The $6 Disney character Meal

Y’all. I am about to let you in on the absolute BEST deal at Walt Disney World. Seriously, you won’t believe it. And you don’t even need reservations. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Remember back in early May when we went to Disney for 2 days for a portrait session? It was a great but EXHAUSTING trip. We had a wonderful session and a whole bunch of fun learning about camping at Disney. We spent approximately 3 hours in the parks. This was due to two things. Number one, Momma and Daddy were plum tuckered out (see? that’s camping language.) from a late wedding on Saturday and then waking at 4am to drive to Orlando and Number two, Mak and CB were quite eager to check out the pool at Fort Wilderness.

These photos are from the boat ride from Fort Wilderness to Magic Kingdom. There were no photos taken in the park that day…

Seriously, it was probably the shortest trip to the Magic Kingdom EVER. I think we rode Dumbo and that was pretty much it. Actually, that’s a lie. We rode a good bit…Big Thunder Mt, Space Mt, Dumbo, Teacups, Peter Pan, Carousel…but it was all done in a short amount of time. We just weren’t feeling it.

So back to the purpose of this post. The only thing we photographed from this trip (aside from the portrait session) was Chip n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-a-Long.

This photo does nothing other than show you what the campsites are like at Fort Wilderness. Fairly shady, pretty private, VERY clean!

We stopped for some hopscotch along the way to our destination…

And then we marched along to our final destination. The campfire.

You can buy your dogs there or bring them from home. We prefer to get them from Aldi back in good ol’ Florence. It costs next to nothing. And, I know. Hot Dogs have about the worst nutritional value out there. Please. We are CAMPING. Typically, the kids do not eat hot dogs but a few on a fun vacation are not going to kill them. Every kid needs a good hot dog cooked over an open fire every now and then, am I right? Oh, and also make sure that you bring the fixins for s’mores.

When we arrived the fires were not yet lit and Chip and Dale were out to visit with the kids. Along with some hula hoops and sidewalk chalk. Sweet.

Clara Beth can hula-hoop quite well. Even on her knees. We are considering a circus career.

There were about 30 or so kids hanging out, waiting their turn for a hug from the chipmunks. It was extremely laid-back. Not at all rushed and stressful like character meals at Disney often are.

About this time, Chip and Dale scamper away, the Disney people light the fires and you are invited to cook your food.

He’s pretty gross but we love him for it. 😉

And if you finish your dog, you get a s’more. YUM. =)

After about 45 minutes of cooking and eating, Chip and Dale come back out along with your sing-a-long leader. That’s when the singing and dancing begin.

That’s a good daddy that can make a fool out of himself singing at the top of his lungs just to make his kids happy. I love him for that.

Clara Beth was very much into the singing and dancing. Mak, not as much. He had fun, but he was NOT going to get out there and dance a jig. Pretty typical.

Disney characters are Rockstars to all of these kids and their parents. I love it.

The whole thing ends at 8:45, I think. Then you have two choices. You can stay and watch a movie under the stars or head over to the beach and watch Wishes. We chose Wishes.

The music is piped in and it’s pretty spectacular. The kids watch while digging in the sand and you get to relax in a lounge chair on the beach. Biggest plus of all? You are not fighting thousands of people for a spot to see the action AND you don’t have to fight them when it’s over to leave the park. And remember, Folks…all of this is FREE.

So, there you have it. I’m pretty sure it’s the best deal at Disney by far. It’s open to anyone, not just those staying at Fort Wilderness. It’s only two characters and you do have to cook your own food (part of the fun of it, I think!), but considering the fact that Chef Mickey’s costs $34.07 for an adult and 17.03 per kid, I’d say it’s a fantastic deal.

I’ll go ahead and add in the rest of our photos from that trip here, for documentation sake. These are from coffee on the beach, the morning that we left.

Sidenote: If you haven’t noticed, we don’t do CB’s hair while camping.

And, finally, a decal for Cousin Eddie. We’ve decided to put a sticker on the pop-up from every place that we camp. Should get pretty tacky pretty soon.

Remember, this year at the studio we are giving away a DISNEY trip in celebration of our 10th anniversary!!! This has been a really fun contest so far and I’m loving seeing all of those who are eligible so far. Message us, email us (collin@cmsmithportraits.com) or give us a call (843-665-4646) and we will tell you how you can be entered in the drawing!