rate for the dining plan on top of the extra cost of the ticket. It could still be a good deal if you have a 9 year old with a huge appetite...just not as cheap as well...free!
Remember, that this only works one way. you can make your 3-9 year old an adult, but you cannot make your 10 year old a child. If you have a 10 year old picky eater that eats like a bird and will only eat off the children's menu, you are still on the hook for an adult ticket.
Free Dining books up fast, so if you are visiting the Mouse this fall, start making those ADR's today!