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Welcome to SamsDisneyDiary in the WDWFan Zone, Episode #6 (October 14th 2013)—Timing is Everything: Tony’s Town Square & The Main Street Electrical Parade. Check out the video edition of SamsDisneyDiary in the WDW Fan Zone below, then keep reading for more details.
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant marquee.
Tony’s Town Square, the restaurant made famous by Lady and the Tramp. They shared their first kiss in the back alley at the end of an endless piece of spaghetti. Just inside the main gate at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom, you can dine in this charming turn-of-the-century trattoria right on Main Street U.S.A. The restaurant features whitewashed balustrades, French doors and an expansive front porch. Tony’s Town Square may not offer the best Italian in
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, based on the 1955 animated feature Lady and the Tramp.
Walt Disney World; in my opinion, you’ll find that over at Epcot’s Tutto Italia. It does offer a great selection of family favorite Italian dishes. From the classic spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmigiana, ravioli, seafood, braised lamb shank, New York strip
A view of Town Square from Tony’s Town Square Porch…
steak and grilled pork tenderloin; you’ll find something for everyone. So how’s the food? You know, if there is one thing the internet is full of it is opinions, and Tony’s Town Square has seen its share of bad reviews… Don’t believe them! Most, if not all, are dated (pre-2009). If you can’t get into Be-Our-Guest, this is a decent second option; try it for yourself. I’ve dined at Tony’s Town Square at least 3 times in the last 12 months and have enjoyed all of them. But this blog isn’t about the food, it’s about timing.
Tony’s Town Square offers an “expansive front porch” offering a fantastic view of Magic Kingdom parades. The outdoor seating is elevated and offers a view of the entire Town Square area. You’ll see the floats entering the Magic Kingdom and circling around the square past the restaurant and down Main Street USA, all while sitting on an elevated platform looking over the crowds. It just doesn’t get any better. I’ve heard many people talk about watching one of the evening parades from the restaurant, but couldn’t find anyone that actually did it. So, I had to try.
A view of Town Square from Tony’s Town Square Porch… The Firehouse across the courtyard.
Obviously, check the latest schedule for parade times and restaurant hours. You’ll need a strategic reservation time, a little luck and lots of patience to pull it off. Here is how I did it.
Main Street Electrical Parade was scheduled for 9:00pm in the Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind, you are right at the beginning of the parade route; if you want to see the full parade, you need to be in your seat before 9:00. You can also expect that a 9:00 reservation isn’t going to get you anyplace near outside seating. My strategy: a reservation with enough time to “wait” for an outside table and finish eating just before 9:00. Then enjoy dessert and a cup of coffee while the parade starts. My best bet was a 7:45 reservation (4 Adults + 3 Children).
My strategy started earlier in the day, when I grabbed Fast Passes for the Town Square Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet (good for 6:30-7:30). I was sure to check in for my reservation at 6:30 (Yes, that’s over an hour before my time). I had everyone in my party with me and explained that we had a 7:45 reservation and were willing to wait to get an outside seat. My thinking, as long as I’m seated outside before 8:45, we are good for the parade! The Hostess noted my request, thanked me for stopping in early, and asked that I check back in closer to my reservation time.
We then had time to use the Mickey Meet and Greet Fast Passes, do a little shopping and some pin
The Main Street Electrical Parade as viewed from the Porch of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Timing is everything to get the best seat in the house.
trading…Works for me! At about 7:30, we returned to the check-in, and it was the same hostess who remembered me. She told me I was first in line for an outside table and handed me a pager. It was interesting to stand near the check- in, just about everyone that checked in asked for an outside table. Get there early and check in!!! We had our table just after 8:00 with plenty of time to finish dinner and have dessert when the Main Street Electric Parade was starting.
The Main Street Electrical Parade as viewed from the Porch of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Timing is everything to get the best seat in the house.
It’s also important to have a backup plan just in case you can’t get that table seat. If we had been seated inside the restaurant, it would have been possible to have a window view, but not likely. Based on our seating time, we could easily have finished eating and watched the parade from Town Square; granted, we would have been standing. Planning, patience, and a little luck is all you really need.
Hope you enjoyed the blog and video. Sharing my passion for Disney is something I love to do. For all of my latest blogs be sure to visit www.samsdisneydiary.com, follow me on twitter @samsdisneydiary like the show on facebook at facebook.com/samsdisneydiary and for all of my videos, including my trips into the WDW Fan Zone subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/samsdisneydiary
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