Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

We gorged on the yummy buffet breakfast at the Hampton Inn and were lounging by the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge by 10:30AM!! After such a relaxing afternoon, we spent our first night in Disney chowing down and kicking it up at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ!!

We met up with bestie S and her family for the evening’s hoedown. The littles had the very best time, and Honey and I loved catching up with our friends. If you recall, she outfitted us in these darling shirts by our friend Tricia at HKL Designs. The bandana print accents were just TOO perfect!! I’m so glad I remembered to dig the bandana shorts out of the baby’s closet for the trip.

We arrived at Fort Wilderness around 5:30pm for our 6:30pm show time. You definitely want to allow a lot of time because there is SO much to do and see out here!!

A little before show time, they started ushering us into the barn. We totally lucked out with amazing right-in-the-middle-of-the-action seats.

After a few quick pics in front of the stage, we headed straight for the buffet. The food was excellent and far surpassed our expectations. We literally gobbled it up and went back for more.

Just as we were sitting down to eat, the show started. It was a perfect mix of fun for the littles and adult humor for the biggest kids. The band played the best variety of old and new country favorites and we couldn’t help but sing along and tap our feet.

And after a quick kick-off by our favorite mice, everyone was invited to join the stars on the dance floor!! The littles jumped right in and we were even more excited to have such great seats since we could keep an eye on them without even getting up.

The boys flocked towards Mickey during the entire event, but Minnie, Chip & Dale and Goofy were all out on the dance floor as well. The characters REALLY interacted with the kids and it was just the cutest thing to see them hanging out like old pals.

There were a couple of intermissions where this incredibly talented rope handler (??) dazzled us with his lasso tricks. We used the time to load up on more food, drinks (did I mention beer, wine and sangria were included?!?) and Mickey ice cream bars!!

During one of the breaks we managed to squeeze in a quick meeting and picture with Minnie and Mikey!! They don’t advertise that they are available for photos, so if you go be sure to look for where they might be lining up..

The end of the show was a wonderful patriotic finale with the band and characters.

If you go…

• Allow ample time to get to Fort Wilderness. You must park in the main parking lot and take the internal bus system out to the BBQ. It took us about 30 minutes total from Animal Kingdom Lodge.
• The characters are available to meet and greet before the show from 5:30-6:00. We just missed them when we arrived at 6pm.
• It pays to be early! Not only can you meet the characters, but the tables are first come, first served. They definitely seated around the dance floor in the best spots first.
• Beer, wine and sangria were included and were very easy to get (ie. lines were manageable). The food was also quite good and Mickey bars are the perfect dessert.
• Mickey and Minnie were also available for photos and signatures during their breaks from the stage. This wasn’t announced. We just happened upon them.
• The show is seasonal and is totally worth it for a FUN and interactive character event.

This was such a fun and magical way to kick off our first full day in Disney!!!
xoxo