Disney’s Magic Kingdom - EverythingMouse

Disney World Dining Reservation – Do I Really Need One?

April 28, 2013 by Alison 1 Comment

Do I really need a Disney World Dining Reservation? The quick answer is most definitely yes if you want to eat in a Disney World restaurant. How do you make a Disney World Dining Reservation? As the restaurants are so popular in the parks and resorts it is very important that you know how to make a Disney World Dining Reservation. For the most part gone are the days when you could simply walk up to the restaurant of your choice and get a table.

All photos by Expressmonorail

Of course the ease or difficulty of getting reservations depends upon how busy the parks are. You will find it much easier to get a reservation the first two weeks of December than you will on Christmas Day for example!

Here is everything you need to know about making a Disney World dining reservation. Or in Disney speak, make an Advance Dining Reservation.

How Far Ahead Can You Make Advance Dining Reservations?

Disney World Dining Reservations for the table service restaurants can be made 180 days in advance. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel you can make dining reservations for the length of their stay (for up to 10 days) at 180 days before the start of their stay. This gives Disney World hotel resort guests a head start. Another advantage of staying in a Disney Hotel Resort.

Disney World Dining Reservations Online

This is our preferred method of booking these days. Simply go to

Disney World Dining

We always find this much quicker than phone reservations.

Disney Dining Reservations By Phone

Call 407 WDW DINE and speak with a Disney dining reservation specialist. The waits can be long and frustrating. But at least you do get a (usually) helpful reservationist to talk to. They can help you with different choices if you first isn’t’ available. The online system can also help you with this (and it sometimes more helpful than the real person)!

Disney Guest Services or Resort Concierge

If you are at the Disney parks you can make a reservation with Disney guest services. This helps with last minute decisions about where to dine! If you are staying at a Disney Resort you can of course make reservations with the concierge.

Disney Dining Walk Ins

These can sometimes work. If you don’t have a Disney Dining Reservation try a walk in. Ask at the restaurant if there are any tables available. This used to work so well. Now your chances are limited. Disney dining is very popular!

Tips for Getting The Disney Dining Reservation of Your Dreams

Some Advance Dining Reservations are more difficult to get than others. The are two Disney restaurants renowned as almost impossible to get a reservation for. These are for Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom and Le Cellier in Epcot Canada Pavilion. You have to call or get online the second the reservation window of opportunity opens.

If you have a large party then you may have a much better chance of getting a Disney dining reservation if you can be flexible. It may be easier to book 2 tables. Cast Members at Disney restaurants are as accommodating as they are able to be. They may be able to seat you together when you arrive. Just don’t be upset if this is not possible. They will try their best to help most of the time.

Don’t give up if you are not successful with your first choice of restaurant. Keep trying. Sometimes there are cancellations which free up a table. If you do not want to keep your reservation then cancel the reservation. This helps other guests by freeing up reservations.

Try a walk in. Sometimes you are pleasantly surprised with success!

Some Disney Dining Restaurant Advance Dining Reservations Need A Credit Card Guarantee

Some of the Disney restaurants need a credit card guarantee to make a dining reservation.

The list of these restaurants needing a credit card seems to get longer. It used to be rare but now the list is getting longer. If you do not cancel the Disney World dining reservation within a certain time ahead you will be charged a fee per guest. Usually this is $10 but can be higher so be sure to check. The cancellation window is usually a day but some are 2 days. Be sure to check.

Here are the restaurants currently needing a credit card guarantee:

1900 Park Fare at The Grand Floridian Resort
Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Artist Point
Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom
California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Cape May Café at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Chef Mickey
Citricos on The Boardwalk
Crystal Palace in Disney Magic Kingdom
Flying Fish Café
Garden Grill in Epcot
Hollywood & Vine at Disney Hollywood Studios
Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge
Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot
Narcoossee’s
‘Ohana
Tusker House Restaurant in Disney Animal Kingdom Park
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Victoria & Albert’s in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Hotel and Resort
All Fantasmic Dinner Packages
Pirates League

Some restaurants require payment at the time of booking unless you have purchased the Disney Dining Plan or Deluxe Dining Plan. These include:

Cinderella’s Royal Table
Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

We know that making a Disney World Dining Reservation up to 6 months in advance can seem like way too much planning. But when you get to Disney World you will be very glad that you did!

Here are some reviews of Disney restaurants for you:

Epcot Rose and Crown Pub

Disney World Character Dining

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney Tips, Disney World Dining, Disney World Hotels, Disney's Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Restaurants, Restaurants Tagged With: disney dining, Disney Parks, disney restaurants, disney world character dining, disney world dining reservation, Disney World Hotels, disney world restaurants., walt disney parks and resorts

Disney Animal Kingdom Boma Zebra Dome Recipe

February 27, 2013 by Alison 1 Comment

Zebra Dome desserts are one of the most popular not only in Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge Boma restaurant but in the whole of Walt Disney World.

If you have dietary restrictions the good news is that Zebra Dome are available in a gluten free version. The picture above is the special gluten free version which my husband was served. Vegetarians and vegans beware – the recipe does contain gelatin so it is not vegetarian friendly.

If you want to try making these at home here is the recipe. They are not the simplest thing to make but if you just can’t wait for your next Boma dessert fix then try this for yourself! Here is the recipe via Disneyfoodblog

1 pound milk chocolate
¼ cup espresso coffee
5 egg yolks
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
6 sheets gelatin
½ cup Kahlua Liqueur
4 cups heavy cream
¾ cup white chocolate ganache
¼ cup dark chocolate ganache
sponge cake (store-bought or your favorite recipe)

1. Melt milk chocolate.
2. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
3. Mix yolks with sugar.
4. Soften gelatin leaves in cold water.
5. Mix gelatin with Kahlua and coffee. Set bowl over hot water bath to dissolve the gelatin.
6. Fold ? of whipped cream into the chocolate.
7. Add the yolks, then the gelatin mixture.
8. Fold in the rest of the cream.
9. Pour mousse in flexipan domes almost to the top.
10. Place sponge circle (¼” thick yellow cake cut in a circle) on top. Leave in the freezer to set.
11. Once hard, unmold and place in glazing racks.
12. Make white chocolate ganache and chocolate ganache.
13. Put chocolate ganache in a pastry bag. Ladle white chocolate ganache to cover each dome. Simultaneously, pipe a stripe design of chocolate ganache over the dome.
14. Refrigerate to allow the glaze to set.
15. Decorate the bottom edge with coffee crunch.
16. Place a chocolate covered coffee bean on the center of each dome.

The recipe does look very complicated and time consuming but for more experienced cooks out there I am sure it is worth a try!

I have never tried this but for your vegetarians out there who do not want to use gelatin I would imagine that you can use agar agar as an alternative.

For those of you who have not yet experienced the delights of Boma you really must try and dine at this fabulous buffet restaurant next time you visit the World. Once Boma was one of Disney World’s best kept secrets but these days it is getting more and more popular.

Boma restaurant is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Boma serves a breakfast and dinner buffet menu. Dinner is served between 4.30 and 9.30pm.

Prices for Boma vary according to when you dine there (peak or regular season) and even which day of the week you dine there. Don’t you just wish that Disney restaurants would not do this? Anyway the adult price range for dinner is from $38.33 to $42.59 and for children (ages 3-9) the buffet is priced between $18.10 and $20.23. Taxes are included in these prices but gratuity is extra. You also get a standard non-alcoholic beverage.

Filed Under: Disney Tips, Disney World Hotels, Hotels, Restaurants Tagged With: boma, disney's animal kingdom, disney's animal kingdom lodge, zebra domes

Disney Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Hotel and Resort

February 17, 2013 by Alison 1 Comment

Get a look inside the Disney Story Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Hotel Resort. If you want a beautifully themed room at a Disney resort then look no further than the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. The attention to detail in these very opulent rooms certainly makes you feel like royalty! The Princess Tiana theme of course fits perfectly in this Port Orleans setting.

Watch this video to see what the Royal Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort look like:

The Royal Rooms made their debut at the resort in March 2012 and have proved to be very popular. The layout and size of the rooms is typical of a Disney moderate resort, but the furnishings and design make them very special.

As part of the refurbishment the rooms were upgraded to include 2 Queen beds instead of the full beds that had been there before. The bedding is a very opulent blue and gold color. It reminds me a lot of the Disneyland Hotel. Another reminder of my favorite Disneyland hotel is in the head board – press a button and you launch the fireworks show of lights!

Also typical of the moderate Disney hotel room design is that there are 2 sinks outside of the main bathroom area. The colors and designs are beautiful – fit for a Princess!

The Disney Port Orleans Riverside hotel is a great choice for guests looking for a reasonably priced and convenient place to stay with all the perks of staying on Disney property. With the addition of the Royal Rooms the hotel is an even better choice – particularly for those of us who love everything about the Disney Princesses!

There are 512 of the Royal Rooms in Port Orleans Riverside. Prices range from $192 to $312 per night rack rate for 2013 for the rooms. They are very popular so you do need to book early at busy times.

If you want to see more about the benefits of staying at a resort hotel check out our post at

Top Reasons to Stay at a Disney World Resort

Filed Under: Disney World Hotels, Hotels, Hotels Tagged With: california, disney princess, disney's port orleans resort, Disneyland, disneyland hotel, disneyland resort, human interest, port orleans riverside, walt disney parks and resorts, walt disney world resort

Win a Night in the Disney World Cinderella Castle Suite

February 11, 2013 by Alison 1 Comment

Who wants to win a fabulous 5 day 4 night vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort which includes a one night stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite? This fabulous Walt Disney World giveaway is being offered for the winner and up to 3 guests. The prize includes:

1. A 5 day/4 night trip to Walt Disney World Orlando with hotel accommodation in a Disney World resort hotel.

2. One night in the Walt Disney World Cinderella Castle Suite with select food and beverage snacks including breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table; includes meet and greet with Cinderella and photograph;

3. Each guest has a 5-Day Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper® and Water Park Fun & More Options

4. $500 Disney Gift Card for Winner only

5. Be Our Guest Dining experience for 4 persons.

6. Up to two (2) Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique Princess Package makeovers (Guests ages 3 to 12 can choose from 3 hair styles—Fairytale Princess, Disney Diva and Pop Princess) or up to two (2) Pirates League experiences

7. The services of one (1) Disney VIP Tour Guide for eight (8) hours on one

8. If winner’s residence is located more than two hundred fifty (250) miles from City, round-trip coach air transportation on a Sponsor-selected airline.

Click Here to Enter

This amazing Giveaway is open only to persons, who are, as of Entry, legal residents of, and physically located within, the 50 U.S., D.C. or Canada (excluding Quebec) and who are not Minors. Sweepstakes starts 12:01 AM (PST) on 2/4/13 and ends 11:59:59 PM (PST) on 3/3/13

Official Rules Here

To learn more and to see inside the Cinderella Castle Suite click on the link below

Cinderella Castle Suite

What would you give to stay inside the Cinderella Castle Suite? Do you think it is fair that this is something money can’t buy? Leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!

Photo by mrkathika

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney World Hotels, Disney's Magic Kingdom Tagged With: cinderella, cinderella castle, cinderella castle suite, disney world cinderella castle, disney world resort hotels, disney world resorts, disney's cinderella, entertainment, fantasyland, magic kingdom, mickeys very merry christmas party, stay in the cinderella castle, the cinderella castle, the walt disney company, the walt disney world resort, tokyo disneyland, walt disney, walt disney parks and resorts, walt disney world cinderella castle, walt disney world orlando, walt disney world resort, walt disney world resorts

Win a Walt Disney World Vacation

January 21, 2013 by Alison Leave a Comment

Who wants a chance to win a Walt Disney World Vacation for 4 people? Your Dreams may come true with this sweepstakes offered by Pixie Vacations.

Grand Prize vacation shall include the following:

One standard room for up to four guests in room at a Walt Disney World® Moderate Resort hotel for three (3) nights.
Up to four (4) Park Base Tickets for four (4) days.
Keepsake luggage tag (one per person).
Dining package includes one table-service meal, one quick-service meal, and one snack per person/night of package.

Certain nights are excluded.

Click Here to Enter

The estimated retail value of the vacation package is $3,230.00 US.

The sweepstakes ends on January 31, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. ET. Open to legal residents of the 50 states of the United States aged 18 and over. You can find the Official Rules Here.

Good Luck!

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney Tips, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Tagged With: burbank, california, disney, disney world vacation, dow jones industrial average, entertainment, greater orlando, prize vacations, the vacation, the walt disney company, united states, vacation, vacation package, walt disney, walt disney parks and resorts, walt disney world resort, walt disney world vacations, win, world vacations

Disney World Cuts Discount for Premium Annual Pass Holders

December 30, 2012 by Alison 3 Comments

Disney World has just announced that the merchandise discount for Premium Annual Pass Holders will be cut from 20% to just 10% from January 1st 2013. This has angered some Disney fans who say that the ones being hit in recent years are the most loyal followers of the parks – the annual pass holders.

Photo by armadillo444

A Disney World premium pass costs $744.44 per person with sales tax included. If you are a family of 4 you will now pay almost $3000 for annual passes for the 4 Disney World parks, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Quest. That is a very sizable chunk of change – and a 7.7 percent increase over last year. It isn’t too long ago that we paid a very similar price for tickets which included all Disneyland and Disney World parks.

All annual Disney World pass prices increased substantially last year. The basic annual pass price jumped a massive 10.6 percent to $519. Even Florida residents, a big source of revenue for the parks, now pay $299 for a limited seasonal pass – the biggest increase at 11.2 percent.

We all know that Disney World is investing huge amounts of money in the parks and that will continue in the years to come. Although Disney has not released the exact figures the Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion is believed to have cost over $425 million.

But are they right to increase the ticket prices so much for annual pass holders? And then reduce the benefits that they receive?

Most Disney World guests will not be affected by these cuts in shopping discounts as only a small number are Premium Annual Pass Holders. And some may argue that if you can afford $3000 for Disney World tickets for a family of 4 then the effect of a 10% cut in merchandise discount is really not going to mean that much to you.

What do you think? Should Disney World be extending rather than reducing the benefits to Annual Pass Holders? Leave me a comment to tell me what you think.

Disney World Resort Hotel Room Discounts and Savings Early 2013

December 4, 2012 by Alison 1 Comment

There are some great savings and discounts on Disney World Hotel Rooms for early 2013. You must book by 31st December 2012 to qualify for these Walt Disney World Resort savings.

Save up to 35% on stays at select Disney resorts, most nights 1/2/13-1/17/13 and 1/21/13 – 3/7/13

Stays 1/18/13-1/20/13 are available at some resorts but may have different prices and discounts.

Here are some of the typical hotel room savings available:

Value Resorts

Save up to 15% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Family Suites

Save up to 25% at Disney’s All Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s All Star Music Resort.

Moderate Resorts

Save up to 30% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside and Disney’s Wilderness Cabins.

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

Save up to 25% at Disney’s Wilderness Resort (including Disney Wilderness Resort Villas)

Save up to 35% at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort Villas, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani and Jambo rooms), Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort (including Bay Lake Towers).

The offer excludes 3-bedroom villas and is not valid at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Little Mermaid standard rooms.

These are room only offers.

The benefits of staying in a Walt Disney World Hotel are huge. You not only get the wonderful themed hotels, the convenient locations, the incredible Disney service, but also one of the biggest benefits of all – the Extra Magic Hour for hotel resort guests. This allows Disney hotel resort guests to enter the select parks on designated days either earlier, or stay later than the general public. This is a huge benefit which can greatly enhance your stay by cutting down the time spent in lines for the attractions.

We have lots of information on our site about Disney World hotels – and we have stayed in many of them personally so you will get the insiders view. Here are some guides to Disney World hotels that will help you in your choice of which one is the right one for you and your family:

Hotels Near Epcot

Top 10 Disney World Hotel Resorts

Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge

Photo by expressmonorail

Filed Under: Disney Tips, Disney World Hotels, Hotels, Hotels Tagged With: best disney world hotels, disney hotels, disney world discounts, disney world hotel discounts, Disney World Hotels, walt disney world hotel discounts, walt disney world hotel savings, walt disney world hotels

Beauty and The Beast Search for a Home on House Hunters

December 1, 2012 by Alison 1 Comment

How do you search for a new home to settle in if you have all the special requirements that new couple Princess Belle and her beau the Beast have? We are guessing that you need plenty of living space and ideally a large library. Which will they choose?

Click on the play button to watch this enchanting new video from Disney Parks. A wonderful tongue in cheek spoof of House Hunters International featuring Beauty and The Beast! Gives you a sneak peak of the Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland:

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Disney's Magic Kingdom Tagged With: new fantasyland

Walt Disney World Room Discounts 2013

October 10, 2012 by Alison 3 Comments

It has just been announced that there are some great Walt Disney World Room Discounts and Savings for early 2013. With savings of up to 35% on Disney World room rack rates this is a great deal! The Disney World Resort room discounts are for stays most nights January 2 to March 7, 2013.

You must book before 31st December 2012 for a chance to get the discounts. As with all offers for Walt Disney World these are subject to availability and they do sell out quickly. So if you know that you want to go book as soon as you can!

Photo by expressmonorail

Disney Value and Moderate Resorts Room Only Discounts

For stays most nights Jan. 2-17 and Jan. 21 – March 7, 2013:

Save up to 30% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Cabins

Save up to 25% at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Save up to 15% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts Room Only Savings

For stays most nights Jan. 2-17 and Jan. 21 – March 7, 2013:

Save up to 35% at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney’s Beach Club Resort Villas, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani/Jambo rooms), Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Contemporary Resort (including Bay Lake Towers).

Save up to 25% at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort (including Villas)

This is a great deal. Remember to book before 31st December 2012 for these rates (subject to availability of course).

How To Make Reservations at the Be Our Guest Magic Kingdom Restaurant

August 16, 2012 by Alison 1 Comment

The announcement that many have been waiting for! Reservations at the new Be Our Guest Restaurant in Disney’s Magic Kingdom will open on August 20th. The first seating for dinner will be available on November 19th 2012 – and as you can book up to 180 days ahead this means that the wait for reservations is almost over!

You can call 407 WDW DINE or visit any Guest Services location in a Walt Disney park or resort for the very first Be Our Guest restaurant reservations on August 20th. You will have to wait a little longer, until 22nd August, for online reservations to be available. Expect those early reservations to go very quickly. It is highly likely that Be Our Guest will become one of the most popular Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom restaurants.

The lunch will be quick service and make use of guest activated terminals for orders (don’t worry though there will still be some humans there to take your order if you prefer). Dinner will be table service.

The food and the decor is French inspired – as this of course is a restaurant themed with Beauty and the Beast in mind. The restaurant will have 3 main themed areas taking their inspiration from scenes in the Beauty and The Beast movie. The forbidden West Wing with the “enchanted rose”; the Rose Gallery and the elegant Ballroom. As with everything Disney the attention to detail shown on the previews looks amazing.

The pictures and links were from the Disney Parks Official Blog

The menu looks interesting and certainly rather more adventurous than some of the Magic Kingdom restaurants (particularly the quick service menu) Great to see a Gluten Free option desert on there too (and we are sure there will be gluten free options on the menu as Disney is usually excellent in offering options to guests with allergies).

You can see the menu’s on the Disney site here:

Be Our Guest Lunch Menu

Be Our Guest Dinner Menu

We are looking forward to the opening of the Be Our Guest restaurant, and of course the rest of the New Fantasyland.