31. Thrills Unveiled: Your FAQs on Cruising and Theme Parks Answered

Do you need to dress up for Disney dining? Which destination is number one on my travel bucket list? What are my favorite Disney extras? I’m answering all your most asked questions in this FAQ episode! Plus, you’ll get all the details about my upcoming Sex and the City Greek Isles tour, Epcot’s Festival of the Arts, and the potential pros and cons of using third party services on your next Disney trip.

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Episode 19: Jet-Setting with the Girls: Our Ideal 'Sex and the City' Vacay
Episode 24: Disney VIP Tours with BTS Goodies
Episode 27: Minions Land at Universal Studios
Episode 28: Theme Park Insider Robert Niles Visits Let Me Adjust My Ears

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10 Tips for A Luxe Disney Vacation
Your Ultimate BFF Travel Checklist

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher.

Transcript

Hello my friends. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. And of course, a Thanksgiving shopping weekend, which actually started the Monday before Thanksgiving, I noticed. I have lots of Black Friday specials already in there. And a reminder of that, even though though Black Friday and Black Friday weekend is behind us that all the travel specials that were announced for Black Friday are really gonna happen right up till well, until Christmas. But then January starts what we in the industry call wave season. So if you're looking to book a cruise, January February are the big specials for that, which means that the all inclusives and every other Travel entity is gonna try and, quote, get in on the waves of wave season. So some great Black Friday specials, but also some great specials will happen in January February. So if you're looking to put travel under your menorah or Christmas tree, This is a great time to be looking at that, and I would love to help you with that. 

Today, doing a FAQ, Haven't done 1 in a while, and I have lots of questions that have stacked up in my inbox. Also because, as you know, I spent a lot of time traveling. And so lots of different people asked me lots of different travel questions while I was out and about at an all inclusive, at a resort in Las Vegas, and at Walt Disney World. And if you didn't hear any of my previous podcasts with my fun guests, I hope you will go back. We had the theme park insider on with some fabulous behind-the-scenes stuff. My mom was a recent guest talking about our multi-generational trip for my milestone birthday. 

Which brings us to the very first question and the fact which was asked by my very own Mr. Makin Memories Travel, aka my husband. He wanted to know, as we were getting ready to go out for my birthday dinner, if he needed to dress up for the restaurants at Disney. And what a great question. So the vast number of restaurants that are in the parks, really, most of the restaurants anywhere at Walt Disney World, you do not have a dress code because they understand that you are coming from the parks, or, you know, there's great restaurants within the parks and they know that that is in addition to your park day. So you can really dress as you would when you're dressing in the theme parks. 

Now there is actually a theme park dress code which you may or may not be aware of. And basically, again, I don't see them really enhancing this much anymore. But just for the sake of going over it, there are some dress codes and some guidelines that Disney does list on its website. And again, they go through more inappropriate attire than they do appropriate attire. But you must wear shoes and shirts at all times, and they will escort you out for not wearing a shirt or despite my Instagram story where I did See people walking around without shoes on, and that was completely disgusting. If you are caught by park security, they will ask you to put your shoes on, or they will escort you out. 

But again, there are some guidelines on what you cannot wear to the parks and this would also extend to any of the restaurants, either within the parks or at the resort. So no clothing with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics. And you did hear on a recent podcast where Les from VIP tours was on where he had a story about Christina Aguilera making a guest turn their shirt on inside out because she used to be a cast member. And I encourage you to go listen to that episode as well. It's really fun. Now these other ones, I think Disney may have grown even more lax upon, just based on being out in the parks and what I've seen recently.

So they say no excessively torn clothing, clothing which by nature exposes excessive portions of the skin. In other words, please no tushy showing. Again, I've seen some outfits that ride that fine line. They do not want clothing that touches or drags on the ground. That one, they are actually pretty strict about, and it's not for any obscenity. It's for safety. They don't want people tripping on that or, as has been the case really be getting caught in a wheelchair or a scooter driven by someone who may not be familiar with proper driving etiquette of a scooterr. Clothing with multiple layers, you will be subject to a greater search upon entry. And the dress Code in writing does say objectionable tattoos. I haven't seen them do that in a long time. I guess, objectional tattoos as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So what I find objectionable, maybe others do not. 

Now, there are some signature fine dining restaurants that are located outside of the theme parks, mostly at deluxe hotels. Those include places like California Grill, Yachtsman's Steakhouse, Jiko at Animal Kingdom, and Flying Fish at Boardwalk. The official dress code for these restaurants states minimum dress code requirements. So you can wear jeans into those restaurants if they are in good condition. Women are fine to wear capri pants, skirts, dress shorts even. They say that tank tops, flip flops, swimsuits, and swimsuit cover ups are not permitted. And again, they mentioned torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language or graphics.

 I will be honest, unless I am not coming from a park to go to one of these restaurants. If I'm coming from a resort, I will dress a little bit nicer. But the dress code isn't necessarily enforced. Really, again, no t-shirts with objectionable language or graphics. If you look neat and nice, they're gonna let you in. If there's any concern, it's gonna be again about the shoes, the swimsuits, and the coverups.  

Now character breakfast dress codes, again, you're fine if you're eating in the park. Adults are not allowed to wear princess costumes or prince costumes, they frown on that, on any Disney IP costumes worn by adults. But it is fine for those little Bippity Boppity Boutique dresses, little princess dresses. It makes for great photos and princess costumes, and even your pirates. Or if anybody wants to dress up, usually that's 13 and under, They really won't say anything. But adults, that is frowned upon and not allowed according to the actual printed dress code - that's in the parks or the resorts. 

Now there is one dining experience which they do enforce the dress code, and it does have its own. That, of course, is their 5 star 5 diamond restaurant, Victoria and Albert's, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort and Spa. That does have a specific dress code, again, that is enforced. And that is, and I'm gonna read this directly from the official policy: “Guests must wear proper attire. Men must wear dinner jackets with dress pants or slacks and shoes, ties are optional. Women may wear a cocktail dress, a nice dress, a dressy pantsuit or a skirt with a blouse. Jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip flops or tennis shoes are not permitted at that restaurant.”

Disney Springs actually does tend to have an even less formal, aka more casual dress code than even the signature restaurants and the resorts. You will definitely see people there in shorts t-shirts, you're there to shop. Also, keep in mind that it's hot in Florida and the air conditioning actually works really, really well. So sometimes you do need to layer or bring a wrap or enjoy the chill if you're there in the heat of the summer. So that is the answer to that question. So thank you for asking it, Mr. Michele Visits Mickeyi.

So I have been asked recently by some of my clients who I met up with, what's at the top of my bucket travel list right now. So first, at the conference that I was at, my signature travel conference, which is my consortium that I belong to. So basically, it was my professional development conference where I won an award, if you didn't see on my social media, or if we're not friends on some social media. I was awarded to be a signature select travel consultant for Walt Disney World. Well, actually any of the Disney vacation products, I should say, for Disney and Universal. So I'm very excited to join that very elite group of travel agents. 

And many of us, we learned that we do not call things a bucket list anymore. We call them a wish list. And hopefully, I will get the person who talked about that at our conference. Maybe he can be a future guest. But I am reading his book right now and his name is escaping me.It's Ben something. 

So at the top of my travel bucket list right now is definitely the Far East. I really wanna see Tokyo. I really wanna see all of Japan, actually. Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I'm a huge history buff. And, of course, I do really wanna see Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. So I'd have to build in some extra days there by myself to go do that because nobody else in my travel family or friends even want to go to the Far East just to go to theme parks or spend time at the theme parks. 

So I did get asked also if I have gotten my invitation to Club 33, and the answer is no. So I am again reaching out to my community, my friends, my family, anyone who listens to me shout this and whine about it from the rooftops. I do not yet have an invitation to Club 33. It is on not just my Disney wish list. It is on my wish list. So if you have that connection and you can hook me up, we will be besties for life. 

Speaking of besties for life, if you haven't listened to the episode on Club 33, or my what Sex and the City archetype are you? This is my call to do that. Get your squad and let's go, we are having a wonderful making memories travel group trip to Greece on a Virgin Voyages Greek Island Glow, June 2nd to June 9, 2024.

But what is even more exciting about that is that we've got some fabulous VIPs coming with us. So I really, really, really want you to flashback to 25 years ago when you used to watch Sex and the City at your friend's house because not everybody had HBO. But you wore your pajamas. You all grabbed your favorite glass of wine or cosmo and popcorn or, like the gals did on the show, your cupcakes. And you watched that show. 

The very first episode I ever watched, I remember it very clearly. It's the one where Miranda has to fake orgasms with Mark Feuerstein who plays an eye doctor on the show. And he was so cute. He was once chosen as a People's sexiest man alive. He's so adorable. Nice Jewish boy, by the way. And so think back to how you would then go to the water cooler the next day because there was no such thing as social media, and you would relive it, where you would just stay with your friends. It was Sunday night and you would just debrief it. And then again, Monday at the water cooler. 

Well, imagine getting to meet the person who put Carrie's words in her mouth. Watch her strut. And then think about the person who dresses her and all of her besties, male and female, right now on the reboot, And Just Like That. And then the person who moderates that water cooler talk, which now comes through your ears on a podcast or on social media, the chief television credit for Vanity Fair. And all 3 of those fabulous people, Cindy Shupik, Molly Rogers, Richard Lawson, are going to be on this cruise. So when you take that Greek Isles cooking class only available to people on this cruise, one of them might just be on it with you. So imagine that once in a lifetime wish list travel experience. 

And if that is not enough to make you come, then please check out the show notes because I do have a brand new download which you can download to figure out or to discuss how best to have a vacation with your squad. It is going to be phenomenal. The actual name of it is Your Ultimate BFF Travel Checklist, And you can find that in the show notes.

Also in the show notes, you can find out how to have a fabulous divine Disney experience. As I said, I've just been selected as an expert. So hang on to your ears and go to the show notes and download. So that's what's at the top of my travel list right now. Well, in addition to Tokyo is that fabulous Greek islands cruise that I wanna take with all of you. 

Now, somebody also asked me what some of my favorite extras are at Walt Disney World. Now when I go, I do try and do one thing that I have never done before. Sorry, I'm too old for Bippity Boppity Boutique, But I did do the adult character makeup that they do or they did prior to COVID. Not sure they brought that back, at the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. So I did get character makeup done for one of the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween parties, so I have tried that. I've done the animal trek. I have done the giants at the animal kingdom, caring for giants, which There's 2 different ones. One's elephants and one is rhinos. I always do the scavenger hunts that go with every Epcot festival. I have actually never managed to find time to go play mini golf, so that's one thing I don't do or haven't done. 

But my favorite extra, it's actually the least expensive of all of those things I just rattled off. It's under $10, and that is at Epcot. I love my scavenger hunts. And if you haven't seen the social media where Nikki, my friend at Travel with Nikki, who has also been a past guest on the podcast. You haven't seen where we did Pluto's pumpkins scavenger hunt. It was her first. She had never done it. She killed it. She was very, very good at it. Then please go back and watch some of those videos. They are great. And the 2 of us rocked it out, and because Nikki killed it, she got the sipper cup. You do not even have to finish the scavenger hunt to get your skipper cup, your prize, I should say. It's not always a sipper cup. And you can redeem it even when you buy it. Again, under $10 and a full day of Epcot fun, both in World Showcase and then all the things in Future World, World of Play, World of Future, whatever they are now calling Future World, which I still call Future World. 

So lots of fun there, and there will be 1 coming up. Well, there's one going on right now, of course, for festival of holidays. But there will be one coming up for January, the Festival of the Arts Broadway show. Now I will be doing a full on episode about all of the changes at Disney come January 2024. I'm waiting until we get closer because who knows? Something else could change like park hours and nighttime shows.

But one thing I can talk about that has already been announced is the Festival of the Arts at Epcot. And one thing that you may not know about that they do have every year is the Disney on Broadway concert series. And this is free with your Epcot ticket for the day. And they have actually announced all the performers who were coming already for this Broadway concert series. The shows are at Epcot as part of the Festival of the Arts. They actually are 3 times a day on the dates that they have them in the America Gardens Theater at Epcot at the American Adventure. They do them at 5:30, 6:15, and 8 between January 12th and February 19th. And they have stars from Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Tarzan, And that's just January. Then they have more stars than The Lion King. Then they have a star from Aladdin. In fact, they have Michael James Scott who played the Genie on Broadway and Aladdin. 

So very, very exciting stars. I highly recommend it. You can, if you so choose to. They do have a dining series. And this year, they have even added a same day dining package where you can eat at the American Adventure and Sam Eagle's Barbecue restaurant. And if there is availability still, and you want to order that particular menu. It's only $36 for adults 10 and up. And then you can get special seating for these shows. But I do want to say, I also gave this advice when talking about Genie+ on a previous podcast. You'll notice I'm plugging lots of previous podcasts. It's because I've had some amazing, amazing guests and uncovered lots of really great hints for you. 

So as I said, the theaters always have plenty of great seating as long as you get there and enough time to get a seat. But these Broadway shows are also standing room only, and you can hear them in the American Adventure Pavilion even if you're standing right behind the theater. You might not get a picture-worthy view, but these are singers, and you'll be able to hear the great music. They do have other dining options that you will need advanced reservations for, and those can be made 60 days in advance like any other advanced dining reservation. And of course, that is something that your travel agent is more than happy to assist deal with. 

Now I have been asked also what I can tell you about Standby Skipper and Mouse Dining, or any of the dining assistance alerts. Also, that came up as one of my clients was asking about some of the VIP tours that are not offered by Disney. And so I do want to address that. Standby Skipper and dining alerts are different, but let's talk first about those VIP tours that are not sold by Disney. Or really, they say they're sanctioned by Disney because they've been doing them for so long, but they are not. They charge 50% of what a Disney VIP tour does. So on any given day, The price of a Disney VIP tour could be between $450 and $750 per hour. Whatever that fee is, this particular service that I investigated is 50% off. 

Also, There's a storybook nanny company that I follow very closely on Instagram. That's slightly different because they're not saying that they're giving you VIP tours. So let's take them 1 at a time. 

Non-Disney VIP tours, Disney recently went through and trespassed, meaning these people are banned because they are considered trespassing and they are banned from coming back into the parks. Even people who do not make use of the Disney Accessibility Service or what we call the DAS Pass. Also, an episode on that previously with my friend, Krystal Eicher. And they took them all out. And these are people who basically sell their service as a verbal map, and someone who knows Genie Plus and the Lightning Lane system well enough to help you so that you don't have to have your head in the phone all the time. So going back to the VIP tours that are not sanctioned by Disney, I do not recommend them. It's not something that I would ever book for a client. It is something that is available through a simple Google search. And if a client wanted to book that at their own risk, they would be able to do that. I don't recommend it. Instead, ask your travel adviser, if they offer a gold, platinum VIP service, where we manage that for you from here for a luxury fee. That would be something that would cost extra in addition to our management and booking fees. 

Okay. Another thing that we as travel advisers do is dining assistance, and we help with those hard to get dining reservations. And one of the ways that we do that is I have an annual subscription to Mouse Dining alerts. These are basically bots that the owners of these sites have figured out the algorithm for Disney dining. And when a dining reservation becomes available for a restaurant that you have set an alert for, you will get an alert that that is available. You have to be ready to go when that alert comes in. I subscribe, so I get text alerts, and then I can go in and find those. I will use that sometimes for clients. Again, I do charge a booking and management fee for my services. So If I do that, and I know that there's a hard to get reservation or I've been unable to get something my clients really want, I can set a dining alert. It is also something that you can do for yourself. Again, a simple Google search, you can find several. 

Again, one of them recently, I think it was Mouse Hackers. One of the dining alerts just went out of business. So again, I do caution you to use them with some sense of you may lose your money. You may not ever get the reservation that you want. It is something that even if one does show up and becomes available, it is like a very much a first come, first served. So anybody that has a dining alert for that restaurant, that date, you're competing with all of those people, including locals, by the way, who often just have annual passes and are waiting to get a specific restaurant. And then they will then make a park reservation, go to park for that day. So you're competing with everyone. So again, Use with caution, I guess I'll say. 

So the other one that people ask in addition to all of these aids that people have asked about is Standby Skipper. So Standby Skipper has a Facebook group. If you are considering joining Standby Skipper, that group is where it's at. The directions on Standby Skipper are, to me, they were vague at best. But people Disney content creators, one of them has some great YouTubes on it. But this Facebook group is other users who give each other tips. Nikki and I used it at Epcot very unsuccessfully. And there is a cost to this too. I found setting it up to be very difficult. 

But when we went back for my birthday, I already had it set up because I had used it previously, so I'd already had it. It was super easy and we were using it for Epcot again, actually, and it was fabulous. So I think you just have to learn how to use it and it can be very, very helpful in navigating Genie+. That is something you have to be using Genie+. So you have to pay for that, and then you pay for Standby Skipper, which is very reasonable fee. And again, if you're concerned about this, this is a service that your travel agent can do for you. Many of us do offer it, not everybody does, I should say. It’s more expensive than what you would pay for a Standby Skipper, but this way it can be personalized to you. And again, we know which way to walk to protect your very tired feet, maybe your hands from lugging all that great shopping or pushing a stroller. We can maneuver that for you in a way that a simple algorithm and a bot just can't do for you. 

Now, I follow Storybook Nannies on Instagram. They are wonderful. I as you know, concentrate in adult occasion. So I personally have never had a client use them, but I adore watching them on social media. They can come to the park. They're not selling anything that Disney already sells, like some of the unsanctioned VIP tours. You're never allowed in the parks to sell something that Disney sells. So if you have your own trading pin company or ears, or anything like that, you can't come into the park and, like, set up shop and try and sell it. And that does go for non-Disney VIP tours. The nannies, on the other hand, claim to be just an extra set of hands. So if you have 3 kids or maybe you have a senior in a wheelchair who acts like a kid, and you need an extra set of hands, that they can do. 

I researched it, and I couldn't find out if these people actually, already have annual passes, and so you don't have to pay for park access. But they can definitely hang out in the resorts and babysit, so you can have an adult night out. And if you need help planning that adult night out, I am here for you. 

And with that, that is another episode. And I would love to hear your questions. So hit me up on social media. The best way to find me is direct message me on Instagram, which is in the show notes. I'm not even going to spell it out for you here. I'm gonna let you get right back to your travel special shopping. And you can also find me on a form on my website where you can email me. And that is www.makinmemoriestravel.co (not .com). So it's Michele with one L, Makin’ with no G, and .co. And with that, I will see you real soon.