The First “Forum FAQ”
After working at Walt Disney World in Food & Beverage for over three years, I’ve been able to tackle many different Guest questions. I always said I liked to experience the parks from the Guest prospective so I could better direct a Guest during their trip. Now, I hope to scour different forums and remove the assumptions from people’s questions. Since I’m no longer a Cast Member, I can’t be as robust with my answers as I would like, but hopefully I will remove a little bit of the mystery.
On a popular site, I found a question that pertains to ordering a customized cake on property. Fortunately, I manned this aspect of the business for a few days. First of all, Walt Disney World manages not all restaurants. For example, the Italy Pavilion, the France Pavilion, Portobello’s Yacht Club, and T-Rex are all Operating Participants. Although they might be placed next door to a WDW managed location or even within a park, Disney does not have very much control over their policies and procedures.
The Cake Hotline can be reached at 407-827-2253. This will get you to a directory for the entire WDW Resort. I will speak here for Epcot’s cake options.
There are chocolate and vanilla varieties for each cake.
The 6” round cake is NOT customizable ($21). The location might have a celebration disk, but since 2010, these have become rare.
There are 8” ($32) and 10” ($45) square cakes. These are layered cakes that are made with a custard cream between layers. These can be “customized”. Disney’s version of customization is the use of an edible screen that can be laid on the top of the cake. This can include an image of a character (most likely Googled) and a message (Happy 1st Birthday).
The next cake is about 10” big and shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head ($48). This cannot be customized. If you’re lucky, the location of your reservation might have chocolate icing so that they can write on the plate.
**Add Gratuity and Tax to Each Price.**
Now I know you have two more questions…
Is that enough cake for my party? AND What if I want to do something a little bit MORE special?
Very, very rarely have I ever seen a family even finish the 6” cakes. They wind up handing their slices off to neighboring families, or even offer the Servers the remainder of their cakes. The standards say the 6″=4 People, 8″=8 People, 10″=16 People. Remember if you are on the DDP, the cakes are an additional price and you will STILL have the option of getting your included dessert.
**But as a side note, I think the 8” cakes are tastier and the small image is always a nice touch.**
If you want to do something MORE special, it is always up to the discretion of the Park or Resorts Pastry Chef. If the time and materials are available, they will do everything in their power to help you. I’ve seen people get White Chocolate Castles ($110 not including the cake), Haunted Mansion scenes, and “Surprise, You’re a Big Sister!” cakes. But I’ve also seen people get denied, so it’s a matter of good timing and original ideas.
I originally mentioned that there are Operating Participants. This is because it is not the operator’s fault if you do not hear back from an Operating Participant. After you call the Cake Hotline, the operator forwards your message and might not know if you were ever contacted. Remember, at the end of the day, Disney is a Business and there are efficiency standards being adjusted all the time.
See Ya Real Soon, Ashley