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How To Dine With Mickey and the Gang at Disney | Mom Thyme

Atlanta Eats | Mom Thyme

 

Atlanta Eats readers are hitting the roads this summer and, for many of us, that means a family vacation to Walt Disney World! Of course, we’ll want great food while visiting the “happiest place on earth”, so I’ve asked Authorized Disney Vacation planner and agent for WDWGetaways, Annie Upchurch, to share with us her top tips for dining at Disney:   

Make Reservations Early – This is SUPER IMPORTANT because many popular Disney restaurants start taking reservations 180 days in advance of your trip. To get that “must have” reservation at a top dining spot (e.g. lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table, breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, or, dinner at California grill) you should plan ahead and book it as soon as possible. And, great news, your Disney Vacation planner can secure all of these reservations for you and will make restaurant recommendations based on your family’s dining preferences and budget. 

Check Out Disney’s Dining plans – Disney offers a variety of affordable dining plans to guests staying at a Disney World resort. The most popular is the Disney Dining Plan which consists of one table-service meal (sit down and order from a menu), one quick-service meal (counter service), and one snack a day per person. Character meals are considered a table-service meal and are included on the dining plan. Dining plans are a great way to eat well yet stay within your budget while at Walt Disney World!    

Schedule A Date Night!Yes, it is possible to take the kiddos to Disney AND still enjoy a fun date night while on vacation! Disney World offers resort guests in-room babysitting services for children 6 months – 12 years old, or, you can use one of the Children Activity Centers (located at several of the deluxe resorts) that offer supervised play spaces for children 3 years -12 years old. After a long day at the parks, you and your spouse can enjoy a romantic dinner out knowing that your little ones are well taken care of!    

My Disney Experience– You can now keep up with all of your dining on the new My Disney Experience website and app. All dining reservations can be linked to your account, and you are able to pull them up online, change reservations, and more with this new experience.  At the resorts and parks, guests can scan their new Magic Bands when eating to either charge the meal to the room or apply the meal to their dining plan. It’s a super easy way to manage all of your dining at Disney!   

Thanks so much, Annie, for sharing your top Disney dining tips with us! For any additional questions about planning a magical and memorable trip to Disney (dining, park tickets, reservations, etc.), Annie can be reached at [email protected]

And readers, I’d love to hear from you, what are your top tips for dining out on summer vacation? 

disney pic

Photo courtesy of southernliving.com

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