One of the cheaper and easier to book alternatives to Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom is the Princess Storybook meal in Epcot at the World Showcase. For a Princess fan, this one is highly recommended. There are three options all with appearances by four Princesses, which are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is the cheapest, so if you want to get in to see Princesses with the least amount of money possible, this is the choice for you.
Many reviews online are rather critical of the Princess character meal, treating the Storybook meal like the ugly stepsister of Cinderella’s Royal Table. This meal lacks the thrill of actually eating inside Cinderella’s Castle, instead being inside Norway’s Akershus restaurant. Although, really, once you are inside the décor around you won’t make that much of a difference. Although, I will admit that I tend to take the easy way out. I preferred getting a spot, in fact, a choice of days and times, than to have to fight for any spot at any time by getting up at 5:30am or earlier depending on the time zone.
The big difference between the Epcot and Magic Kingdom experiences are the Princesses you are likely to meet. Cinderella’s Royal Table will always have Cinderella in attendance and part of the photo package. (Both include a photo package with the price you pay.) Norway’s photo princess is Belle. The Princesses tend to vary at the Storybook meal with a rotating cast that could include Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Mulan, Snow White and sometimes Mary Poppins and Ariel. An appearance by Cinderella isn’t entirely unheard of at the Epcot meal. This meal is definitely the one with more diverse Princesses.
Another complaint about the meal is the amount of time Princesses spend at each table. They do have a large room to work through and every Princess has to try to see every table before their meal is done. This does put a limit on the amount of time a Princess will spend with each family. Don’t expect one to sit down and chat for 10-15 minutes. However, I did time them ranging between three minutes and five, depending on the level of interaction from the little ones at the table. Obviously, the more into a Princess your child (or you…admit it) is, the longer one will stay.
As for food, breakfast is pretty standard. Eggs, cheesy hash browns, bacon, sausage and a cold buffet with a selection of pastries, breads and fruit. Lunch and dinner here is more exotic than at the Castle, featuring Norwegian inspired dishes to choose from. Picky eaters may want to check out the menus at allears.net to see if there is something that appeals to them.
Far from being Cindy’s ugly stepsister, the truth is, this character meal is a wonderful experience and should be given the same chance to try on the glass slipper as any scullery maid.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sign Here Please
One of the dangers of Disney World, especially with kids, is the merchandise. It’s everywhere. Main Street is lined with stores. Every on-site resort has a shop. Most attractions lead out into a shop themed for that ride. Sometimes, in places like the World Showcase and Downtown Disney, the attractions are the shops and the whole reason for visiting. I’ve written articles here on souvenirs before and the best places for them. However, what about a souvenir that doesn’t cost much, can be more satisfying and stave off a large credit card bill?
That’s where autographs come in. First timers may find the concept funny, but almost all kids and even some adults love getting the autographs of various Disney characters. It becomes a game to find as many different characters as possible to collect the autographs. Books are sold cheaply in the shops along with thick pens that are easy for the gloved hands of characters to handle. However, many people do bring their own collection books and pens from home. Just make sure that the books can lay flat and that the pens are big enough for the characters to manipulate. Some people like to have an autograph on one page and a photo with that character on the facing page.
There are some interesting facts about autograph collecting. One, is that no matter where you meet the character, you can expect the same signature. If you meet Belle in Epcot and then the next day in Magic Kingdom, it will look the same. If you meet Belle five years from now and get her autograph again, it will match the previous autograph. Sometimes I suspect some adults like to collect the autographs just to test this out. (The others are trying to get as many characters as possible. Some characters are quite rare, it’s like bird watching or Pokemon collecting.)
Even more impressive, is that some characters, due to the nature of the costumes (like Goofy and Pluto) are signing blind. Try signing a signature that isn’t your own, but due it by holding your hands above your head and that’s basically what they do.
Just remember if you do decide to do autographs that the books should be open to a blank page before approaching the character and the pen should be uncapped/clicked and ready. This is just common courtesy to all others in line behind you and helps the characters, since most of them aren’t going to be able to turn pages easily.
At the end of the trip, the autograph book will be filled with different signatures all in the style of the character who wrote them and like a photo will last longer than that giant lollipop. Those lollipops almost always are broken anyway. I haven’t bought an intact one yet.
That’s where autographs come in. First timers may find the concept funny, but almost all kids and even some adults love getting the autographs of various Disney characters. It becomes a game to find as many different characters as possible to collect the autographs. Books are sold cheaply in the shops along with thick pens that are easy for the gloved hands of characters to handle. However, many people do bring their own collection books and pens from home. Just make sure that the books can lay flat and that the pens are big enough for the characters to manipulate. Some people like to have an autograph on one page and a photo with that character on the facing page.
There are some interesting facts about autograph collecting. One, is that no matter where you meet the character, you can expect the same signature. If you meet Belle in Epcot and then the next day in Magic Kingdom, it will look the same. If you meet Belle five years from now and get her autograph again, it will match the previous autograph. Sometimes I suspect some adults like to collect the autographs just to test this out. (The others are trying to get as many characters as possible. Some characters are quite rare, it’s like bird watching or Pokemon collecting.)
Even more impressive, is that some characters, due to the nature of the costumes (like Goofy and Pluto) are signing blind. Try signing a signature that isn’t your own, but due it by holding your hands above your head and that’s basically what they do.
Just remember if you do decide to do autographs that the books should be open to a blank page before approaching the character and the pen should be uncapped/clicked and ready. This is just common courtesy to all others in line behind you and helps the characters, since most of them aren’t going to be able to turn pages easily.
At the end of the trip, the autograph book will be filled with different signatures all in the style of the character who wrote them and like a photo will last longer than that giant lollipop. Those lollipops almost always are broken anyway. I haven’t bought an intact one yet.
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