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Hi!
I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
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Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
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- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All
Ears!
November
28, 2005
Could
Only Part of a Party Use the Dining Plan?
Why Do the Christmas Parties End before Christmas?
High Tea in the UK Pavilion at Epcot?
Tipping When Using the Dining Plan?
The Difference between Chip and Dale
What's the Significance of the Black Cat in the Osborne
Lights?
Scott
writes:
My wife
and I are thinking of coming to WDW next year with our mothers and our
two children. My question is this: If we book a package, can we have
only certain members of our party upgrade to the dining plan? For my
wife and I it would probably be worth the money, but the rest of our
group are light eaters and from what we've seen wouldn't get their money's
worth.
Hi
Scott!
Currently,
the official policy states that everyone in the party booked on the
Magic Your Way package must add the Dining Plan option or no one can.
The only exception is children under 3 years old. In other words, unless
you booked a separate package for you and your wife only, everyone has
to buy the Dining Plan for the length of your stay. You can read more
about Magic Your Way packages here: http://allearsnet.com/pl/packages05.htm
and the Dining Plan here: http://allearsnet.com/pl/packages05a.htm
Have fun planning!
A.A.
Kimberly writes:
Hi Anita!
We are arriving at Walt Disney World the week before Christmas to spend
our holiday at the World for the first time! We are so very excited,
and appreciate all the information and advice we have gotten from you
and the All Ears Net® site!
Our question
is: Why does the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas
Party only run until December 20? We are sorry to be missing
it, as we've heard it is such a great time. Thanks again for all the
great information!
Hi
Kimberley!
Mickey's
Very Merry Christmas Party requires the Magic Kingdom to close
early at 6:00 p.m. to enable the cast to prepare for the party.
Beginning with December 21 this year, to accommodate the ever-increasing
crowds as the holiday week approaches, the Magic
Kingdom will begin to extend its closing times. During the first
few days, the park will close at 9:00 p.m., and during Christmas week,
the park will close at midnight. On New Year's Eve, the park will close
at 1:00 a.m. In addition, for the week of December 25 - 31, there will
be Extra Magic Hours every night
at the Magic Kingdom for Disney resort guests!
As you can see, there isn't any time for the Christmas parties after
the 21st. Instead, you can enjoy all of the holiday shows, the Christmas
parade, and special holiday fireworks the party-goers enjoy, but without
paying extra.
Have a very merry trip to the World!
A.A.
Pam writes:
Hi Anita,
you're so good at finding out about little known facts, I thought you'd
be the perfect person to answer this question.
Does the
Tea Caddy in the United Kingdom
at Epcot's World Showcase host a
high tea? My sister-in-law recalls from years past that they did, and
wants to attend if they still do when we are there this fall.
Thanks
for all of your hard work in finding out all of our answers.
Hi Pam!
Your sister-in-law
remembers correctly...sort of. The Tea Caddy is a shop and only sells
dry tea, tea accessories and sweets from the UK. The High Tea she remembers
was served across the street at the Rose
and Crown. The final tea was held there on November 4, 1996.
I was lucky enough to be there that day, and was one of the last guests
to enjoy that wonderful tea.
If you would still like to have High Tea at the World, try the Grand
Floridian's Garden View Lounge. Tea is served beginning at 2:00
p.m. every day. My dear friend Flo and I try to have tea there on every
trip. We heartily recommend the Buckingham Palace tea, which comes with
scones, fresh strawberries and cream and tea sandwiches.
Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) are strongly advised as the Garden
View is very small and fills up fast. For ADR's, call 1-407-WDW-DINE.
Cheers!
A.A.
Joan writes:
We will
be at Walt Disney World this winter (Daughter's 16th birthday!) and
purchased the dining plan. My question is regarding tipping. My husband
is in the restaurant business and is very sensitive about tipping and
doesn't want to shortchange the waitstaff. What is the normal procedure?
A percentage of the actual meal cost as opposed to what we paid through
the dining plan? By the way, love your website and your weekly newsletter!
Thanks!
Hi Joan!
On the
Magic Your Way Dining Plan,
which can only be purchased as part of a Magic Your Way hotel and ticket
package, the gratuity is already included in the price of the plan.
If you wish to leave a little more to reward exemplary service, however,
it would be gratefully accepted by your server.
Have a wonderful trip to the World!
A.A.
Janice writes:
Anita,
I trust you know the answer to this as it's my most important question
yet. We are planning a trip to WDW soon, which will include a character
dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern
at the Magic Kingdom. My question
is, how do you tell the difference between Chip and Dale?
Hi Janice!
It's actually
pretty easy to tell them apart. Chip has a smaller black nose and his
front teeth are close together. Dale has a larger, round, red nose and
his front teeth have a large gap in front. The easiest way for me to
remember which is which is that Chip has a nose like a chocolate chip.
;-)
If you ever dine at the Liberty Tree
Tavern during lunch (not a character meal), be sure to try the
incredible Colony Salad. My friends Donald and Mickey got my other friend
Flo and me hooked on this yummy concoction of greens, apples, walnuts,
cheese and chicken in a deliciously refreshing dressing. It's a must-eat
for us on every trip!
A.A.
Helen writes:
Not a week
goes by that I don't read your column. Last week you mentioned that
there is significance to a black cat at the Osborne
Family Spectacle of Lights. Just wondering if you knew the significance
and where it has been spotted in past years? I have held off mentioning
this to my 16-year-old daughter, for fear that we may not be able to
leave before finding the black cat!
Hi Helen!
The story,
as told to me by a Cast Member who helped put up the Osborne Spectacle
of Lights a few years ago, goes like this:
In 1994, the Osbornes were ordered by the Arkansas Supreme Court to
cease lighting their huge holiday display because their neighbors found
the constant traffic to be an annoyance. In 1995, Disney came to the
rescue with an offer to display the lights on Residential Street in
the Disney-MGM Studios. (Alas,
Residential Street has gone to the great theme park in the sky, but
the spectacle now resides on the Streets of America...)
When the Cast Members were unpacking the crates of lights and displays,
they found that a lone Halloween display, the black cat, had stowed
away and made the trip to Florida. Since it was in the boxes with the
Christmas lights, they assumed it was supposed to be part of the Spectacle
of Lights, and the cat was put into one of the displays along Residential
Street.
When Jennings Osborne visited his Spectacle of Lights for the first
time at MGM, he pointed out the cat and said it didn't belong in the
Christmas display, but belonged instead in his Halloween display back
home in Arkansas. Because the cat had made such a great effort to get
to Florida, it was decided the cat should stay anyway. ;-) So now, the
cat hides in a new place every year, as a sort of "Hidden Kitty."
I can no longer recall all of the places I've seen it hiding year after
year, but it always hides in plain sight.
Hint: The cat is actually a deep purple and not really black. Happy
hunting!
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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