In the wake of the fire that destroyed large portions of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, many people and companies have stepped and donated money to help with the reconstruction of the famed Cathedral.
On Wednesday, the Walt Disney Company joined that group of companies willing to donate to the cause. The company of the mouse has announced that they will donate $5 million to help the reconstruction efforts.
So far, there has been over $1 billion that has been raised.
Disney has a connection to the Cathedral with its 1996 animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
In a statement released on the company’s website, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated,
“Notre-Dame is a beacon of hope and beauty that has defined the heart of Paris and the soul of France for centuries, inspiring awe and reverence for its art and architecture and for its enduring place in human history. The Walt Disney Company stands with our friends and neighbors in the community, offering our heartfelt support as well as a $5 million donation for the restoration of this irreplaceable masterpiece,”
Sooooo, you have your vacation booked. Buying your tickets to the park and your resort accommodations is complete. Now the question is…Should I purchase a Disney Dining Plan?
To do that, you must understand what a Disney dining plan is and what is the benefit to having a dining plan.
What is a Disney Dining Plan?
A Disney Dining Plan or DDP is an option for people who are staying at an on site resort and can added to their vacation package.
When you buy a dining plan, you are prepaying for your meals by buying credits that can be used to purchase those meals. The amount of credits that you receive depends on the number of nights that your vacation lasts.
The dining plan is good for the duration of your vacation, you cant just add it for part of your vacation.
When you go to a restaurant, you pay with the credits that you have obtained. Most of the restaurants at Walt Disney World cost 1 credit for 1 meal. Some special dining experiences, such as a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table, can cost 2 credits per meal.
Art of Animation In Room Delivery (Room Service) (Art of Animation Resort)
Flying Fish (Boardwalk Inn Resort)
California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian Resort and Spa)
Citricos (Grand Floridian Resort and Spa)
Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Polynesian Village Resort)
Pop Century In Room Delivery (Room Service)
Miss Jenny’s In Room Dining (Wilderness Lodge)
Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort)
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (The Cabins @ Fort Wilderness Resort)
Disney Springs
Jaleo
Morimoto Asia (Dinner Only)
Paddlefish
The BOATHOUSE Restaurant
Make sure when booking a reservation you know how many dining credits that meal will cost. Plan your meals to ensure that if you are ok with a meal costing two credits, you will have to cut out a meal or pay out of pocket for that other meal.
With each meal, you get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a beverage (alcoholic beverages are also included in the plans).
Not only do have meal credits, but you also get 2 snack credits a day which you can use for virtually anything at different vendors. Using your credits is easy. Simply have your magic band scanned and the correct number of credits will be deducted from your account.
Reminder – Gratuity is not included in the dining plan and is an extra out of pocket expense.
Why Should you get a Dining Plan?
Disney has a vast variety of Dining options when you visit the Disney parks and resorts. They have counter service type restaurants, sit down style restaurants and fine dining restaurants. Knowing what you and your family enjoy eating and experiencing goes a long way to know what restaurants are right for you and your family.
“Most of my life, I have done what I wanted to do. I have had fun on the job.”
— Walt Disney
What are the benefits of having a DDP? First off, they are convenient. Once you purchase it, you do not have to worry about checking the bank account or the cost of the items on the menu. It is 1 credit whether it is the cheapest or most expensive thing on the menu. You also don’t have to worry about paying for drinks while in the park as you have 2 snacks per day.
Depending on where you enjoy eating, it is actually cheaper to have a dining plan. If you want to eat at a table service restaurant or character dining experience, you will pay a ton for them out of pocket.
Probably the biggest reason to get a dining plan is that sometimes, Disney has promotions where a person can get a dining plan for free. This normally occurs in September but is a very popular promotion for good reason.
As a person who likes to try to save money when planning (which doesn’t always work out), a DDP has always been the route we have taken. Maybe its right for you, maybe it’s not, but don’t just simply overlook it because of the initial cost. The benefits of having one far outweigh what you think are the costs, and by having one, you may actually save money in the long run and everyone will be better for it.
So you have decided to take a trip to Walt Disney World, the first question that must be answered is…WHEN? What are the best times of the year to visit WDW?
Most of the time, the answers to these questions are dependent on your family’s schedule. Here is a short list of some of the other questions you need to ask yourself before setting a time of year to go.
When can I get time off of work?
When are the kids not in school, or are we OK with taking them out of school for a vacation?
What type of weather do we want to encounter in central Florida?
How much do we want to spend?
What type of crowd size are we comfortable with?
What special events do we want to experience at the parks?
There are pros and cons to going at different times of the year. You need to weigh out all of your options and understand the cons that do exist at certain times.
When we went to Disney World for the first time as a family, our daughter was 2 years old. We wanted this trip to be special for her (even though, I am sure she doesn’t really remember much from that first trip). We chose to go during Christmas Week. We understood the cons associated with this time of year but felt the special atmosphere of Disney at Christmas time outweighed the cons.
Since that time, we have went a few different times of the year. My wife and I decided, early on, that we were willing to take our kids out of school for a week (and by the way, I am an elementary school teacher). The memories we have made on these trips have far surpassed the 1 week a year that the kids have missed of school.
We have visited Disney in early December, February, April, and May. We refuse to go in the summer time and have planned on going in October in the next couple of years.
Knowing the pros and cons can save you time, money, and frustration.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing!” –Walt Disney
Note: 2019 ushers in the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios so expect heavy crowds here even at times which are normally low crowd times.
Summer (June-August)
This is probably the most convenient time for people to go to Walt Disney World. Schools are out for summer break for June and July and even early August. Less scheduling conflicts for families in the summer months, means more people visiting the parks. These are 3 of the busiest months of the year which will mean longer ride wait times (some being well over 2 hrs) and less dining accommodations and choices.
Because of the larger crowd sizes, the parks will extend their hours to accommodate longer wait times and have more in-park shows available. However, with the longer hours comes a higher cost.
Early June sees the end of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival which features amazing topiaries around the park and the last few concerts in the Garden Rocks Concert Series. July 3rd and 4th will feature a special Fourth of July fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. Mid-August begins Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on select nights which means early park closure at Magic Kingdom for those without event tickets.
The weather in these summer months can be grueling with the Florida heat and humidity. This can be a true test for even the biggest Mickey fan combined with very long wait times due to the heavy crowds. Make sure to prepare accordingly. This is also the rainy season in Florida as well as June being the beginning of hurricane season.
Winter (December-February)
The winter season can bring some lighter crowd sizes depending on the week. The holidays bring a heavy crowd but if you plan it right, you can find some light crowd levels during this season.
The parks are decorated festively and there are always special holiday themed events throughout the month such as Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party.
One highlight of December at Epcot is the Candlelight Processional. This retelling of the Christmas story features a celebrity guest narrator and full orchestra.
Early December also welcomes hundreds of youth groups as the ESPN’s Wide World of Sports hosts the Pop Warner youth football championship tournaments and Cheer and Dance National Championships
While the holidays bring heavy crowds, there is just something about being at WDW on Christmas day.
Daylight temperatures hover around 70 degrees which makes walking the parks and standing in lines less of a frustration. The park hours will, however, decrease as the New Year begins and the festive decorations will begin to come down. The two Disney waterparks are also closed during this time.
Aside from the Holiday weeks, prices during this season are some of the best that you will find all year.
Fall (September-November)
***Galaxy’s Edge Opens August 29th — Expect much larger crowds during a typically low crowd season***
Magic Kingdom and Epcot both celebrate their birthdays October 1st. The Fall season typically brings low crowds and the heat of the Florida summer begins to subside. September brings low wait times for attractions while also giving visitors the option of visiting the 2 waterparks with temperatures still higher but not as grueling as July and August.
Schools are now back in full swing which means that Disney needs to provide an incentive for people to still visit. This incentive is Free Dining Plans during the month of September. This is a huge cost saving opportunity if your schedule allows for a September trip. Overall, these months provide the best financial opportunity if you are wanting to save some money.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is in full swing. Special parades, characters, and fireworks help celebrate the experience of Halloween magic throughout the parks and resorts.
Children AND adults are able dress up and go trick-or-treating during this evening party session.
November can be a great time to go with the exception being Thanksgiving Week. It is a transitional month for the parks as they go from Fall decor to celebrating the Christmas season.
Overall, these months provide a ton of advantages to visiting.
Spring (March-May)
This time of year is our typical destination time. Choosing your week carefully is a must. If crowd size is an issue, avoid late March and early April with school letting out for Spring Break during these times.
The weather begins to trend warmer as this season progresses. With warmer temperatures comes more events and celebrations in the parks. Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival runs a majority of these months with flowers blooming and character topiaries taking form.
Prices have not reached their Summer hike so good deals are still able to be found.
The waterparks also begin to reopen in early March giving crowds more options.
As May rolls around, crowd sizes begin to trend upwards to moderate levels, as does the potential for an afternoon thunderstorm becoming a common occurrence.
Understanding what you want out of your trip is key in picking the appropriate time of the year to visit. There are always going to be challenges to a Disney trip. However, by prioritizing what is important to you and your family, the positives can far outweigh any negatives. Just understand your choices.
For more information on how to book your own Disney adventure, Click here or the Book Your Trip tab at the top!
Why would someone like me, do something like this?
That question is one that even I am not confident on how to answer. First off, I am an Elementary School teacher and High School varsity boys basketball coach from a small town in north central Indiana. Why would I be the type to create a blog about Walt Disney World and all things Disney?
Second, I am a married father of (now) three crazy, awesome kids who does Disney on a teacher’s salary. Why is Disney so interesting to me?
The answer to the first question is simple….I HAVE NO IDEA!
I have no idea why, one day in January, while I am waiting on my 3rd (and LAST) child to be born, I got it in my head that I wanted to write. Most would think the first thing that a guy like me would write about is basketball since that is what I spend so much of my time doing. Coaching high school basketball has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and after finally getting the chance to lead my own high school program, naturally one would think that I would write about basketball. NOPE!
“You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up.” — Walt Disney
I remember going to Walt Disney World once as a kid. My family didn’t take huge vacations very often. My wife and I decided that when we had children of our own, we were going to take them places. Places they would remember. Some friends from church one day 8 years ago asked if we wanted to go with them to Walt Disney World. Our first child at the time was 2, so we said sure.
First Disney Trip – Christmas 2010
I fell in love with Disney on that first trip. I saw the reactions of my 2 yr old daughter and understood why they called it the “Most Magical Place on Earth”. I didn’t remember much from going as a kid, so EVERYTHING was like brand new to me. The rides, the shows, THE FOOD, the characters. That probably answers my second question…why Disney?
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Since that first trip, we have went almost every year, as well as other places with our vacation family, the Waitt’s. However, Disney has taken what were vacationing friends and has molded us into a family.
Disney 2018 – Cinderella’s Castle
This blog will hopefully be a collection of thoughts and opinions from our WHOLE Disney family which has begun to expand in recent years. Please join in on the conversations, because that’s what this is meant to be…a place where fans of all things Disney can come together and enjoy one man’s ultimate DREAM and enjoy what that dream has meant to each of us.
