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The Best Disney Restaurants For Kids

If you’re planning the ultimate kid-centered Walt Disney World vacation, you’ll definitely want to stay in one of the best Disney resorts for kids. You will also want to book dining reservations at the best Disney restaurants for kids!

While it’s true that almost all restaurants in Walt Disney World cater to children, some dining spots are definitely better suited for the younger set than others. From elaborate theming to exotic menu choices or their favorite characters, here are the kids’ picks for best Disney World restaurants.

And by the way, the kids who shared their opinions below happen to be the children of some of the best Disney gurus on the web!

SECTION 1: CHARACTER MEALS

Character meals are a no-brainer for parents heading to Disney World with small children. The kids get to meet some of their favorite characters and get autographs without waiting in line. It’s perfect for kids who get restless at the dinner table as they will be up out of their seat and distracted by who is coming to their table next.

The drawback of character meals is that they can feel chaotic. It’s hard to relax with a larger-than-life character stopping by your table and thrilling your child every few minutes.

Another negative for some (but not all) character meals is that the quality of the food can be lacking. A lot of character meals are buffets, and many have the same kid-friendly go-to dishes that get redundant after a while.

We like to mix up our dining reservations to have a nice balance of character meals and regular sit down meals, which tend to have a slower pace.

Tusker House

So when I said character meals have lower quality food, this would be an exception.

The food at Tusker House is unique and delicious with an African flare. You can find things like carved bone-in ham, corned beef hash, potato and leek frittata, and the famous POG juice at the breakfast buffet. (In case you haven’t yet had the pleasure of drinking POG juice, POG = passion fruit, orange, and guava.)

Lunch and dinner feature carved meats, seafood, couscous and African stews and salads.

My kids loved meeting Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy at Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House. Zari says his favorite part was “meeting Mickey with his explorer outfit on, eating waffles and the really good juice that was like… tangy and tropical.”

1900 Park Fare

My daughter Tiana loves the character dining at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. First of all she loves everything about that resort, since it’s “the most beautiful and fancy of all of them.”

If you go there for dinner, try to go on a Magic Kingdom day so you can take the monorail from the park to the resort. Get there a little early so you can walk around the lobby and explore a bit before eating.

She also loves the characters at dinner, especially Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella: “Lady Tremaine was mean just like in the movie. But not too scary. The stepsisters were fighting over my brother because because he was in a prince costume and they both wanted to marry a prince!”

Sarah from MomMoment.com agrees that 1900 Park Fare is great fun for kids. She says:

Our favorite Disney Restaurant is 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. We’ve hung out with the Evil Stepsisters for dinner, and stuck our tongues out with Alice and the Mad Hatter at breakfast. I’m usually not a fan of the buffets, but 1900 Park Fare has really delivered with good quality food every time. I also love the variety of Characters you can meet, including villains like Lady Tremaine and favorites like Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh.

Her son says, “I love it because it’s a buffet, but the food is really yummy. The characters are all ones that you can’t find at the park really easy. I’ve never found Mad Hatter at the park, and Alice in Wonderful is kind of hard too.”

Crystal Palace

Robin of Luxe Recess says her children’s favorite Disney dining option is Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom:

My kids consider Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom our family ritual. We have photos of Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore from over the last 7 years that serves as our kids’ unofficial growth chart. We have always enjoyed an extended air-conditioned break for lunch, and the buffet offers lots of healthy options so that we can indulge in Mickey bars in the afternoon.

Bon Voyage Breakfast at Disney’s Boardwalk

Disney’s Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno on the Boardwalk offers the unique opportunity to meet some Disney PRINCES! The character breakfast features Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Ryder.

Kayla from Mommy of a Princess writes:

We enjoyed meeting both princesses and princes. They did a formal announcement for each character while we were there which was really fun to see. Rapunzel and Flynn danced together which was absolutely adorable! They also did a character parade (happens once per hour) for all the kids to follow and dance with the characters together. Our food was delicious and presented in a very fun and creative way. I ordered Rapunzel’s Tower of Pancakes and it was so yummy! My little princess loved the pancakes too. She liked the powdered sugar sun off and ate nearly as much as I did!

Ohana

This one technically qualifies as a character meal AND non-character meal, because it has characters at breakfast (typically Lilo and Stich, as well as Mickey and Pluto in their Hawaiian garb) and no characters and lunch or dinner. Both are great fun and delicious food, but I think the breakfast wins as the meal of choice for kids.

During breakfast, children are given maracas to do a little parade around the restaurant with Mickey.

The food is served family-style in a large skillet in the center of the table. It’s all-you-care-to-eat, so they will keep refilling it until you’re done. The breakfast starts with Hawaiian welcome bread and a side of fruit. Then the skillet comes out filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, breakfast potatoes, and Mickey waffles.

If you’re not staying at the Polynesian, booking a meal at Ohana also gives you a reason to go check out the resort. The theming is exquisite and there are several great restaurants on site.

Hollywood and Vine

Truth be told, the food at Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood and Vine has never really impressed me much, but kids rate it one of their favorite Disney restaurants.

Disney Junior breakfast at Hollywood and Vine features some hard to find characters, including Doc McStuffins, Jake from the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First and Roadster Racer Goofy.

Depending on the season, dinners at Hollywood and Vine feature Minnie in various holiday garb with friends like Daisy, Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

Shannon of BRB Going to Disney says her toddler daughter loved seeing the characters all dressed up for in their pastel best at Minnie’s Springtime Dine. She especially loved Minnie’s dress!

SECTION 2: NON-CHARACTER MEALS

50’s Prime Time Cafe

This Hollywood Studios restaurant is always a hoot, even if the nostalgia factor is appreciated by the parents more than the kids.

Adults will be blown away by the details in this restaurant where seemingly every tchotchke is the exact one from your grandparents house! Kids enjoy the interaction with the servers, especially when they give their parents a hard time.

Tiana says,

I love how the Aunts and Uncles are your servers and they tell you things like “Get your elbows off the table!” One time my mom got yelled at for being on her phone and it was SO funny!

Randomly, I actually caught that incident on video so here it is:

The menu includes classic Southern comfort food like fried chicken and meatloaf, just like Grandma would make. Definitely a unique experience that is not to be missed.

Teppan Edo

Teppan Edo is a fun, interactive Hibachi restaurant located in the Japan pavilion at Epcot. It makes a great meal for families because it holds the little ones’ interest but allows the parents to get a break from the typical American casual cuisine and enjoy some yummy Asian food.

Gena from GingerCasa.com says, “My boys (4, 7, 9) all say Teppan Edo at Epcot! My youngest was celebrating his birthday and they gave him a chef hat and he loved it! The food is THE best and they were all so nice (of course!).”

Via Napoli

Lisa from Adventures In Familyhood shares that her 11 year old daughter loves Via Napoli in the Italy section of Epcot:

My favorite Walt Disney World restaurant is Via Napoli. The pizza is heavenly! It tastes as if the chefs put Disney Magic into every pie they make. The margarita pizza is my absolute favorite. It’s the dough that makes the pizza so yummy.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

Lindsey of Red Head Baby Mama writes:

My son loves Sci-Fi- Dine-In Theatre because of the unique car seating and awesome movie clips! Mama likes the fact that he’ll clean his plate here, too.

AJ, age 7, also loves Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre:

The Sci-Fi drive in movie restaurant is the coolest because you get to sit in these cool cars and you get to watch TV!

Some parents love Sci-Fi as well, however they caution that it can be very dark and difficult to read the menu. There is also the issue of the seats, which all face the screen. That means if two parents are sitting with two kids, you are not facing each other. The kids most likely won’t mind, but it can make it a little difficult to cut their food and address any needs they may have while they dine.

Rainforest Cafe/T-Rex

Darkness, noise, and animatronic animals might not be at the top of the list of characteristics adults look for in a restaurant. But for kids, the unique experience found at Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex (both owned by the same company) is about as thrilling as dining can be.

Lena, age 5 says: “We went to Disney Springs and I liked Rainforest Cafe. It looks like a real rainforest and kind of like a zoo!”

Most kids will go gaga for the theming if they are animal fans or dinosaur aficionados. However, if your child is easily frightened by darkness or noise (or thunderstorms!), they might not enjoy the experience.

Both of these serve up your standard American fare with large portions and themed names like Prehistoric Pasta and Guac-asaurus burger.

With two Rainforest Cafe locations (Disney Springs and Animal Kingdom) plus T-Rex also at Disney Springs, these reservations are pretty easy to get in case you missed that 180 day mark when planning your trip.

Does your kid have a favorite Disney World restaurant?

Leave a comment and let us know what it is!

Fri
22 ^nd

5 Best Disney Souvenirs (and 5 Not Worth Your Money)

Posted by Caitlin - 45 Comments

Disney world: it’s fun, it’s magical, and… it’s expensive! Parents save and save just to get their kids there. Then you finally set foot inside the parks, and the kids have the audacity to ask for MORE! The reason? There are fun and exciting toys and souvenirs around every corner! The kids don’t stand a chance against the genius of Disney marketing. The key is to figure out which Disney souvenirs to buy and which to skip (or buy ahead of time for a better price!) Here are the 5 best Disney souvenirs, and 5 not worth your money.

Best Disney Souvenirs

Make your own light saber

A huge hit with all the Star Wars fans visiting Disney World! The price varies depending on how elaborate you want to get, with the simplest single blade design selling for about $25 and the most elaborate double blade designs (like Kylo Ren) going for around $45.

There are several locations in WDW where you can make your own saber. Tatooine Traders in Hollywood Studios can be very busy since it attracts most of the Star Wars crowd, so check out Once Upon a Toy at Disney Springs for the same experience with a shorter line.

Another cool option is the Build a Droid available at the same locations for about $15.

Here is a fun video showing the process:

Photo Autograph Book

This is an easy and inexpensive way to capture the memories of meeting Disney characters!

Instead of just getting the basic autograph book for characters to sign, buy one with slots to put photographs in. Then when you meet a character, snap a photo of the kids (or yourself, who am I to judge?) with the characters to put in the book alongside the autograph.

We actually filled two books with all the characters we met on our last trip, so we did one for just princesses and one with all other characters.

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My kids ADORE looking through these! It helps to preserve their memories of the trip too. (Have I ever mentioned how I can’t stand it when people say not to take young kids to Disney World because they won’t remember it? Preschool age is an amazing and magical time for a Disney trip!)

Silhouettes

Ok this one isn’t exactly the most Disney-esque of all Disney souvenirs, but it is probably the best bargain around for a truly lovely keepsake.

For only $10 per person you get TWO portrait silhouettes (the way they are cut leaves you with two copies, one facing left and one facing right).

They are done extremely quickly. We were in awe watching the process, and even our toddler was able to sit long enough to get hers done. It was shocking to me how wonderful they came out. They captured our children’s profile at that age perfectly. I absolutely cherish these silhouettes!

The carts selling silhouettes are stationed in several locations throughout WDW. We did ours in Liberty Square because we weren’t able to find the one on Main Street near Town Square (maybe the artist was missing that day?).

You can also get them done in Disney Springs and sometimes in the France pavilion at Epcot.

best Disney Souvenirs — Silhouette Cart in Magic Kingdom (photo credit: touringplans.com)

HOT TIP! Learn from my mistake and make sure to bring cash or credit card with you when you get these done!

We are so accustomed to just putting all expenses on our Magic Bands when we’re in WDW that we don’t even bring a wallet to the parks. But the silhouette makers are considered independent contractors and can not accept Magic Bands! I almost had to run all the way back to our hotel to get money after we had ours made, but luckily I was able to recite my credit card number for memory and they ran the transaction by typing it in.

My husband was a little alarmed by my ability to recite my entire credit card number, but that’s another story for another day 😜

Personalized Mickey Ears

The most classic of all Disney Souvenirs has got to be the Mickey Mouse ear hat. Go with the classic or pick your favorite character: Buzz Lightyear, Piglet, R2-D2, and tons more.

They have sparkly Minnie Mouse ears attached to a headband, an ear hat with a bride’s vail attached, and even light up ears that change color to the beat of the fireworks music. Prices range from $15-$25 depending on the style you choose.

While these may not be the most practical choice for theme park attire, there is just something special about a kid wearing them on their first trip to Walt Disney World. And it makes for all kinds of iconic photo ops.

One way to make these extra special is to have them embroidered with your child’s name on the back. Choose your font and stiching color, and within the hour your Mickey ears will have their owner’s name on them for only $3. You can also add two lines of text for $7.

You can get your Mickey ear hat embroidered at The Chapeau on Main Street of Magic Kingdom or at Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories in Disney Springs. If you want to order them ahead of time for your trip, you can order them through Disney Floral and Gifts.

Pressed Pennies

All over the parks, restaurants, and Disney hotels you will see pressed penny machines. Normally this is the kind of thing I try to steer clear of, but when traveling to Disney World with small children it’s one of those tools to keep in your arsenal. When there is downtime, things like this are a great distraction for kids and they get SUPER excited about it.

Here is the book we use to store them in:

They love going back and inspecting each one to see the different characters and rides on them.

Disney Souvenirs Not Worth Your Money

Mickey balloon

I feel like such a Disney grinch saying this, but I just can’t bring myself to spend $12 on a souvenir that won’t even survive the duration of the trip.

While they will delight your kids for a moment, they will likely drift into the sky minutes later causing a flood of tears. Best case scenario, they end up tied to a stroller that gets parked somewhere for the day while you go on rides.

HOT TIP! If you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, they do not allow balloons of any kind on the premises. They are hazardous to the animals on property. Avoid disappointment if you are staying there and don’t try to bring one back to your room!

Princess dolls

For the 12 inch (Barbie size) Disney Princess dolls, buying in the parks will cost you around $20. The same dolls are sold at any Disney Store nation wide for $10 when you buy two or more.

Delight your kids by taking that same $20 and buying two at home before you leave for your trip and surprise them when you get there 😃

Princess dress up dresses

One thing every little girl wants to do in Disney World is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

Girls get princess makeovers with hair, nails, and shimmering makeup by cast members called “Fairy Godmothers-In-Training”. The basic package costs a hefty $65 for the experience lasting 30 minutes to an hour. If you want the package that includes a new princess dress, it will set you back $200!

My advice would be to buy a dress elsewhere and stick to the basic package. Disney store, JCPenney, Amazon, Etsy, etc all have similar dresses.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a special experience due to the interaction with cast members and feeling of being pampered. It really doesn’t matter much where the dress comes from.

FYI: Without considering BBB, just to buy the dress alone that they sell in the parks goes for $70. This dress is considered “deluxe” meaning it is a bit more ornate than the regular Disney store dresses. But I truly don’t think most kids would notice the difference between that and the $45 Disney store dress that is still shiny, sequined, and has the Disney label.

Light up Toys

When the sun goes down in Walt Disney World, the light up toys come out. Glowing swords, necklaces, spin toys, etc are everywhere you look.

Of course every kid will want one and of course they are way overpriced. I have fallen for this one before but then I got smart and came equipped with this:

Light Up Galaxy Spinner with Flashing LED Lights

The kids were enthralled and I spent $7 on it. WIN!

Amazon also has a light up princess wand that would do the trick:

Light Up Princess Wand

Then when it breaks or gets lost in an hour, it doesn’t ruin your night 👍

Large stuffed animals

Please try to talk your kids out of buying a big stuffed animal in Disney World.

First of all, you can get them anywhere. Choose a souvenir that is more unique to the Disney parks.

Secondly, what are you going to do with the thing while you walk around the park and go on rides all day??? Yes, Disney has thought of everything so they do offer the service of holding it for you or sending it back to your room. BUT, how many kids are going to be ok with shipping off the giant Mickey they just talked you into buying? Then you know who is going to end up carrying it around… MOM!

What are some of YOUR favorite Disney souvenirs?

If you are planning an amazing family vacation to Disney World, don’t miss these 5 underrated attractions!

Wed
06 ^th

How To Beat Walt Disney World Crowds In 5 Steps

Posted by Caitlin - 8 Comments

Are you planning the ultimate Disney vacation and trying to figure out how to best manage Disney World crowds? Your ultimate guide is here!

1. Go in the off season

Thinking of a Disney vacation when the kids are off of school for Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, or summer vacation? Unfortunately, so is the rest of the world! These are when you will find peak crowds at WDW.

The week from Christmas to New Years sees the absolute highest crowds of the year, frequently causing Magic Kingdom to close due to capacity (Magic Kingdom holds an estimated 100,000 guests!) Even minor holidays like Columbus Day and Presidents Day will surge crowds for that week.

Christmas crowds at WDW Photo credit: MouseSteps

Are you telling me to take my kids out of school?

That’s a personal choice that depends on a lot of factors. Consider things like: how many other absences your children have, their age, ability to catch up on missed work, and the school’s policy on absences. It may or may not be a good choice for you.

Also consider how big a vacation this will be for your family. Is this your one and only Disney vacation where you want to fit as much in as possible? Or do you go every year and plan on taking it easy?

If you’re still on the fence, sit down and look at your child’s school calendar. Are there any days off that most of the country won’t have off? A random fall break, teacher development days, or February recess? That might be your opportune time to go without missing as much school.

What if I have no other choice than to go during these peak times?

In my book, a crowded day at Disney World still beats a regular day at home. If you must go during high crowds, follow each my other points to the letter, and make the best of it.

So when is the best time to go according to Disney World crowds?

Gone are the days when the parks are ever “empty”. Even during the low crowd times of year you will see substantial wait times for the most popular rides. But the average wait times will be significantly lower if you go in: January, February (except the week of President’s Day), April (except Easter week), early May, late August, September, October (except Columbus Day), November (except Thanksgiving week), and the first half of December.

For more specifics, including which park is the best to go to each day, I highly recommend Undercover Tourist’s crowd calendar.

2. Avoid the park that has Extra magic hours

You’re staying in a Disney hotel and you want to take advantage of all the perks. I get it. But the key to avoid crowds is to zig when everyone else zags.

For those who don’t know, each day one of the four parks has “Extra Magic Hours”, or EMH, meaning it opens early or stays open late for guests who are staying at a Disney hotel. People love to feel like they’re part of something exclusive! They also want to take advantage of all the perks that go along with the big bucks they dropped on their Disney hotel. That means the park that has Extra Magic Hours is going to be the most crowded park that day. Avoid that park!

The funny thing is, most people don’t even end up at the EMH park during the bonus hours. They either end up sleeping through the early morning hours, or being too tired to stay out for the evening hours. But people still see EMH as Disney telling them which park to go to that day, and they listen!

The only exception to this rule: There is ONE situation where I recommend EMH parks. If you have park hopper tickets, and you actually get up early enough to enjoy the early morning extra hours, by all means go to the that park for those hours. You will enjoy a couple low-crowd hours. Then, once the rest of the pack arrives, hop over to a less crowded park.

3. Rock rope drop

In the first hour the park is open, you will be able to accomplish as much as you would in 3-4 hours in the afternoon. Unless you are a family of super late risers whose vacation would be ruined by setting an alarm, I’d recommend putting the effort in to arriving at the park 30 minutes before it opens.

avoid crowds at Disney World — T and Z in empty Animal Kingdom after arriving 30 mins prior to rope drop!

Tips for making Rope Drop work for you:

Carry breakfast with you and eat it outside the park entrance while you wait for it to open. We get groceries delivered through Garden Grocer so all we need to do is grab a banana, yogurt, granola bar, or single-serving dry cereal box and throw it in our bag.
Don’t light the candle at both ends. Plan your days so the ones that start early, end early. It’s not enjoyable to try to do parks from open to close, especially if you have little ones.
If you are trying to do morning and evening hours, make sure to take that afternoon nap/break.

4. Use FastPass wisely!

I have an in-depth post about Fastpass, but here are just some quick highlights:

Do NOT miss your booking window to select FastPasses! Book your FastPasses 60 days from your check-in date if you’re staying on Disney property, or 30 days from the start of your trip if you’re staying off site. Log on to MyDisneyExperience to book your FastPasses starting at 7am EST.

Hit that sweet spot when selecting the times of your FastPasses. You don’t want to use them the first hour or two in the morning, because crowds are already low then. Wait too late in the day, and you won’t be able to take advantage of the extra FastPasses you can get after using your initial three.

11am to 2pm is generally the ideal time to book your FastPasses.

It’s also critical that you’re making your selections wisely. Your kid might love It’s a Small Word, but don’t waste a FastPass on it! Use your FastPasses on attractions that have the longest waits so they save you the most time.

FastPass priorities for each park:

Magic Kingdom

7 Dwarfs Mine Train
Splash Mountain
Space Mountain
Peter Pan’s Flight
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Enchanted Tales with Belle

Epcot

Frozen Ever After
Soarin’
Test Track (note you can only choose ONE of these three due to the tiering system)
Spaceship Earth
Mission Space
Character Spot

Animal Kingdom

Avatar: Flight of Passage
Na’vi River Journey (choose ONE of these two due to tiering system)
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safari

Hollywood Studios

Rockin Roller Coaster
Toy Story Mania (choose ONE of these two due to tiering system)
Tower of Terror
Star Tours
Frozen Sing Along

Disney World crowds — You want to be in the line on the RIGHT. Photo credit: The Mouse for Less

Not sure if your children are tall enough for these popular rides? I’ve outlined every height restriction in Walt Disney World as well as which rides are potentially scary for children or may induce motion sickness!

5. Make a quick getaway

Last but not least! Some of the longest, most stressful lines are not for attractions at all, but for buses back to your hotel after the park closes. After the evening spectaculars, you along with tens of thousands of others are all trying to exit at the same time. When you’ve had a long day and the kids are falling asleep in their strollers, the last thing you want to do is get elbowed in a sea of people and have to wait an hour for a bus back to your hotel. Here are some tips for an easier getaway:

Strategically place yourself near an exit

The train station balcony by the exit of Magic Kingdom is a great place to watch fireworks and puts you right by the exit for an easy getaway. Another good option is the hub at the beginning of Main Street by the flagpole. This is also a good place to see the parade.

At Epcot, you can watch Illuminations from the entrance to World Showcase (by the two merchandise buildings) and you’ll make it out of the park before the herd.

Take a different route to the exit

If you do find yourself by the castle for the fireworks, here is a trick to get to the exit faster. Most people don’t know that the shops all along Main Street are interconnected on the inside. When everyone is making their way down at a snail’s pace, you can walk right through from shop to shop.

Epcot has an advantage because it has two exits. In addition to the main entrance, there is the International Gateway located in between the France and UK pavilions of World Showcase. For anyone staying at the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan, or Dolphin hotels, this exit puts them at an easy walking distance to their hotel. Even if you aren’t staying at one of these, exiting via the International Gateway and then calling an Uber to your hotel might be a good option for those looking to avoid a crowded bus.

Consider getting an Uber

Getting around Disney World via Uber can be a great option if you’re in the time crunch. Typically rides from place to place within the World will cost $8-$13.

Be sure to download the Uber app before your trip if you’ve never used an Uber before. This will save time and have you all set to go when you’re leaving the parks.

If you want to get $5 off each of your first 4 Uber rides, (and support Real Mom Recs!) use the code johnp37188ue when you sign up for your Uber rider account.

If you’re taking an Uber from Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to meet it at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Only Disney authorized vehicles can drive right up to the entrance of the park.

For those who need a car seat, it is possible to order an UberX with a car seat for about $8 more than the regular rate.. Check out Uber’s website for more details on this.

Disney has also partnered with Lyft and launched the new Minnie Van service but at this time it is only available to guests of the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club. I will update if/when they expand to all the resorts.

A final note about Disney World crowds

Don’t be that parent that lets the stress of crowds ruin a good time for you and your kids. Some amount of people-herding is inevitable during this type of trip. The more relaxed you are about it, the better your children will deal with it, too.

Tue
15 ^th

Disney Cruise Hacks To Know Before You Go

Posted by Caitlin - 2 Comments

Don’t sail away on your first Disney Cruise without knowing these Disney Cruise hacks! There is a steep learning curve to cruising and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches if you’re prepared before you go. Here are some of our top tips for Disney cruisers.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning any purchase made will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Your Dinner Rotation is Right Here

When you are about to board the ship at the start of your cruise, you will receive your Key to the World card. With it, you will make all your charges to your account, get on and off the ship, check your kids out of the kids club, and open your stateroom door.

Lots of useful information is included right on your card, including your emergency station (that’s the big letter K on mine, which is where we had meet for the safety drill), dinner time and table number, and your nightly dining assignment.

The three main restaurants on the Disney Magic are Animator’s Palatte (A), Rapunzel’s Royal Table (R) and Lumiere’s (L). So I can interpret the letters ARLAR to see that the five nights of our cruise have us dining at Animators, Rapunzel’s, Lumiere’s, Animator’s, and Rapunzel’s.

Although two of the restaurants are repeated during the cruise, they don’t feel repetitive due to the different theme nights. Our second night at Animator’s was Pirate Night which has its own menu, dress, and decor. The last night is the Bon Voyage dinner which isn’t as elaborately themed but does have a different menu as well.

Know What Documents You’ll Need

Depending on where your cruise is heading, you will likely need passports. You need to show these (and your Key To the World Card) when you first board the ship AND any time you return on board after getting off at port. In some cases an original birth certificate is enough, which worked for our toddler who doesn’t have a passport.

To have these documents handy, I carried a large wristlet with our passports and KTTW cards that I kept within my beach bag. That way I could just pull it out while we waited in line to to board and didn’t have to dig through the bag for everyone’s IDs.

Be sure to check the Disney Cruise Line website for specifics about ID for your cruise.

Get The App Before You Go

You won’t have cell phone service once you get on the ship, and you’ll only have a very limited amount of wifi if you buy a package. Turn your cell phone to airplane mode when you disembark to avoid getting charged from your cell phone company, and just use your phone to tell the time and use the Disney Cruise Line app. You can text each other through the app, see the schedule of activities for the day, view your plans, and more.

Room Service Is Free

Comfy in your room and don’t want to get up to go looking for food? Just pick up the phone. There is no charge for room service, just tip a couple dollars. A lot of people like doing milk and cookies before bed, but we preferred fresh fruit bowls and the cheese and cracker platter during nap time. Our toddler woke up happily with a snack right there.

We eventually got smart and ordered 3 fruit bowls at at time to keep in the room refrigerator so the kids could have a healthy snack anytime they wanted.

PRO TIP: Is one member of your family an early riser? Order a carafe of coffee at night to be delivered outside your door in the morning. That person can enjoy their coffee while waiting for the rest of the family to come to life and head to breakfast.

Collapsible Beach Buckets

These collapsible beach buckets from Amazon fold up flat, perfect for packing in your suitcase or beach bag. Pop it open for kids to play with on the beach. Castaway Cay has showers you can rinse them out in before you get back on the ship. Then you can bring them home and use them again and again. We saw many people people buy the shovel and bucket set from Disney to play with on Castaway Cay, only to leave it behind at the end of the day because they didn’t want to pack and carry bulky toys.

Order a Case of Water for the Room on Day 1

You can technically drink the water from the sink in your stateroom, but it didn’t taste great and I was hesitant to drink much of it for fear of stomach issues. Instead, we had a case of water delivered to our room. They offer a special deal on waters and beer the first day of your cruise, in our case it was at a table set up outside of the D Lounge.

We kept our water bottles in the fridge and they came in handy for late night thirst, taking pills in the am, rehydrating when changing out of bathing suits, etc. Yes you can always head to the pool for the free drink stations, but sometimes you’re thirsty and don’t want to make the trip up.

Make Good Use of the Kids Club

One of several rooms in the kids club that my kids were happy to spend hours in

This is what sets a Disney cruise apart. The kids clubs (Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab) are amazing, so kids will actually WANT to go there. The It’s A Small World Nursery is also there to care for babies up to age 3 for a $9 per hour charge. Take advantage of these and get a couple “dates” in with your spouse! After all, it’s your vacation too and we all know chasing after kids all day is no vacation.

Pack More Sweaters

Make sure you pack more hoodies and sweaters for everyone in your family than you think you’ll need. Even in hot summer weather, the breeze on the ship is intense and can be chilly at night and early in the morning. And inside the ship, the air conditioning is blasting most of the time. I would recommend you pack something long sleeved to wear with every evening outfit on your trip.

Enjoy Adult-Only Time

When you’ve dropped your kids off at the kids clubs, take the time to enjoy the fantastic adults-only experiences on board. The alcohol tastings are very well done and fun. We loved Mixology, which shows you how to mix 5 different drinks in one hour. The drinks are tasty and they’re all different so there’s something for everyone. If you drink all five, you will definitely be feeling it, so be careful!

In addition to Mixology, we took advantage of the specialty adults-only restaurant Palo for a superb upscale Italian dinner with a view. There is a dress code, so don’t forget to pack pants, a dress shirt and dress shoes for men and a dress and shoes for women.

Palo restaurant on Disney Cruise line — Not a child in sight. Dinner at Palo absolutely lived up to the hype!

Mixology and Palo were two major highlights of the cruise for us. If you make time for it, you will not regret it!

Log In Right At Midnight When Your Booking Window Opens

If this is your first cruise, that means 75 days from the date you leave. Log in to your Disney cruise account at https://disneycruise.disney.go.com to book things in advance like port excursions, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, tickets for the Princess Gathering and Frozen meet and greet, Palo dining reservations, childcare hours at the nursery, and more.

Some activities may be all booked by the time you log in. If this happens, don’t panic. Many activities will be available once you’re on board, just check the Navigator you get when boarding and go directly to the sign up location. In our case, plenty of time slots were open for the Princess Gathering and Frozen meet and greet once on board. Mixology classes and other drink tastings were available as well.

One reservation we were not able to get online OR on board was Palo brunch. We ended up taking an available dinner reservation instead and it was spectacular, so no regrets there.

Make Your Own Sea Day

Mickey slide on the Disney Magic — Enjoying a nearly empty pool area while the rest of the pack went off to explore Nassau

Choose the port that doesn’t interest you as much as the others, and turn that day into your own sea day. Stay on the ship to take a break from the running around and get some dedicated relaxation time in. The pools and water slides will be much less crowded while everyone else is off doing port excursions so you can enjoy a quieter day by the pool.

Get a Wakeup Call From Mickey

Your kids may be less grumpy about waking up in the morning if you let Mickey do the wakeup call! He is the default voice of wakeup calls on a Disney Cruise.

You can also arrange a call from Mickey or Minnie before you leave for your cruise. My kids were super excited to hear Mickey saying he’d see them real soon on their cruise. Log in to your Disney cruise page to arrange this a few days before you leave.

Try a Sit Down Breakfast or Lunch

Each day your Navigator will tell you which restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch in addition to the buffet at Cabanas and the quick take away food from the other restaurants. While most people love the buffet, sometimes it’s nice not to have to get up and just let your server take care of you for a calmer, quieter meal.

Costumes For Everyone

Don’t be shy- Disney Cruises are for everyone to play dress up! Pirate Night is a blast, and you will want to have everyone in the family outfitted for the occasion. Disney will provide a bandana in your stateroom for each member of the family, but you will want more than that.

For a reluctant Dad who wouldn’t be caught dead in a frilly pirate blouse, we went with this simple t-shirt designed to look like a pirate vest:

You’ll also want to pack any gowns or dresses your little Princess fan might want. All over the ship you’ll find little girls roaming around in their princess garb, and of course it’s a must for their princess makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

Both pirate costumes and Princess dresses are available for purchase on board, but you will find a greater selection at better prices if you shop at home.

PRO TIP: If you have your cruise booked far enough in advance, hit up clearance sales right after Halloween. Both pirate and princess costumes will be greatly discounted.

Large family? No Problem

Staterooms can only accommodate families of 4, with just a handful of exceptions. If you have a larger family like we do with six, you can book two staterooms with a connecting door in between. Then just prop the connecting door open for the week to turn the two rooms into essentially one big suite.

I was a bit concerned going into our trip that we would feel separated from the kids with this arrangement, but once you see the rooms your fears will be put to rest. The space in the staterooms is TIGHT, so the door is literally a step from the foot of your bed, and then one more step to get to the other room’s bed. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to hear a kid calling me in the night, but in fact I was able to hear every sniffle and cough coming from the kids’ room.

Pack Some Ziploc

At the last minute, I threw some gallon size Ziploc bags and sandwich size baggies in my luggage before leaving home. Wouldn’t you know I used every last one of them while on our cruise?

Gallon size bags will allow you to separate any soiled clothes or wet stuff from the rest of the clothes in your baggage. Whether it’s wet bathing suits or any bodily fluids that come along when traveling with kids, you will be glad you have these!

The smaller baggies I used for snacks and bringing food items back for later. With so many food options, my kids often took too much but didn’t want to throw away the extra (for example, the Fruit Loops at the breakfast buffet- junk cereal is a special treat in our house!). I would dump it into the baggie and then break it out at a later convenient time, like sitting waiting for the stage show to start.

Take Advantage of Photo Opps

Meeting Captain Mickey on Disney cruise — A crew member happily snapped this pic of us with my cell phone

If you’re like me, you probably have approximately 800,000 pictures of the kids on your phone. And you probably have a handful of pictures of the whole family with yourself included.

Each night of your cruise when you and your family dresses for dinner, get ready a few minutes early and head to one of the photographer lines set up in the atrium. If you buy the photo package ahead of time, you’ll receive digital copies of all the photos on a thumb drive at the end of the cruise (costs around $200). Even if you’re forgoing the photo package, you should still stop at the photo stops and have a photographer snap a picture with your camera or cell phone.

Have a Magical Time With These Disney Cruise hacks!

It takes a little bit to master the ins and outs of cruising, but I hope with these Disney Cruise hacks you will be a step ahead. I hope you love every minute of your cruise making priceless family memories.

If you are planning a Disney land and sea vacation, don’t miss my Disney family vacation posts from kids’ favorite Disney resorts to making the best use of Fastpass and how to save big on Disney!

Fri
27 ^th

Kids Favorite Disney Resort For Each Price Category

Posted by Caitlin - 5 Comments

You can read all you want about which Disney resort hotel is the best, but kids have their own criteria! Whether it’s activities, water slides, or animals, the kids choose their favorite hotel based on FUN! Read on to find out the kids favorite Disney resort for each price category.

Why choose a Disney resort?

I know there are tons of non-Disney hotels in the vicinity of the property that offer more space at a lower cost than Disney-owned resorts. Personally, I have never managed to break away from Disney to go try them! There are a few reasons for this preference:

Never breaking the “Disney bubble”. Everything Disney does is magical and themed down to the smallest detail. When I’m on a Disney vacation, I love staying immersed in that world.
Disney knows kids. They just get it right every time. In the lobby, they have Disney cartoons playing on TV with kid-sized chairs in front of them so Mom and Dad can check in peacefully. You can have a character call with your wakeup call each morning. The staff are amazing with children and always seem to have a sticker or a wink and a smile for the little ones. I’ve even had a child get sick while staying at a Disney resort and they had a doctor to the room for me in 30 minutes. That’s the kind of thing that’s worth paying extra for as far as I’m concerned.
Magical Express Sure, there is always Uber, but when you have four little ones in tow without car seats, the free bus from the airport to your hotel is a major convenience. (And they take your bags for you too, so no waiting around at baggage claim!)
Happiness is… boarding the Magical Express!
Earlier Fastpass Booking Window When you stay at a Disney hotel, your window to book Fastpasses opens up 60 prior to your trip. For all other guests, Fastpasses can only be made 30 days out from the start of your trip. This is a big advantage for getting those hard-to-get Fastpasses, like Avatar Flight of Passage. (Be sure to read this post for help with your Fastpass+ selections!)
Getting to the parks It’s super easy to get to any of the parks (and Disney Springs) when you stay at a Disney hotel. There are frequent buses that take you to whichever one you need to get to and they run all day. Some resorts also have boat transportation, which is a slower but more fun way to travel. Some people don’t care for the buses, but I’ve always found them to be prompt and relatively enjoyable.
Extra Magic Hours These hours, either super early in the morning or late at night, are times when only Disney resort guests are allowed to be in the parks. They may or may not fit in with your touring plan- I recommend utilizing EMH only when you have park hopper tickets. This way you can enjoy those hours when the park is less crowded, but switch to another park for the rest of the day. The reason? The park with EMH tends to end up being the most crowded park of that day during regular hours. Click here for more tips on avoiding crowds at Walt Disney World.

Disney Resort Categories: What’s the difference?

Disney categorizes its hotels into Value, Moderate, and Deluxe categories. ALL Disney resort hotel stays come with the perks outlined above. All rooms also come equipped with wifi and mini fridges. However there are also some differences in the amenities based on category.

Value Resorts

Value resorts include Pop Century, Art of Animation, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Music. All of the Value resorts are boldly themed to appeal to children. They all have rooms that measure around 260 square feet and are priced around $100-$200 per night (for non-suites), depending on the season.

For dining options, the Value resorts have food courts and pizza delivery, but no sit-down (table service) restaurants.

They all include at least one pool, but no water slides.

Moderate Resorts

It seems like all Disney connoisseurs have their favorite Moderate that they will defend to the death! These resorts do all have their own unique personality. Included in the Moderates are Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, and Fort Wilderness.

The Moderate Resorts each have a table service restaurant in addition to the food court for more dining options. They also have a main pool with a waterslide in addition to secondary “quiet pools”.

Moderate rooms have a larger square footage than the Values (314-340 square feet) and some can accommodate 5 guests by including an extra pull out bed.

The cost for a Moderate resort is $180-$290 per night, depending on the resort, room location, and season.

Deluxe Resorts

Disney’s Deluxe resorts include Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Yacht Club, the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, Boardwalk Inn, and Wilderness Lodge. The Deluxes have more mature, refined (and of course beautiful) theming. Most offer other methods of park transportation besides buses, such as by boat, monorail, or walking paths.

The dining at Deluxe resorts includes a more upscale table service restaurant and a quick service option, but not a food court. They all have a main pool with water slide in addition to smaller quiet pools. They also have gyms and salons on site.

The cost per night at a Deluxe resort ranges from $325-$830 for a standard room. Animal Kingdom Lodge tends to be the least expensive and the Grand Floridian and Polynesian being the most expensive.

Now Onto the Kids’ Picks!

Kids Favorite Value: Art of Animation

One immediate perk of Art of Animation for bigger families like mine is that is has a large number of suites holding up to 6 people with 3 separate sleeping spaces. The family suites are themed after the popular movies Cars, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo (yes, you can request which one you want to stay in). The standard rooms that hold 4 people are themed after The Little Mermaid.

Kids favorite Disney resort — The bedroom in a Nemo room at Art of Animation

The decor in the rooms is elaborate for whichever movie you’re in. It could be described as “loud” and many adults may find it to be overly bright and perhaps tacky. Kids tend to love it.

Art of Animation’s exterior theming is what we’d call “larger than life.” There are huge sculptures of kids’ favorite characters all over the grounds.

A major highlight for kids is definitely the Big Blue pool, which is truly enormous and plays underwater music. There is also a fun splash area for little ones to cool down and burn off some energy.

One caution about this resort: Like all of the Values, Art of Animation is VERY large and spread out. If you want to be closest to the lobby, book a Finding Nemo room. The Cars and Lion King rooms are about a 5-7 minute walk from the entrance. The Little Mermaid rooms are even farther than that. If you have any mobility issues or even just with small kids in tow, think about how you would do walking at this hotel in addition to all the walking you’ll do in the parks.

A convenient aspect of Art of Animation is that it does not share a bus with any other resort. It is also in walking distance to Pop Century if you want to walk over and check out another resort or try out a different food court.

Kids Favorite Moderate: Fort Wilderness

Fort Wilderness is a huge 750 acre forest consisting of a campground, family cabins, two restaurants, and dinner show, two pools, a playground, a water playground, tennis, a lake, hayride, jogging trails and more.

The campsite allows families to use their own camper or tent with access to facilities. The 400 standalone cabins can accommodate a family of 6. The cabins include a kitchen, which is nice if you’re on a budget and want to cook in.

This resort has so many fun activities, you could make a vacation out of just staying here and not even going to the parks. Archery, horseback riding, kayak and canoe rentals are just a few of the off-the-beaten-path experiences families can enjoy here.

Devon of Mama Cheaps rented a golf cart for her kids to ride around the campground. Their other favorite activities included the pool, taking the water taxi to Magic Kingdom, and dinner at Hoop Dee Doo.

Ashley of ashleysolberg.com says her kids loved making s’mores with Chip and Dale at the camp fire sing along and move night. You can buy a s’more making kit for $10 on site, or include the supplies with your grocery order if you’re having groceries delivered. It’s a unique memory-making Disney experience!

Whether you like camping or prefer something closer to clamping, Fort Wilderness will win you over with its Disney-meets-summer-camp feel.

Kids Favorite Deluxe: Animal Kingdom Lodge

I once made the terrible mistake of doing a split stay and making my kids leave Animal Kingdom Lodge for another hotel half way through our week. My kids were FURIOUS! They could not fathom how I saw the Contemporary as an “upgrade”, because to them nothing tops Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Had I thought it through ahead of time, I would have realized that for a kid nothing else can compare to having giraffes and zebras roam outside your window.

Kids favorite Disney resorts — No, this isn’t super zoomed in. The animals are RIGHT THERE!

Animal Kingdom Lodge is so elaborately themed, you actually feel like you’re on an African Savanna. I have never seen another hotel like it.

While all the Disney hotels offer children’s activities, Animal Kingdom Lodge has truly special educational children’s programming. Cultural immersion activities include African face painting, medallion rubbing, stamping, learning the native language of the International cast members, a cultural tour of Sanaa, and many more. Getting to speak with and learn from cast members from Africa is a true gift for our kids.

Animal Kingdom Lodge also has Wildlife Encounters on the premises where you can learn about flamingos, witness animal feedings, tour the savanna, and learn how scientists track animals in the wild.

Then there are the just-plain-fun activities like cookie decorating, Disney trivia, and hula hooping.

The pools at AKL are gorgeous and also have children’s activities like African drumming and wildlife trivia. My kids enjoyed the zero depth entry and water slide.

The unique ethnic restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge are some of the best on Disney property, including Jiko, Sanaa, and Boma. You can even take culinary tours of Jiko and Boma, the two table service restaurants found in Jambo House. The restaurant tours do require advance registration, but any guest of Walt Disney World can participate even if they aren’t staying at AKL.

One activity that’s on my list for a future stay- an evening tour of the savanna with night vision goggles! I know my kids would love to try this.

With so much to do at this resort, a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge is best enjoyed with one day without any parks just to take advantage of all the fun on the premises.

Which do you think will be YOUR kids favorite Disney resort?

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