It's time for another installment in the differences between Disney World, Dollywood, and Hershey Park. If you've been following along, and need a reminder of what's already been covered, or if you are just joining, here's the links to get caught up! 

Part 1 An overview of each park. 
Part 2  Entry methods, fast passes, staff and maps
Part 3 The Rides, games, and app
Part 4 The Food (you are here!)
Part 5 (Coming soon) A Comparison between the three for an overall opinion

Though these are theme parks and share some similarities, each is different. 

For many, eating out while on vacation is an absolute highlight! For the budget minded, they try and cut a few corners on the things that don't matter to allow more towards those things that do. For a family with food allergies? Every meal is like a well planned tactical maneuver. 

Theme parks seem to have these three things in common when it comes to food. Snacks, counter service, and casual (or deluxe) meals where you can sit and be waited on.

I'm sure you know we're pretty experienced Disney World eaters! I've even written a Disney book about how to navigate dietary needs among other things there. If you've been a reader of my blog for a while, I give a break down of these three types of eating establishments. I go more in depth within the book. I'm not as much of an expert at Dollywood and Hershey Park, which it was so interesting to discover the similarities and the differences between these theme parks.

Let's talk a bit about each way you get refuel your body at Disney World, Dollywood, or Hershey Park.

Counter Service

These three parks share similarities in the counter service food as well. Fries, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, along with salads, hot dogs, and nachos on occasion. Disney's Magic Kingdom has the most counter service spots, but not the widest variety, the menus do tend to repeat themselves. 

At Dollywood, staffing continues to be a major concern, and because of that, a great number of their places are not open to eat at, reducing the choices further. Luckily, Dollywood is right in the heart of town, so if you were not able to get a good meal in the park, especially with such short park hours as they have been having, you'll find plenty of places outside the gates.

Hershey Park doesn't fare much better on the staffing situation, however, because they operate very few eating establishments and allow chains in, the food choices are more varied. You'll find a Moe's Southwest Grill near Chic f'ilet, not too far from a gyro house. Again, outside of Hershey Park you have tons of choices, in case you don't want to eat all of your meals on property.

In terms of variety, Hershey Park has the most. You'll find very little on the menus repeated, which can make it difficult if you have a chicken fingers and fries kinda need for most meals. 

Casual/Sit Down

If you'd like to be waited on, you likely already know you have to plan ahead at Disney! Reservations for these meals start six months out for on property places. You'll find a wide variety of food, and some from multiple countries. As far as variety, Magic Kingdom might be the winner here. 

Dollywood is more limited, they are a smaller park after all. What you will find though, is home cookin' and comfort food in each door you enter. Salads, fish, chicken, sandwiches, BBQ, chicken, and pleanty of kid food, like mac and chicken fingers. Dollywood's menus seem to be pretty all American, but also family friendly. 

Hershey has less to choose from as well, though they do boast a restaurant that uses chocolate in well...almost everything! It's a very popular spot, and pretty unique! 

The winner here is a toss up...it really depends on what you like! If southern style cooking is what you crave, Dollywood is the winner, with comfort mood and kid favorites. Something a bit more sophisticated or with a cultural flair? Disney is the choice for that. Unique, fun, and covered in chocolate? Hershey Park for dinner!

​We've talked about pretty much everything between these three parks..so which one did we enjoy most? Which one do we want to go back to? And which one do we plan to skip next time? You'll find out soon!

It's time for another installment in the differences between Disney World, Dollywood, and Hershey Park. If you've been following along, and need a reminder of what's already been covered, or if you are just joining, here's the links to get caught up! 

Part 1 An overview of each park. 
Part 2  Entry methods, fast passes, staff and maps
Part 3 The Rides, games, and app (you are here!)
Part 4 (Coming soon) The Food
Part 5 (Coming soon) A Comparison between the three for an overall opinion

Though these are theme parks and share some similarities, each is different. 

The Rides

When you go to Disney, you are going to get more rides than you might be able to do in a day, especially if you go to Magic Kingdom, which is the park we are using for comparison in this series. You'll have a wide variety of rides. Some will be indoors, some outdoors. There's a great mix and so many that just about everyone can go on. In fact, when you are little, there isn't much you can't go on! If you are Pooh sized, there are some seat styles that fit better, but again, not too much is off limits. As I said, there's a fantastic mix of rides. 

Dollywood was similar. There were many for the small ones, thrill rides for the big ones, and a good family mix in between. I admit, it was a little strange at first, to see all of these rides among all the trees and natural setting, a stark contrast to Magic Kingdom's themed worlds and concrete, but it was a relaxing atmosphere, and in our party, there were rides everyone enjoyed. Additionally, while there were country style fair rides, there were also rides on par with Disney, rides where time, effort, and thought were put into them. Wait times at Disney World are usually longer.

At Hershey Park, the rides are done based on what size you are. Additionally, it is at the ride operator's discretion if you can ride. My 8 year old, who doesn't like thrill rides was heartbroken when on our first day there, the operator refused him a ride on the kiddie swings. It happened several times, though other children taller than him got to ride. The following day, guess what? He was allowed on those rides by a different operator! It was frustrating and upsetting, and other parents and children had the same complaint. Wait times were not too bad, except for the roller coasters. 

Rides at Hershey Park were primarily country fair style rides or roller coasters. There was no in between. The one and only Disney-esque ride was Cupfusion, it was a very short track, and the switchback warned it was two hours wait once it was filled. For the most part, other than the roller coasters there was no wait time, however, the lack of in between rides meant that I went on a grand total of three rides at Hershey Park, the merry go round, the small cars you drive, and the scrambler, because the rest of the time I was either waiting for someone at a ride everyone else was too big to ride, or else waiting with my youngest at a ride he was too small to ride. 

Games

Magic Kingdom doesn't really have games, but Dollywood had several midway games. If there was an arcade, we never found it, and usually we can sniff those out! The games were a bit pricey, but there was one that for $5, one turn per day, it's play til you win. MY youngest was able to get a nice plush, which made him happy. 

Hershey Park goes over the top with games! There were two arcades, one quite massive and filled with vintage arcade games. Most of them started at a quarter to play, and we spent quite a while in those arcades. The midway games got some attention too, and while you got a fair number of tries, the only games we had success at were those that were play to win. There were a few, and I was glad the prizes were fairly good. 

The App

The app is sorely needed at any of the parks. At Hershey Park, they have NO paper maps! Prepare to get lost and miss part of the park without a map to navigate by. It's hard to find your way around with a small screen and people running through the park. Hershey Park's app is quite strange, almost our entire trip there, it shows that all the rides were closed, which wasn't true, but made seeing wait times impossible. 

From an allergy standpoint, I did apprecate being able to see the menus and ingredients for everything before ordering.

Dollywood's app is just fine. It's nothing special, it's factual, and gets you around and shows wait times. 

Disney's app is standard, the wait times, where things are, very similar to Dollywood. I do with that I could see ingredients on Disney's app. Hershey Park's app was amazing, and is my favorite of the three. 

Over all, who won this round? For rides, I'm a Disney girl. Dollywood would be second place. Hershey, yes, little wait times, but it's hard to navigate and most of the rides aren't ones we liked. The games? Hershey Park was a winner there! We'd go back just to spend a day in their arcade. The app winner is a tie. Each had good aspects and bad. 

​Next time, we talk about...the food!

Stood in the kitchen recently with dinner time fast approaching and too exhausted to cook? Me too! Tempted to order take out? Yep, same! But that money you might spend on enough pizza for the family takes a big chunk away from what you could be depositing into your vacation savings account! What to do? 

Having a dinner back up plan is crucial. Especially when it's a back up plan that doesn't cost a lot, is quick and easy, and is something everyone likes. In this instance, I always have a few frozen pizzas in the freezer. At $5 each, two pizzas and some stray lettuce and carrots to toss into a salad makes for an inexpensive dinner. That $11-12 costs a LOT less than ordering from the local pizza place, it's a crowd pleaser, and practically effortless. I don't have to dip into the budget and risk taking away from our vacation account. 

Okay, you say, but how does that really add up? After all, it's only $30 to buy pizza... True. But lets say that $30 is a once a month habit, on top of your other dining out expenses. That extra $19 spent on take out pizza versus frozen is $228 after 12 months. That's a night at a value resort. That's a lot of refillable mugs! That's a lot of souvenirs! 

What if you do that twice a month? In a year, that's $456! 

Now, I'm not saying never enjoy take out, but chances are, you already do! This would just be extra and on top of what you already spend. And if that's the case, frozen pizza to the rescue might be a great plan! If you aren't a frozen pizza family, look for other great meals that are effortless, like pasta meals in a bag or frozen meatballs cooked in sauce and served on a bun for meatball subs. 

Quick, easy, and more money for the DIsney vacation of your dreams!

 

It's giveaway time! Today, Disney Magic Mommy is giving away a perfect sized park bag and a copy of my new book, How to Manage Food Allergies at Disney World: And Other Important Vacation Planning Tips to Save Money and Have Fun, Not Stress!

This book isn't just for those with food allergies or dietary restrictions, but chances are good you know someone who suffers from them and is apprehensive about going to Disney. Maybe you are concerned yourself about how to manage something. Maybe you just want to be prepared, and know where the first aid stations are, what the best age for Disney is, prepping for your trip, the differences in restaurants and resorts. (Did you know there are over 200 places to eat on Disney World property?) plus more. You won't find specific info about rides and the best places to stay or eat. You will find there's no fluff, it's all just practical been there done that, there's how to navigate these situations, for both those with and those without dietary restrictions.

Bonus! It's NOT huge so it's NOT overwhelming! Something important to anyone! Written in an easy to read way, even the littles can understand this book.

You know me...I think there's NEVER a bad time to start planning your next trip. The information in this book is evergreen, meaning that if you don't go until next year or the year after, it's not going to be dated. 

You'll find the practical advice just as useful now as later. And even better? It's a small book, thin and easy to pack in your bag to reference as you head down to Orlando! 
​

What will you win? One reader is going to win a copy of the book, and a sling bag like this! Bag is subject to Amazon availability (which is where your prize will ship from) but if this one isn't in stock, it will be one very similar. 

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I'm so excited for you to enter! There are multiple ways. Winner will be a random draw. The winner will be contacted by email, so please be sure your email is correct! Winner will have one week to send me their mailing address, or prize will be forfeited, and a new winner selected. 

​USA Residents only, BUT if you are from outside of the USA, keep reading! You'll have a chance to get the book FREE!

 
I have to thank my 8 year old, who took this awesome picture! I'm wearing my fun "I'm done adulting. Let's go to Disney" shirt I was gifted at Christmas by my brother and sister in law. 

And now...here's where you will enter! Contest goes through August 12th. Didn't win? Aren't un the US? As a gift for you, ONE DAY ONLY you can get the ebook FREE!  That day will be August 16th. I'll remind you on the facebook!

This is my way to say thank you for being a Disney Magic Mommy reader. Reviews are appreciated, as each review left helps others find a book to help take the overwhelm out of planning!
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Best of luck to you all!! 

 

In the first part of our series, I gave a fried overview of Disney World, Dollywood, and Hershey Park. 

Today is a more in depth look at the entry method, fastpass type services, and staffing along with maps. Maps? Yep. Trust me on this. It's needed info.

Entry Method

The differences between Disney, Dollywood, and Hershey Park are pretty tremendous. At Disney, we are used to the security. You'll often have your bag checked, especially if you've left your phone, camera, or an umbrella in it. You'll also find security walking all around. That wasn't the case at Dollywood or Hershey Park. You walked through the metal detector and off you went. I wasn't the only one confused. While there was a very short section for them to check bags, I didn't see anyone's bags being checked at Dollywood or Hershey Park. Was this due to lack of staff or lack of concern? I wasn't sure. 

Once entering, all three parks have guest services and ticket windows right near by. Perfect for standby tickets or  questions. This part was the same. 

Fastpass Type Services

Each park has a type of Fastpass system, though the name varies. While as of this moment, Disney World's is temporarily suspended, my favorite thing has always been getting those passes included in the cost of my ticket. I've always known at least I get to skip the line on three rides, more if I was coordinated and took advantage of leftover passes that day. 

Dollywood has a paid service with two options. And it sounds a bit like what Disney Paris is going to be doing. Dollywood has Timesaver and Timesaver Unlimited. Timesaver gets to skip the line 8 times on chosen rides. Unlimited means any time, all day, any ride that accepts the pass. Prices are hefty though! $49 and $64, pre tax. Just like at Disney, some shows can even be reserved with this pass. While there, I didn't feel like it wold be of benifit for our family. Really, the rides were not long unless you wanted a coaster. 

 Hershey Park uses something called Fast Track, and like Dollywood there are two options, one standard and one unlimited. However, the price, much steeper, also varies as to what day you go. Prices start at $49-130 for Fast Track, and $50-180 for Fast Track Unlimited. Is it needed? Not really, again unless you just want the coasters, or the only one family ride that's Disneyesque, called Cupfusion. That ride had a very slow load time because there were very few ride vehicles. Almost every other ride was near walk on, in July. 


Staff

While it might not be totally fair to compare staffing as there is an obvious shortage, Disney by far still has the most staff. Dollywood, the second most but even still they struggled. At Hershey Park I counted one extremely young security officer, and one extremely old one. IF you had a question? Out of luck! There was no one to ask at Hershey Park. In fact, almost every single ride was operated by one person, and of an incredibly young age. Most of the employees were high schoolers. They were working their hardest, but it was very strange. It was similar at Dollywood, and imagine my surprise when the young man, likely just a year older than my oldest, said, "let me get my supervisor," and there, if the other kid was a year older than him I'd be surprised, he was. All polite, but severely understaffed and young. So be kind to these kids trying to make sure you have a great trip. 

The contract was quite severe to Disney, because even now, Disney is staffed, less, yes, but still well staffed. Help is there when you need it, and only adults are operating the ride you or your child is riding. 

Maps

Maps? Yep. Disney still has paper maps. Dollywood still has paper maps. Hershey Park? No maps. There were a few maps that were in the park and you can use your phone, but it's so, so hard to pull up everything on your phone and look for what you might want to go on. I'll talk more about the app next time! 

So who is in the lead? 

So far, Disney wins on staffing. Disney and Dollywood are tied on maps. While I enjoy walking in through security without really being checked...it also makes me a bit nervous. Point for Disney. Fastpass type system? Yeah...I don't want to pay that much extra for my family. Disney wins this too. 

But what about the rides, games and the apps? Actually...there were some great things at Dollywood and Hershey Park...  Coming soon, we'll talk more about that!