Wishes Dessert Buffet Now Open

On June 23, Disney began offering what I think just may be my favorite dining experience yet, combining the Magic Kingdom's fabulous nightly fireworks display, Wishes, with a buffet of signature Disney desserts! The buffet takes place at the Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace and is slated to run through August 28, but I'm hoping it will be so hugely popular that Disney will reconsider and make it permanent--or at least keep it until I can make a trip down to experience it personally!

Here are the details: Cost is $17.99 for guest 10 and older and $9.99 for kids 3-9. Once you check in, you receive a wristband that identifies you as a buffet guest. I am told that the desserts come out in shifts, to keep everything fresh, and that they are plentiful, varied, and delicious! The buffet includes a drink station with coffee, tea, lemonade, and water.

All seats have a clear view of the Spectromagic parade, as well as the castle for the show. Guests are allowed to watch from their tables or from the railing. Considering the caliber of desserts served, along with the priority seating for the parade and fireworks, the Wishes dessert buffet looks like an excellent Disney value in my book! Call 407-WDW-DINE to book.

Thursday's Tip

Today's tip is a dining tip: Make lunch your big meal of the day. This is especially true if you are eating a buffet meal. Take this example: Dinner at The Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (non-seasonal pricing) is $28.99 per adult and $13.99 for a child 3-9 (children under 3 are free). For a family of four with two adults and two kids, that will run you a whopping $85.96. Lunch at the same restaurant is $20.99 per adult and $11.99 per child, for a grand total of $65.96 for that same family of four. You save $20 by eating earlier! At most restaurants, lunch prices are good through around 2:30 or 3:00 PM, so you could have a late lunch and get by with a light dinner. (It's also easier to get a seating at off-peak times.)

Disney Visa Cardmember Discounts

Good news for Disney Rewards Visa Cardmembers! Disney has just announced a new discount on rooms at moderate resorts for fall, and the savings come out to about 35% off regular seasonal rates. Travel dates are 8/9/09 through 8/18/09 and 8/22/09 through 10/3/09. Rates are as low as $96/night for a standard room.

If you aren't already a Disney Rewards Visa Cardmember, click here for more details. There are a number of theme park benefits, including this most recent discount!

Thursday's Tip

Today's tip is primarily for families with toddlers, and it's all about working in an afternoon nap. Now, many Disney veterans swear by taking an afternoon break away from the parks, returning to the hotel for a nap (or swim, for the older kids). While I think this is a great approach for some families (and especially those with younger toddlers who can't miss their naps), our family has always opted for staying in the parks and seeking out a dark, air-conditioned theatre to get the little guy or gal a power nap. Here are some of our favorite nap areas, by park:

• Magic Kingdom: Hands down, this is the best park for napping. Hall of Presidents is a favorite. Since it's currently closed for refurbishment (re-opening soon!), we also recommend the Carousel of Progress. The Country Bear Jamboree isn't bad either. Another option (if it's not unbearably hot) is a cruise on the Liberty Square Riverboat. The ride is about 30 minutes--a perfect power nap.
• Epcot: The American Adventure is a dark theatre with cushy seats, idea for a cool snooze. Many of the pavilions on the World Showcase have quiet areas or benches in air-conditioning. In Future World, try Honey I Shrunk the Audience.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios: Your best bet is the Muppets 3-D Vision. American Idol Experience and Voyage of the Little Mermaid are also decent options, but the first is pretty loud and the second may be too exciting for kids to sleep. We've also found that The Great Movie Ride provides a nice, albeit brief nap experience. Just cover the tots ears during the gunfire.
• Animal Kingdom: This one is tougher. Not many quiet and dark shows here. Finding Nemo or It's Tough to Be a Bug (if your child isn't freaked out by bugs) would probably be the best choices, although it might be tough to get your child to close his or her eyes and ignore the show in either of these. We've had success getting in a quick nap on the Wildlife Express train.

My best tip is to know your child! If he or she needs a full-on, back-to-the-hotel nap, then by all means get one. But if you've got an older toddler who just needs a boost to get through the rest of the day, try one of our recommended (and many of them tested!) spots.

Stitch Getting a Makeover Already?

The 'net is abuzz with rumors that Stitch's Supersonic Celebration will close within the next two weeks for changes. This high-energy show in Tomorrowland has only been in operation about six weeks, but tepid reviews have focused on the lack of story line as well as the lack of shady seating--or any seating--for guests.


One has to question the wisdom of building a theatre (er, a stage and sound booth) for a show featuring a character that doesn't have a current show on Disney Channel and whose only theatrical release was in 2002. And, did we mention that there's no appearance by Lilo in the show? I mean, what's Stitch without Lilo? (We skipped the show on our recent trip based on that fact alone.) Still, you gotta hand it to Disney for taking immediate action to fix what was obviously (well...obvious now) a mistake.



It will be interesting to see if rumor becomes reality. And to see what Disney does to make this show work.

Update: Apparently Disney decided to close the show, rather than revive it. The final performance of Stitch's Supersonic Celebration was June 27, 2009. Stay tuned for info about what might replace this short-lived show.

Guests Can Now Make ADRs Online

You asked, and Disney has responded! Disney has launched a long-awaited online Advanced Dining Reservation system (without much fanfare, I might add). At this point, it appears that the system only works through the Restaurant section of Disney's website, meaning you'll have to book your ADRs in a separate transaction from when you book your resort and purchase tickets. It also appears that some dining experiences still require a phone call to 407-WDW-DINE. Nonetheless, as someone who has spent a bit of time on the phone trying to get ADRs sorted out (and remembering to call at the proper hours), I'm thrilled to have the option of making them online at my convenience.

Friends Fly Free to Orlando

Southwest is offering its famous "Friends Fly Free" sale for travel to Orlando. This page describes how you can combine this offer with other Disney specials for extra savings. Combine with the Summer Savings offer for travel dates now through 8/8/09 or the Free Dining offer for travel dates 8/16 through 10/3/09.

Thursday's Tip

Today's tip is a packing tip for traveling with kids: Pack each day's clothing for kids in separate gallon-sized zip-seal bags. Include socks, underwear, even accessories in the bag. That way, each morning, all you have to do is grab a bag and start getting the kids dressed. This also makes it easier for older kids to handle getting dressed themselves. I even go so far as to write the day on each bag, so I know exactly what the child is wearing each day.

Bonus: all those extra bags come in handy! We put our camera, video camera, and other items in separate zip-seal bags inside our backpack that we take into the parks. This keeps items dry in case of rain or on water rides.

Free Dining Extended!

Free dining for fall has been extended! Book through July 26 for most travel dates 8/21/09 through 10/3/09 (week of 9/21-9/26 is excluded). For details, click here.

Happy Birthday Donald Duck!

Hard to believe that the wacky waddler we all love to laugh at turns 75 today. He looks pretty spry for his age. Happy birthday, Donald!

Discount on Theme Park Tickets

When it comes to your Walt Disney World vacation, there are dozens of ways to save money: discounted hotel rates, frequent flyer miles, taking your own snacks, bringing your own stroller...the list goes on and on. But one way that it has always been difficult to save money is on the actual theme park tickets. Yes, if you want to sit through a three-hour presentation from any number of time-share companies in the greater-Orlando area, you might score a free ticket. (Most of these tickets, however, are not the same "Magic Your Way" tickets that Disney sells; they are valid, but can't be changed to add Park Hopper, Water Parks & More, or No Expiration.) And, yes, there are some official Disney ticket brokers that offer a free day or two with purchase of a multi-day ticket. When you catch them running a special, the savings can be significant. But, most often, the total discount off the gate price is nominal.

But today I was clicking through my junk emails and discovered an offer from the Entertainment company. You have to be an Entertainment member to get in on this, but you can purchase a book for any city--it doesn't have to be the Orlando area book. (Books range in price from around $15 when they are discounted to up to $40 in some cities.)

There are several offers that you can check out here. Basically, you can get a 7-day adult park hopper for $278.66 (regular price is $296.07) or add the Water Parks & More for just $322.70(regular price is $349.34). Those prices include tax, but not delivery. You may pick them up at the Orlando office for free (it's less than a mile from Disney's main gate), or you can pay shipping charges. There are also deals on 5-day tickets, but they are only a few dollars less than the 7-day, so why wouldn't you take the two extra days! Comparable discounts are also available on child tickets, and there are discounts for Disney's water parks and other attractions as well.

These are among the best prices I have seen from a reliable source. (Always be careful where you purchase Disney tickets. There are scam artists aplenty who prey on tourists.) The tickets expire 14 days from the first use, but since they are valid "Magic Your Way" tickets, you can always add the No Expiration feature if you're unable to use days.

Back to Reality

We're back from the most recent family vacation to Walt Disney World. OK, so we've been back for several days now, but I'm having trouble with the re-entry process. Trying to pretend we're still on vacation, so that meant no blogging for a few days.

I'm sure I'll have much to say about this trip in future posts, but my initial takeaway (other than the sheer fun we had) is that this was a learning experience for me. My first trip since I started Affording the Mouse, this vacation afforded lots of opportunities to test some of the advice I've been dishing out. We did a few things for the first time ever...and we tried to do a few things that we weren't able to (darn rain!).

Because of the rainy weather (yes, it rained every day we were there) and our last-minute schedule changes (beyond my control), I wasn't able to take my favorite orderly, well-planned approach. But in many ways, this was a great opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and see WDW through the eyes of those who prefer a less-regimented approach to touring. And I definitely have some great rainy weather tips now!


That's about it for now...still have dozens of emails to return and mounds of laundry to fold. I'll leave you with this photo of my girls: