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Review - Florida - Orlando - Magic Kingdom - Cinderella's Royal Table

Cinderella's Royal Table is one of the hardest reservation to obtain at Walt Disney World. Back in the day, before the dining reservation website existed, we used to have to call the Disney Reservation phone line and wait hours to hopefully get a reseration. Now the reservations are mostly done through the online portal (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/). If you call the customer service hotline now, you will get about the same results as just searching yourself. Right now, reservations open up 60 days out. I describe the reservation process down at the bottom of this post.

Since my family had already eaten here previously, we decided to split up. I took my daughter while the boys pursued roller coaster options instead. Toddlers under 3 eat here for free (you will see their option later). The dining price is the same no matter what time of day you choose to eat here (currently $39 for ages 3-9 and $60 for ages 10 and up). Alcohol/cocktail options are available for extra charges. The breakfast is a typical Disney breakfast but picky eaters might be better off at this time.

My Review:
You will check in to the restaurant at the table on the outside right inside Cinderella's Castle. You will need to park your stroller outside. They will escort you inside to the waiting room.

Your family will wait here until your family is called to go upstairs to the dining room. Overall, we waited almost an hour despite our reservation time.
While your family waits, you will line up to meet Cinderella. They do have a photopass person who can also take pics with your phone. This will feel a bit rushed, resist the urge. Take your time, get your picture done to your needs. We had Cinderella sign our frame as my daughter is super-shy. Cinderella does not stay here long and will come and go.
 

Here are some pictures of the first floor. Feel free to take pictures with the props.
 
 
 

When the hostess calls your family name out, you will be given a ticket and told to go upstairs. There is an elevator available or you can take the spiral staircase up (here is a family waiting to take the elevator).

The spiral stairs are narrow and steep. You will pass a landing which contains the bathrooms. Then you will hand the person at the top your ticket.

We lucked out and got a window seat. Since we were eating dinner, we were able to watch the sunset (and the fireworks prep team work).
 

Now, the important part. There are several princesses who will visit each table, taking pictures, and signing autographs. Disney (nor the staff) will not comment on who will visit. We saw Snow White, Aurora, Ariel (in a gown), and Jasmin (in a gown). During our visit, they did not come to our table until we had eaten our meal (about an hour after we were seated). I mention this because you need to prepare for a very long dining experience.
 
 

Can you meet these princesses outside this restaurant? YES! Snow White, Aurora and Jasmine all meet in Epcot. Snow White and Aurora wear the same outfit. Ariel only meets in her dress at Aukerhaus or Cinderella's Royal Table. She meets in Magic Kingdom in her mermaid outfit.
 
 

Adult Menu.
 

Here are the items that I selected: Grilled Jumbo Shrimp, Grilled Beef Entree, and Cheesecake Dessert. The food is very good but small portions.

This is the Children's Menu. You can order off this for $39 and for children under 10.

For toddlers under 3 years old, there is a free meal option which consists of one chicken tender and small bowl of mashed potatoes.
 
 
 
 

Here are some pictures of the dining room.

Each person at your table will receive a wishing star trinket and a wand or sword (your choice).

There is a very confusing, unstructured parade that is performed during the meal where the visiting princess will take your child to the back of the room and have them hold their star trinket up. Was a bit frightening and confusing for my toddler. They didn't ask my permission ahead of time or during. If this could distress your child, mention it to your wait-person ahead of time.

My Overall Review:
If your children enjoy meeting princesses and have a lot of patience, and your budget allows, this is an amazing experience. The decor is gorgeous. The good, although small portions, is delicious. It is a very slow dining experience and just for the two of us took about three hours in total. We left just in time to watch fireworks outside (behind the castle). Splitting our party up worked great because my boys had no interest in meeting the princesses and found some other things to do/food to eat. Having a smaller party actually made it easier to book a reservation too.

How to book dining reservations:
Head to the Disney Go portal (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/). Click on "Things to Do" menu link at the top. Select "All Dining" option. (If you select "Make Reservations", it will not allow you to pick the restaurant you want, it will only search what is available for a particular day/time and number of guests).

A listing of all the currently available restaurants in Walt Disney World will show up. To reduce the number shown, click the Character Dining option.

Look for Cinderella's Royal Table option. Click it.

It will load the restaurant information page. You can find the menu, prices, and then finally the check availability button.

When you click the "Check Availability" button, it will open a window to enter the number of guests, date, and time. It will search for open slots. This restaurant has a very small capacity, so it is quite a challenge to find open tables. Even if you search for a party of 1, it might be a challenge especially around busy dates (like holidays).

No open slots during your search?
Keep coming back every single day, throughout the day. People cancel their reservations all the time and you might get lucky and find an opening.
What to do if you cannot find an open reservation before your trip?
Disney allows same-day cancellations. So keep checking the Disney App to see if someone has cancelled their reservations.

Travel Tips - Walt Disney World (Orlando, Florida) - What NOT to Bring

Our family has been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on over 40 separate trips. I've taken all my children when they were as young as 6 months old. I'm constantly asked what to bring which I posted last week. This week I'm going to share my list of what NOT to bring. These are things I've brought over the years and decided they were not worth packing.

Like I mentioned last week, I don't bring reusable diaper changing pads. Not only are they too small to cover the changing table surface but who wants to put that dirty thing back in their bag? I always use disposble covers.
In addition, I don't bring Diaper Bags. They are too uncomfortable to tote around all day. Then I got into the habbit of leaving them hanging on the stroller (which gives thieves temptation). So now I just put all my baby items into a good travel backpack with drink holders for bottles/cups.
I stopped buying Disney rain ponchos and bringing disposable ones instead. I learned my lesson the hard way TWICE. I bought a really nice $20 rain poncho with Mickey on it. Then after the ten minute rain shower, I rolled it up and stuffed it into the stroller. And it sat. For days. In hot, humid Florida. YUK. When I opened it up to pack, it was moldy. The second time I bought one, I spread it out in the hotel room to dry. We wore it once. Not worth the money. Just bring the cheap ones and toss when done.
Don't bring a cheap folding umbrella stroller. I did this once and swore never again. First, it can't hold all your stuff. Second, they tip over ALL THE TIME. It's a real pain. Either bring a decent foldable stroller with some storage or rent a stroller.
Don't bring a cheap stroller. I did this also. The thing was so hard to move or to turn. I ended up leaving it near the trash at the hotel.
Don't bring a stroller with bad wheels. I brought a huge double-stroller which did not have good wheels. It was SO HARD to turn especially in tight places like crowded stores. If you can't turn easily with kids sitting iside, leave it at home. Believe me, you will be so frustrated you will feel like dumping it in the trash.
Back to the Floriday heat. Even though the weather app shows mid-80's, add in humidity, the intense sun, the cement, and the crowds, it will feel like over 100 degrees. Don't wear jeans. Don't wear thick clothes. If you plan to visit December - March, you might want to bring the warm clothes for night times since the temperature does dip a bit after sunset. I've worn multiple layers during the MMVCP (Christmas Party) several times and still felt cold.
Going to Disney is not the time to break in new shoes as you will walk thousands of steps a day (unless you rent a scooter). I don't recommend anything that will get ruined by water or rain. Or anything that will make your feet sweat.
You might want to leave your hard shell sunglass case at the hotel or in your car. The security guards always pull visitors aside to investigate those (I'm guessing the machines don't like them). Bring soft fabric covers or pouches instead.
Drones are not allowed to be flown within the Disney World bubble without specific permission. They will confiscate them.
Have suggestions? Please feel free to add them in the comments. Enjoy your trip!

Travel Tips - Walt Disney World (Orlando, Florida) - What's in My Luggage?

As a family of frequent travellers, explorers and visitors to major theme parks, I get asked all the time "What is in your luggage?" or "What are your favorite travel accessories?" or "What should I take on my vacation to (some amazing destination)?"
So I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that I have purchased, taken, and used on my recent trips.
For this week, I'm going to tell you some of the things I have taken on my recent Disney Park vacation


First, I use the Delsey softside luggage from Costco. It's currently on sale for $149.99. If you're reading this and it's not on sale, just wait a few weeks. They seem to go on and off sale all the time. What I love the most about the luggage beside the ease of moving due to the large spinner wheels but the interior lining is washable (which is pretty rare in luggage sets). Love, love this set. Right now they have Blue or Black. If you can find the Green set, get that one because it will be easy to pick out on the luggage carousel.
Why softside luggage? I like the ability to squash my bags into the overhead bins (as opposed to the hard shell types). It can mean the difference between carry-on and last minute checked bags.


Tens of thousands of guests visit Disney. That's a whole lot of germs. So I stopped using portable baby changing pads. Think about it. You are placing the pad down on a changing table that is never cleaned, that is poo'ed and pee'ed on and whatever else. Nasty. And then you put that pad back into your bag. Ewww. I now use disposable changing pads that are large enough to cover the table. Keep a few in your diaper bag and pull them out when you're ready to change. This set has 50 pads and they last quite awhile.


Unexpected rain showers occur all the time in Orlando. You will check your weather app in the morning before setting off to the parks and it shows sunshine. Later in the day, a brief rain storm swoops in and drenches your party in five minutes. I've been through that enough times to finally always pack a set of disposable rain ponchos for those brief, unexpected storms. This particular set has both Adult and Children sizes in one box. They are a bit better than the ones you will find at the dollar store.


If your child is old enough to sit at the table, you will definitely want some disposable placemats. Disney eateries never have enough tables and you will jump at an open table which means it may or may not be properly cleaned. Wiping the table down yourself doesn't get it sanitized. Next best thing, cover the table as best as you can. What I like about this set is there are 4 different designs (most sets only have one single design). They stick to the table surface. They are individually packaged so you can toss them into your bag.


Most strollers do not have enough storage space, IMO. So I purchased two of these side bags for each side of my stroller. I stuff snacks, fruit, maps (in ziploc bags in case of rain) in these bags. Don't weigh them down too much or the stroller might flip backwards. You may or may not have to remove them when folding up your stroller (depending on your brand).


I've purchased two sets of these Stroller Hook sets. So easy to use. Sturdy. I like to hand umbrellas on these (off the stroller) as well as popcorn buckets or drink cups with handles. So handy!


I have mixed opinions on this stroller sun shade that I bought. The Florida sun can be extremely hot so I add this cover (and it does cover a bit during rain showers too). The reason I'm iffy on it or others like it is that they are a pain to take on/off because you cannot fold the stroller with it attached. I haven't found a cover or an umbrella that I love, so I keep using this one for now. At least it will attach to most strollers and the price isn't too bad.


Speaking of the blistering Florida sun, you MUST apply sunscreen even if you have a base tan. The sun is just too intense. This lotion is safe for reefs and children (I use a different baby brand for babies). It applies pretty well and can be placed into carry-on luggage thanks to their small 3oz size.

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Review - Texas - Grapevine - Prehistoric Park

 


Prehistoric Park in the gorgeous lake-side Meadowmere Park in Grapevine, Texas is a limited-time dinosaur walk-through experience. Open daily until April 16, 2023. There are lots of hands-on activities and if you can manage to come in the evening of April 15th they have a Dinos After Dark experience from 7pm-10pm (which might be a little scary for younger kids who don't like being in the dark).

General admission is $29/car. Children 12 and under will receive an activity sheet to punch/stamp as they explore the trail.

Please note that there are limited food options here. They did have a Kona Ice truck, a Funnel Cake truck, and (for a few hours) a Coffee truck. It's best to bring your own food/drinks and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. They do have restrooms (which were dimly lit and might be a little scary for younger kids) right inside the park.

After you pay the entrance fee, you will enter the parking lot on the left side to park before walking along the dinosaur trail.




The dinosaurs are animatronic which means they move and many have sound effects.



As your walk along the dinosaur trail, you will find some hands-on learning exhibits. For example, here are exhibits on dinosaur talons and another featuring different types of eggs.


Some of the exhibits have a self-punching device which you will use to mark your activity sheet. After you collect all the punches, you will turn in your sheet at the final tent (behind the restroom building in the market tent) to receive a free gift.


The forest trail is across the street into the trees. The trail is well-marked and there are a few dinosaur props found there (they do feature fake blood which might be scary for some kids).


Be sure to stop by the Dino Photo-Opn in the market tent behind the activities featuring scientists opening fossils.

Details:
Address: 3000 Meadowmere Ln, Grapevine, TX 76051
Hours: 9am-6pm Daily (special night hours 7p-10pm)
Admission: $29.00 per vehicle

Get more information from the official website, https://gograpevine.com/

Overall Family Review:
  • 18 year old - Liked the bean bag toss
  • 13 year old - Liked the activities
  • 8 year old - Liked the activities
  • 2 year old - Liked the fossil dig site, bean bag toss, forest trail