Liberty Tree Tavern and MNSSHP? Good idea?

[lawgirl]

I lucked up on a 7 pm ADR for Liberty Tree Tavern the night we are going to MNSSHP. We are going with my parents and my kids (infant amd 2 YO son), and Im thinking that a TS restaurant would be a nice break from all the partying!

But at the same time, I don't want to be stuck eating for 3 hours during the party, and miss out. In your experience, how long does a meal at LTT usually last? Are they pretty efficient?

Is the food good? It looks like its all American thanksgiving style...sounds good to me!

[VWL Mom]

IMO, with the party starting at 7PM I wouldn't make an ADR then. If you can't get anything before the party starts at MK, you might want to try for something earlier (5P) at one of the monorail resorts or WL. After dinner you can hop the monorail or the bus from WL and be back at MK for the start of the party.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I agree! Don't waste any party time having dinner!

If you can't get an earlier ADR for LTT, try for one of the resorts near MK, or even just plan for a larger lunch, and have a quick counter service meal for dinner.

If you really want to eat at LTT, I'd figure on about an hour, depending on if you get seated on time.

[lawgirl]

IMO, with the party starting at 7PM I wouldn't make an ADR then. If you can't get anything before the party starts at MK, you might want to try for something earlier (5P) at one of the monorail resorts or WL. After dinner you can hop the monorail or the bus from WL and be back at MK for the start of the party.

But don't they let you in the park as early as 4 pm? We were planning on getting there as early as possible, walking around, doing rides, then taking a break at 7 to eat dinner and calm down for a while...(i have a 2YO son who Im afraid is going to go nuts at WDW! He'll love it, and its going to be fun, but I want to definitely make sure that I have a quiet, calmer
place scheduled so we are not on system overload!).

We aren't doing another park that day, so the MNSSHP is our park day...I don't know if he'll be into the parade or parties, but I thought it would be so much fun for him to get dressed up and hopefully it will be a little less crowded than going during the day. My hubby and I went last year and LOVED it!

[Pirate Granny]

We made our reservations for 4pm...that way it didn't cut into the actual party time. It was WAY better back in the day it was a character dinner. They were dressed for Halloween costumes. Do they dress up at the crystal palace (characters).

You pay a lot for the party...Eck out every last minute. Don't forget you need to trick or treat and we found the lines getting longer and longer each year.

[Pop Centurion]

I agree. MNSSHP tickets aren't cheap & it's a shame to waste time during the party. There's so much to do & the time does fly by.
We've always booked ADR around 4-5 as others have suggested. By dining at 7 you probably won't get out until it's time for the fireworks & then you can catch the second parade. This leaves you with about two hours to try to watch the villains mix & mingle, trick or treat, check out the dance parties, & try to meet the rare characters that are only out during the event. Not enough time to do it in my opinion unless you're running through the park in which case you're really missing the whole experience.

[lawgirl]

Thanks for the advice! I guess Im weird when it comes to the parties! Id rather buy the MNSSHP ticket just to be able to cut down a little on the crowd and see the special fireworks and everyone in costumes. So what we usually do (my hubby and I...this is the first time bringing the kids) is sleep in late that day, then get all dressed up and head to the party and take advantage of short wait time for all the rides and enjoy a thinner crowd. And I much prefer the MK at night anyways. And when we are at the MK, I can never go that long anyways, so we actually end up spending more time (a solid 8 hours, from 4 pm-12 am) at the park for the party ($60/ticket),then we would if we bought the actual park ticket ($100/ticket?), and only spend a few hours there, or even the same amount of time. I don't think I've ever gone from park opening to closing (well maybe in college when I had alot more energy and time), which is like 12 hours total, and definitely won't be doing it with my kids. I know its probably weird, but that's my reasoning and its been really fun for us so far! ;-)

I don't really eat candy or give it to my kids, so we won't be standing in line to trick or treat. And I don't know that he will want to do the parties either and my infant daughter will hopefully sleep the whole time.

I guess Im mainly looking at it as this is our MK day...so we will ride the rides that he can do, walk around some, watch the fireworks, and then head home.

I know that may not make any sense to people but I guess in my mind it works for us. Of course, both of my kids are free this time, so that may factor in a bit as well!

[Pop Centurion]

I see your reasoning now. It's worked for you in the past so why change. As long as you enjoy yourself while there is all that is important.

[lawgirl]

Well I talked to my mom about it, and she is so excited...guess I will definitely be keeping the reservations. We haven't eaten at LTT in probably over 20 years, so it will be a great (hopefully) walk down memory lane, as well as a nice place to cool down and calm down. The last time I ate there I was probably around 4-5, and I remember it being one of my mom's favorite places. She just confirmed that, so we are on!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

so we actually end up spending more time (a solid 8 hours, from 4 pm-12 am) at the park for the party ($60/ticket),then we would if we bought the actual park ticket ($100/ticket!)

It sounds like you have it all worked out, but just remember that tickets aren't $100/day when you buy multiple days. So, if you're thinking about the $$, it could be WAY less to add a day of tickets than the party, if you're not really interested in the special party additions.

[Cinderelley]

I think it is a great idea. With kids as young as yours, you will definitely need some down time. You can get there early, do some stuff, eat dinner and be ready to go again.

The parade is really neat (the only parade I will stop to watch), and the villains come out and dance between the parade and the fireworks. Try not to miss the headless horseman's ride before the parade.

You'll have a great time as long as you do what is right for your family.

[lawgirl]

It sounds like you have it all worked out, but just remember that tickets aren't $100/day when you buy multiple days. So, if you're thinking about the $$, it could be WAY less to add a day of tickets than the party, if you're not really interested in the special party additions.

Yes so true! I guess I should have added that I have one more day left on my park hopper pass...i usually buy the 10 day no exp. park hopper, so the days are (relatively) really cheap. I only have 1 actual day left...so instead of buying the 10 day pass right now, we are going to use the 1 day left for Epcot and AK, and go to MNSSHP for our MK day.

And I do enjoy the party aspect of it...the times I've been its been really festive, and I love dressing up in costumes for Halloween, and it is nice to cut down on the crowd a little.

[lawgirl]

I think it is a great idea. With kids as young as yours, you will definitely need some down time. You can get there early, do some stuff, eat dinner and be ready to go again.
You'll have a great time as long as you do what is right for your family.

My thoughts exactly! I guess it all comes down to you have to do what is right for you...it may not be someone else's cup of tea, but if it works for us, then that's the plan! Thanks for the encouragement.

[beksy]

I think it sounds like a good plan for your family. I don't know if much was mentioned about the food but when we ate there 2 years ago it was good. It is like a Thanksgiving-style meal and is family-style. They have mac and cheese (or did when I was there) which should be good for your little ones too. Enjoy your trip! :mickey:

[mydisneygirls]

IMO, I would check for a late lunch/early dinner opening at Crystal Palace. LTT is a place we don't go to at all. Not the best food I've eaten at WDW. Plus CP has the characters and your 2 yr old will love it...and you will get some great "first trip" pics!!!!

[lawgirl]

IMO, I would check for a late lunch/early dinner opening at Crystal Palace. LTT is a place we don't go to at all. Not the best food I've eaten at WDW. Plus CP has the characters and your 2 yr old will love it...and you will get some great "first trip" pics!!!!

Thanks for the tip! We will probably definitely check into Crystal Palace next time we go. I want to wait on that one until my kids are a little bit older.

This time, my dad requested San Angel Inn for his pick; we are doing Ohana and Cape May for the kids and characters; and one of my mom's favorites is LTT...I know the food isn't probably the best in the world, but I think for her, she loves the colonial decor and atmosphere, and we have alot of memories there from when we were alot younger, so it has the nostalgia aspect for her too.

But I definitely want to schedule Crystal Palace for next time. Do you have any other favorite character places?

[mydisneygirls]

I can understand completely about going somewhere for the "memories." As for other character meals, I would recommend 1900 Park Fare. This is our favorite character meal (right now Cinderella and her stepsisters...who are a hoot...I even laugh). We are trying Cape May for the first time on our upcoming trip and looking forward to it. Ohana...love it there.