Be Our Guest — in Comfort, Style, and Frugality

I am a cheapskate. Ramen Noodles make me very happy inside, because the price is always to the right of the decimal point. I also love being comfy. I will almost always choose comfort over style, because what’s the point in looking great if you feel miserable?

But even though I love the simple things in life, I firmly believe in the power of the “Treat Yo’ Self” mindset. When you work hard, it’s okay to play hard; it’s fun to dress up; and if there’s something that you have been wanting to do, it’s important to take a day and do it! Since I’ve been a big fan of Belle and her Beaux since childhood, eating at the Be Our Guest restaurant was a must-do for my DCP experience.

If you plan to have a similar “Treat Yo’ Self” day, here are a few tips to help you get reservations and have the best time ever at “Be Our Guest”.

#1 — Reserve Super Early, or Really, Really Late!

Okay, so you may have heard that Be Our Guest is nearly impossible to get a reservation for. This is absolutely true. If you have a big group, or a very rigid schedule, you’re going to want to make reservations months in advance — like, the minute they let you make reservations, you need to make them! However, if you have a smaller group, and you’re willing to adjust your schedule a bit, it’s not impossible to get in. The trick is to keep checking. If you don’t check, then someone else will, and they’ll get that spot before you. Start checking for reservations on the My Disney Experience App at least once every day in the week before you want to go, and then every hour or so the night before. Remember, plans change. People get tired. I’d say the best times to check are late at night, and then early in the morning.

#2 — Don’t Get Attached to Dinner

Everyone wants to go to dinner at Be Our Guest because dinner seems like a fancier meal than breakfast and lunch. And it is. But you know what? Breakfast and lunch are cheaper than dinner. WAY CHEAPER! And the delicious Grey Stuff is still there during the earlier meal times, so why not save a few bucks? My roommate Kayla and I went for lunch, and it was still more magical than we could have ever hoped for! The only down-side to booking an earlier meal is that the Beast only meets for dinner, so if meeting the Beast is the only reason you want to do Be Our Guest, then you might be disappointed in breakfast or lunch.

#3 — Be a Scrapbook Mom!!

No, you don’t have to actually go home and make a scrapbook. Who has time for that anyway? But DO take as many pictures and videos as possible! At first, Kayla and I felt kind of silly stopping to take pictures of everything, but you know what? This is probably the only time you’re going to eat at the BEAST’s CASTLE so take as many pictures as you want to and don’t pay attention to that old man muttering under his breath about millennials! Another thing that we did was we took a video of us just wandering around the castle and discovering the three cool rooms, It was so fun to watch it back, because it was like we were going through it again! Get up. Explore. Document everything.

#4 — Dress Up, Or Don’t…

I personally love going to the parks in dresses. It makes me feel pretty, and more immersed in the magic. But like I said earlier, comfort comes first! If dresses just aren’t you’re style, then wear what you think you look good in! It’s important to feel confident for all those pictures you’re going to take. My go-to dress up style at the parks is a cute dress and comfy sneakers. I felt pretty and confident for our fancy reservation, but afterwards I was still good to explore the park and go on rides! Yes, Be Our Guest is a fancy place (it is a palace after all), but you’re at DisneyWorld! Be comfy. Be confident. You do you Boo.

 

So there you have it. Your poor college kid’s guide to having a blast at one of the fanciest restaurants in the park. Feel free to comment with questions, or other tips you would add!

The Common Thread

I believe in the power of stories.

As a kid, stories were one of the only things that connected me and my brother. We had very different interests. While he was playing high school football, I was playing clarinet in 6th grade band. But despite any difference in our age or our hobbies, we could always come together to enjoy a good movie or book.

That’s why our family went to Disney — to truly be a part of the magic that wove a common thread between us.

But let’s have some real talk for a moment.

Even at Disney, not everything is going to be magical and fairy-tale-like. At Jedi Training, we typically fill up our spots within the first two hours of the day. So for the rest of the day, I have the pleasure of telling parents that there are no more spots for their younglings. One day, I got a tap on my shoulder that I’ve gotten many times before.

“Please, my nephew is crazy, he wants to be a Jedi.”

“I’m sorry sir, sign ups are all filled for today.”

“Is there anything you can do, we came all the way from Brazil!”

“No, I’m sorry, even our alternates list is full.”

And that should have been the end of it. But no. The man taps my shoulder again and when I turn around, he’s holding this 4 year old kid. Which is totally NOT FAIR. So my coworker and I told them to stick around until the show break, and maybe we could take a picture of him with a lightsaber or something.

That. Kid. That 4 year old kid. Watched the whole show with the most focused and serious look I’ve ever seen on a 4 year old’s face. Had his own lightsaber. Had his own robe for goodness’ sake. And I’d been told he didn’t speak that much English, but when I asked “Are you a Jedi?” I got the most serious “Yes” I’ve ever heard.

So we went nuts. My friend got him a Jedi Training pin. We got him a bottle of water just like the other younglings got. And I ran to ask one of our Jedi masters to take a picture with him. He was still very serious of course, but his family was all smiles.

That experience just reminded me of why I love coming to Disney parks. At Disney, we’re all just kids in the middle of our own favorite adventures. I’m proud that as a cast member, I get to help people make those lasting memories for others.

So whether you’re a Disney fan or not, please read good stories. Watch great films. Appreciate art. Because when you do, you are linking into a network that is so much bigger than any one person. That child and I didn’t speak the same language, didn’t live in the same country, and we weren’t even born in the same decade — but it was a story that gave us some common ground and helped us understand each other.

That, I think, is truly magical.

 

My First Magic Moment

Have you ever had a dream so big, you were afraid to want it too much? That’s how I felt as soon as I even heard about the Disney College Program (DCP). During my application process, anytime I felt my hopes floating up, I would shove them back down into my chest and duct tape them down. But you know hopes. They always find a way to float back up again.

So I let them float. All the way up to Infinity and Beyond! And just like any respectable Disney princess would, I went and shared my dreams with my own “Grandmother Willow.”

I sat next to her in that chair she never left, and I held her hand in mine. When I told her, “Grandma, I might get to work at Disney World,” her warm smile could have thawed any number of frozen hearts.

“If I go,” I said, “what would you like me to bring back for you?”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter.”

“No, really! Anything you want! A t-shirt? A Mickey Mouse doll? A lightsaber?”

At this point, my mom nearly choked on her muffin. “A lightsaber? Lindsey, you can’t get Grandma a lightsaber. She would literally attack the nurses with it whenever she didn’t want to take her pills!”

And Grandma and I smiled at each other, because we knew exactly what my present was going to be.

A few days later, she was gone. Mom and I were each holding a hand when she slipped through the veil between this world and the next. And you know what? I knew she was out of her pain. I knew that she’d lived a good life. I knew that she loved me, and that I’d see her again. But all that doesn’t make the initial separation hurt any less. It’s a painful wrenching of circumstance to go from loving someone, and desperately trying to keep them with you to missing someone, and knowing you’ll eventually have to move on.

But three days later, I had a very Moana-like moment. You know, when Moana sees the light go out in her Grandma’s cabin, and then three seconds later that huge glowing Manta-Ray thingy races under her boat and she knows her grandmother is going to be with her? Well. Our moment was just as dramatic. I opened up my email on February 14th, 2017, and received my acceptance to the Disney College Program. From that point on, I knew for sure — that I wasn’t just moving on, I was moving forward. And I certainly wasn’t going alone.

Now you wanna hear something really cool? Like, sickeningly serendipitous? Get this: I got cast into the Jedi Training attraction. That’s right. JEDI TRAINING in Hollywood Studios. WHERE WE GET TO CARRY A LIGHTSABER EVERYWHERE!

So I know it wasn’t just coincidence that led me here, and it definitely wasn’t my own pure skill. Call it pixie dust, magic, divine intervention, or a grandmother’s love. I am here to grow, and learn, and meet new people, and take pictures of Mickey cake pops in front of the castle, and work hard, and have the time of my life — and I get to do it all with Grandma’s lightsaber right by my side every day.