Photo Post from our Disney Trip - Part 2

That's right...near midday and what's the wait time for the Jungle Cruise?

Hey, let's head to Pirates of the Caribbean.  WAIT!  Pirate Goofy!

Just for Aunt Mikey...Davy Crockett Donald Duck!

What's the wait for Buzz Lightyear? Yeah, that's 40 minutes.  Thank goodness for magic Fastpasses.

Finally!  Tomorrowland Terrace is actually open and serving!

and I don't like it, but they even have sushi!

and just because I like Christmas and this lamp is just so dang cool...

Photo Post from our Disney Trip - Part 1

I'm going to try and post some photos this week from our trip that was right after Thanksgiving.  I'll try to keep them succinct so that you aren't scrolling all the live long day.

We did a portrait session.  Here's a family shot:

My crazy kids with their Key To The World Cards:

Just getting off the monorail to go to Magic Kingdom. This was around 10:30am the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

It's really not too crowded.

My boys...walking to Adventureland...

On Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse

Hindu Caitlin...in line for the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

The boys getting ready to fly on a magic carpet.

Bryan realizing that, yet again, Stefan will be driving the carpet toward the spitting camel trying to get his dad wet.

Joy To The Small World

I know, I know...I owe you all pictures.  There's at least one video as well. Everything is in my photobucket account...I just need to get it organized.

Since we're days away from Christmas, and since you are a part of my small world, I thought I'd totally jump on Disney's theme ~ Joy to the Small World ~ and share a couple of things.

First, you need to watch this video of last year's commercial.  I'm pretty sure I posted this last year, but even if I did...it's worth repeating...



Second, this year, you can make this cool video greeting card with the Joy to The Small World theme.  The cool part you can create Small World dolls for each person in your family.  I did one for mine and posted it to Facebook.  If you aren't connected to me on Facebook yet, here's the video greeting card:

If I don't see you or talk to you, in person or in cyberspace, have a Merry Christmas!

Mary

I have Test Track Hair

December 2.

Oops.  I somehow skipped over December 2.  Sorry!

This morning, we had some breakfast in the room before heading to Epcot for the morning.

The kids were hot to trot to get on Test Track so we headed there first.

I have to say that there's nothing like walking through Epcot in the morning, with no one else around, while the Christmas music is playing.  Priceless.

We got the Future World just before the official rope drop.  We got to see the first family to get to ride Test Track get in a Test Track car and ride on over there.

Once the rope dropped we and about 25% of the other people in line headed to Test Track, while the rest of the group headed the other way for Soarin'.  More power to 'em.

The wait time said 20 minutes, which we knew was bogus because it just opened up.  We walked in, through the prep room and seriously, right onto a vehicle.

Let me tell you, it was a little cold on the loop out there.  The kids were all, "woo-hoo" outside and when the vehicle came back in, Stefan said, "Hey. My teeth are cold."

We got off, pondered getting a fast pass, but the CM said it was still like a 5 minute wait.  He was right.  We rode again.  Then we got Fastpasses and headed over to Mission:Space.

Both the green and orange sides were 5 minute waits.  That was pretty much the case.

Seriously, go on the orange side.  It's the closest experience you'll get to real lift-off.  It amazes me every single time.

We got off and headed to do the Mission:Space race.  We ended up being Team Orion and were facing a teenage team as Team Triton.

I was about to blow a gasket because our mission support people were not giving us the correct fixes and we couldn't boost as many times in the first half of the game.

Yeah...I'm a little competitive.

Somehow, in the second half, we caught up, and despite my thinking that we were completely out of it, we ended up winning by 2 percentage points.  Not sure I'm buying it, but it was still fun.

The Mission:Space store was starting to get lots of TRON stuff!  The kids are super excited for it.  We got Stefan the TRON warm-up jacket for his birthday to wear for swim meets. It glows in the dark like the light cycle rider suit.  It's wicked cool.

After an environmental break, we headed over to Test Track to use our Fast Passes and rode for the third time.

Even though my hair is shorter, I totally had Test Track Hair.

The kids headed for Soarin' and Bryan and I decided to shop.  We were on a mission to find a few things that we hadn't found yet.

Cate texted that she and Stefan had detoured to The Sum of All Thrills and were making a custom rollercoaster.  So we headed over there to wait for them.

By the time they got out, I was starving and so was Bryan.  He wanted to eat around the world. We went ahead to World Showcase and the kids caught up just after Bryan had gotten his Rice Cream from Norway.

Then we stopped at China and the kids had orange chicken and fried rice.

Finally, Cate and I got to stop at Karamel Kuche in Germany.  We picked up a chocolate and caramel covered marshmallow skewer (yum!), chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and caramel drizzle (Cate ate this) and a German Chocolate Caramel, which was a caramel mixed with coconut, coated with milk chocolate and drizzled with dark and white chocolate.

Can you say sugar buzz?

I only at the marshmallow thing at that time because I still hadn't eaten a real lunch.

I decided I wanted the shawarma platter at Morocco.  Yum.  Chicken - good.  Hummus - good.  Moroccan bread - good.  Couscous salad - good.

The boys had meandered off, but they caught up to us at Morocco.

We headed to France.  The boys stopped to get a chocolate crepe.  I wanted to see if anything in the Boulangerie Patisserie tempted me.

Nothing did. So we headed home.

We had a relaxing afternoon. I tried to register for a conference.  (Didn't get in.)

We had dinner in and some extra pool time.  All in all...a nice day.

My Brush With Fame & Our Last Full Day

Friday, December 3.

Well, we'd made it to the last full day of the week.  Usually, we plan on using that last day to be a catch-up day. It's the opportunity to do any attractions we had missed during the week or to catch our favorites one last time.

I sent Bryan and the kids off to Animal Kingdom - they wanted to hit Kilimanjaro Safaris.

I was on my own this morning and this was a good thing.  I finally had worked out a time to meet with Lou Mongello of WDW Radio.

If you haven't caught Lou's show, you need to boogie on over to WDW Radio and listen.  He does a weekly show and it's pretty darn good. You'll see...lots of awards, lots of followers and lots of fun.

Lou had a meet at Epcot at 9am so we decided to connect for coffee afterward.

He texted, "Let's meet on the Epcot side of the fountain."

I texted back, "Can do.  For reference, I've got a periwinkle jacket on."

I got a little grief from him..."Periwinkle?  Guys don't know what color periwinkle is."

We found a bench, in the sun (as it was cool that morning), under the monorail and had a nice business chat.

The bonus:  Lou only had two fans stop by during our chat.  Seriously, I'm surprised it was only two times. Hence, my brush with fame.

I'm bummed that I missed out on attending the 200th show shindig that's happening today, December 5.  It sounds like a lot of fun and it's a live show at Ariel's at the Beach Club to boot!  Attending (or hosting) an event there is on my bucket list.

Why was I meeting with Lou?  Well, send me an email.  I'm not ready to put this out in open forum.

Stefan had texted me and asked where I was...there was on their way back from AK.  It was almost lunch time so we decided to head to Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel at Downtown Disney for lunch.  I met them at the front of the Beach Club and we headed out.

Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel are in the building that formerly was McDonald's at DTD.  Pollo Campero has some pretty famous chicken and different side dishes.  Fresh A-Peel makes fresh salads, wraps, burgers and hot dogs.

Caitlin and Stefan each got the 2 piece meal from Pollo Campero.  Cate got the white meat and Stefan got the dark meat.  It came with your choice of side. Stefan ordered french fries and Cate ordered black beans and rice. Bryan chose the 1/4 Citrus Grilled Chicken and got the Sweet Baked Plantains as his side dish.

I went over to Fresh A-Peel originally thinking burger, but I changed my mind and ordered the Citrus Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad as a wrap.  It came with chopped lettuce, roasted corn, black beans and a pineapple vinaigrette. I passed on the red peppers. It was also freakin' huge.  Think 6" Subway-sized.

My grade:  Yumatrocious!  Fabulous flavor.  Definitely a must-do again for me.

While I didn't get specific reviews from the rest of the family, the "ums" , "yums" and quickly emptied plates are indications that their Pollo Campero food was more than passable.

Stefan wanted to hit the Lego store so we went through there on the way to World of Disney.

I have to say I was a little surprised at how busy it was on a Friday at noon.  Maybe because it was a Friday is why it was so busy.  But it sure felt like a Saturday or something with all the people there.

After we browsed through World of Disney, we went over to Basin so Cate could get her annual tube of bath bombs.  As she was looking around, I tried out the salt scrub samples.  Big mistake.  That stuff made my hands so smooth...now I really want some.  But even though it was a huge jar, I was not ready to pay $30 for it.  We'll have to leave that one on the wish list.

After Basin, we decided to head home for one last swim. The kids and Bryan headed down to the pool while I foolishly allowed myself to get distracted with all the Disney Social Media Moms Conference chatter.  The short summary is they didn't accept me as an attendee.  If you want the long story, email me.

I headed down to the pool and swam a few laps in the "doughnut" - the lazy river part of Stormalong Bay.  Against the current. Which was hard, by the way. But I was trying to work some of my frustrations out.

You know how sometimes you just know that chocolate will make you feel a little better?  I was hoping swimming my butt off, against the current, would get rid of some of that lingering adrenaline that was coursing through my veins.

Since I didn't have chocolate, and I was so not in the mood to make spaghetti, I asked Bryan to see if he could find out if there was any prayer of getting into Cape May for dinner.

This was at 4:30pm and Cape May opens at 5pm.

Bryan came back and there were no ressies available, but he was going to stand in the check-in line and see if he could get us a walk-up ressie.  I ushered the kids out of the pool and back to the room to get changed, just in case.

Stefan changed first and headed to the lobby with Bryan's clothes so he could change.  Cate and I arrived shortly thereafter to find that Bryan had gotten us in and we already had a beeper-thingie.

A few minutes after 5pm, our beeper-thingie went off and we were seated.

Seriously, folks, if you've never been to Cape May Cafe for dinner, give it a try.  Not only do they have all you can eat crab legs, but the rest of their buffet offerings are just yummy.

Here's just a few of the things I had myself:

Baby Red Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Steamed Cabbage
Beef Tips in a spicy sauce
Multi-Grain Rolls and butter
Roast Beef
Pork Tenderloin
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - I had to visit this one twice
Citrus Chicken Orzo Salad - I had to visit this one twice AND I'm searching out the recipe.  Freakin' good!
Fresh fruit

The kids, my teenagers, love the fact that you get crayons and can draw on the paper that's on your table.  Hey, whatever makes you happy, kiddo.

There happens to be a lot of choices for dessert here.  I had an Oreo BonBon and a Key Lime Tart. But there were also mini cheesecakes, caramel flan, brownies, cookies, mini cupcakes and more.

For someone staying at the Beach Club, this is uber-convenient.  It's also a pretty popular place.  I don't like it.  I shouldn't be telling you how good it is because then it will be even harder for us to get into!

We were thinking of heading to MGM to take in the Osbourne Family Lights, but alas, the full-tummy-sleepies were kicking in and I hadn't even started packing yet.

So we headed back to the room and watched The Polar Express.

After the kids went to bed, Bryan and I started packing up.

Bad news:  We did too much shopping.  So much so that we couldn't fit everything in the bags we had brought with us.

After researching the options, it was most cost-effective to hit the UPS Store on the way to the airport and ship the rest of the stuff home.

We had one really large Disney bag full of stuff and a medium sized bag of stuff to ship home.  I didn't ask Bryan how much it weighed at the end, but I'm guessing we shipped home 20lbs or so of stuff.

Good gravy train.

Well, that's all for the text version of this report for now.  I'll do a series of photo posts so you can put pictures with the stories you've already read.

Dec 1 - Dining with an Imagineer

Yep, that's right we had lunch with a real Imagineer!!!!!!

I'm on a break right now so I'm getting caught up from yesterday.

I had scoped out dining with an Imagineer a while back.  They don't have these opportunities very often.  As we found out during our lunch, it really depends on the availability of the Imagineers.  They try to have it once a week for lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby at MGM.  They also have a dinner at Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, but that's really hit or miss.  It's maybe once or twice a month.  I would have loved to have done the Flying Fish thing because we've never eaten there, but hey, any opportunity was great.

We headed to MGM for the morning, thinking we'd take in the park for a couple of hours before lunch.  We got up, drove that super long drive to MGM (like 2 minutes), parked in the front row and walked to the park entrance.

We and hundreds of our new closest friends waiting to make the fast walk to Toy Story Midway Mania at rope drop...only to find that the ride was down for "technical difficulties" and no one had any idea when it would be back up.

They weren't even going to start a queue.  We waited for 10 minutes and decided to move onward.  Bryan wanted to do the Animation Academy.  Stefan had zero interest in doing that so he headed to Rockin' Roller Coaster and was going to ride that until we showed up there.

Bryan, Cate and I walked over to the Animation Academy area and got in the holding area to wait for the first class at 9:30am.  Meanwhile, Stefan texted me to say that RNR was down with "technical difficulties."  I felt bad for the people who didn't have Park Hoppers.  Toy Story down.  RNR down.  Star Tours under refurb. That's three main attractions out of commission.

Anywho...we got in to the class and the animator was so nice...she let the class pick which character we'd like. We were in a class with a lot of repeat classmates so trying to find a character that everyone hadn't drawn was a challenge for our animator.  We ended up drawing Dale.

After the class, we texted Stefan to find out where he was. It turns out RNR was running again, but he was stuck on it.  More technical difficulties.

Cate joined up with Stefan while Bryan and I shopped a bit.  Then we decided to check and see if Toy Story was up yet.  It was and it had a 50 minute wait.  No thanks.  We decided to go see Voyage of the Little Mermaid since we hadn't done that for a real long time.  Very enjoyable show.

We still had a little time before lunch so we checked out Pin Central.

Then Chip & Dale came out and Bryan thought it would be cool if Dale signed his picture.  So we got in line for that.  By the time we were done, it was time to check in at the Brown Derby.

There were a total of 10 of us at this dining experience.  We were seated in the exclusive Bamboo Room inside the Brown Derby.  It was a beautiful room off the side of the restaurant. There we met our Imagineer, Dan Flynn.

Dan was a great Imagineer to have for this event.  He was very engaging and willing to talk about details (that were public knowledge, of course.) which was completely fun.

Our lunch started with the manager taking a group photo, like she always does for all diners in the Bamboo Room.

Our server handed out our personalized menus and took our drink orders.

We all had the same Lobster & Mussel Soup and the famous Brown Derby Cobb Salad.

For the main dish, we had the choice of an Oak Grilled Filet of Beef, Thai Chicken Noodle Bowl or Blackened Grouper.

For dessert, we could choose from the famous Grapefruit Cake or Chocolate Creme Brulee.

Bryan, Stefan and I chose the filet. Caitlin had the noodle bowl, which was gigantic, by the way!
Cate & I had the Grapefruit Cake.  We both thought it was a good blend of sweet and puckery.
Bryan & Stefan had the creme brulee.  I didn't really ask them about it, but both dishes were scraped pretty clean so I'm pretty sure it was yummy!

Back to our Imagineer...Dan is in show development.  That means if it's not a ride vehicle or the building the vehicle houses, he's involved.  I got the impression that it involves all those thematic pieces that gives us the Disney "magic."

Right now, he's working on the new resort in Hawaii, Aulani.  He was telling us about this one effect that's in the lobby that they were currently constructing that is a series of bowls in the stream.  Each bowl has a fountain.  Inside each fountain is an LED light.  But it's been designed so that at night, it doesn't just light up, it looks like the bowls are on fire. How wicked cool is that?

He also told us about how they've taken great pains to make this resort reflect the Hawaiian culture.  That Hawaiian comes before Disney.

I asked him about what he thought was a cool aspect of the resort that he's been involved in.  He told us about the "Hawaiian Adventure" game that they are constructing around the resort.  He described it as a next generation Kim Possible game.  Woo-hoo!  Love that game!

Anyway, they are going to use wireless technology for it.  Dan said, "Think iPad, but smaller" in terms of the handset you'll use to play the game.  And it's going to be smart tech.  Your game will be tied to your room key so you'll never play the same elements twice.  So if you are in room 123, and you check-in to the game with that room number, you'll always have new stuff to find.

I also asked Dan about the Star Tours refurb and what he knew about it.  Since he's not on that project right now, he didn't have anything new to say.  But what he did have to say rocked my world.

At one point, he was part of that project.  He was out in LA and got to experience a "draft" of the ride in one of their simulators. I say "draft" because Dan said he only got to experience the visuals.  There was no audio whatsoever - that's how early in the process this was.  Keep in mind that this is going to be 3D.

Dan said that he was blown away by what he experienced...WITH NO SOUND.  He knew the programmer and asked if the guy would set him up once more.

Here's another juicy tidbit...the programmer said that that was the first draft ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) sent over and that they were embarrassed by it.  Embarrassed by it!

Oh my gosh...if that was ILM's draft, and they were embarrassed by it, and the Imagineer said he was blown away by the draft with no sound...

Can you freakin' imagine how cool Star Tours 2.0 is going to be?  I get a sugar rush thinking about it.

I commented that I had read that there were something like 53 different permutations one could experience on the new Star Tours.  Dan replied, "Something like that."  

Stefan asked him if there was a Tron ride coming to Magic Kingdom.  Dan replied, "I don't know." in a pretty monotone tone of voice.  Hmmmm...was he messing with us? Who knows?

At the end of the meal, we were each presented with a commemorative plate that Dan had signed and dated for each of us.  Way cool!

I loved this experience.  My only thoughts on improvement would be to make it even smaller.  A group of 10 was really too many.  We were at a long table and it felt awkward making conversation.  It also was rather lengthy.  Our ADR was for 11:30am and we didn't leave until shortly after 2pm.

We had to scoot because I had made Photopass portrait reservations for 2:30pm at the Beach Club.  We still needed to change and get there on time!

Thankfully, we made it.  Our photographer was a peach to work with and very accommodating with the shots I asked for.  We got the DVC discount and just got everything put on CD.  I'll share some pics later.

We had a relaxing rest of the afternoon.  After dinner, we headed over to Fantasia Gardens for some mini golf.  The sun had gone down and it was a little brisk, but we had a good time.

Coming up:  December 2!

Tues. Nov. 30 ~ Lazy Day

Tues. Nov. 30

We had very few firm plans for today.  Which was fine because yesterday was long.  My feet and legs were still a little sore when I got up this morning.

Bryan headed out to SuperTarget to pick up a few more groceries...but that was the cover reason for going out to pick up The Sorcerer's Apprentice that came out on DVD today.

After breakfast, the kids decided to go swimming.  We headed to the quiet pool since Stormalong Bay didn't open until 10am. We were the only ones in the pool.  There's something cool about watching your kids race to be the first to get Dad's watch from the bottom of the pool.  The simplest things entertain my  kids.

It got to be 10am and we headed for SAB, though Bryan decided to stay at Dune's Cove for that hot tub. The kids and I played around for a bit, but I wanted to head back and make some cookies with my new edible pixie dust.  :-)  Sugar cookie dough was on Bryan's shopping list this morning so I made that.

They came back to some cookies with their lunch.  We watched the opening gambit of the Sorcerer's Apprentice and then decided to head to MGM Studios.

Whew.  Long drive. (FYI...it's like a 5 minute drive if you hit the lights right.  I'm not kidding.)

We decided to use our last set of magic Fastpasses from our volunteering since we were arriving after midday.  We headed to Will Call and got those taken care of.

And off we went to Toy Story Midway Mania.  Thanks goodness for the instant Fastpasses.  Regular FPs were gone for the day and the stand-by line was 70 minutes. (Insert smilie pulling its hair out.)

After that, the boys decided they'd go to the Great Movie Ride and us girls went to the Magic of Animation show.  Very cool show that was about 15 minutes long.  After that, you can meet two sets of characters or head to Animation Academy to learn from a real animator. Score!

Cate loves to draw and I knew she would love this class. For 25 minutes, we had an animator walk us through drawing a character.  This class was doing Tigger.  It was very cool, very fun and highly entertaining.  We got to bring out drawings home, signed and all!

We met up with the boys at Rock N Roller Coaster so Cate could go with them.  They used a magic fastpass, but really didn't need to.  Wait time was posted as 20 minutes...Bryan said it was virtual walk on.  When I walked by Tower of Terror, it was only 5 minutes.  This was like at 2pm in the afternoon.  Crazy.

I headed to the shops on Sunset Blvd.  I'm on a mission to find what all is part of this "Nerds Rock" line that Disney is carrying.  It has Minnie and Mickey with glasses on and lots of quotes like, "Nerds Rock", "Party with the Smarty" and Cate just loves them!  So far, I'm only seeing some shirts, eyeglasses case, wallet and pajamas.  I'm hoping for a notepad.  But so far, no luck.

We all met up one more time and hit Toy Story again with another magic fastpass.   Bryan and Cate wanted to go to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show.  I went with them and Stefan went back to RNR.  Stef rode RNR four times using the single rider line while we were in the show.

Then we headed home.  We were all bushed.  We had reservations for Garden Grill but I just did not want to walk anymore today.  We settled for burgers from Hurricane Hannah's in the room while finished the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

I might head down to the hot tub to soak my feet and legs, but that's about as far as I'm planning on going tonight.

Tomorrow is loosely structured.  We're doing the Lunch with an Imagineer and then we have a Photopass Portrait session in the afternoon.  I'm really hoping that the rain has moved out before our photo session as I'd like to do a few outside shots.

Mon. Nov. 29 ~ It was Magical!

Mon. Nov. 29

Today was our morning to have our traditional breakfast at Crystal Palace before the park opens. I always make a reservation at 8:05am so we can eat, see characters and be out of there before the rest of the park opens.

We've got this one down to a science:

Everyone is up at 7am
We leave the room at 7:15am.
Get in the car and drive to Magic Kingdom.
Park in the first row and walk to the monorail.

Funny thing happened this time. We were wearing matching shirts today - the painted Mickeys I had made for a past trip.  As we were walking to the monorail, Cate was just plain wound up.  I asked her if she was a little excited.  Her response, "Of course, I'm excited.  It's Crystal Palace Day."  Of course, it was more funny because she was hopping along while talking.  A Cast Member saw us and decided to play along.  He said to Cate, "Ma'am this is the Magic Kingdom.  We don't allow that kind of excitement before 8am here."  It was classic.

Anywho...rode the resort monorail around to MK and it was 7:45am.  They were already letting people through the turnstiles so we walked right in  I have to say, there's nothing like walking down Main Street with all the Christmas decorations and like only 20 other people in your field of vision.  Wicked cool.

Bryan checked us in at CP.  I took some pics of the kids with the castle as a backdrop and then we were called in.  We were actually the first family to be sat on the left half of the restaurant.

Food is always good here.  We saw Piglet and Tigger, but didn't wait for Pooh and Eeyore so we paid for our meal and meandered off.

At this time, it was around 8:30am and still very empty in MK.  Remember, official opening isn't until 9am and the only people inside the park are those with breakfast ressies.

Since we never really have time to see Walt and Mickey at the hub (because it's always so crowded), we took the time to do that.  I never had noticed the smaller statues of eight other characters that surround the hub either.  The benefits of it not being wall to wall people and being able to take in those details.  I took a few pics of the kids by the poinsettia trees and Cate took a pic of Bryan and me. We also got to see the old time fire engine drive by.  Very cool!

We always head for Frontierland, so I thought for a change of pace, we'd head to Tomorrowland instead.  We took the roundabout way through the Rose Garden.  I think I'd only walked through there one time before.  Again, it was so nice to be able to do it when it was so quiet.

Tomorrowland was roped off so we just hung out there.  I took a couple of pics of an empty Tomorrowland. We decided we'd get Fastpasses for Buzz, ride Buzz and then the other three would hit Space Mountain before we all did Buzz again.

Well those plans got pitched because as the Cast Members walked up to the rope, we were asked if we'd like to be the first family to ride Buzz Lightyear!  Heck, yea!

So they motioned us under the rope and took us, and only us, through Tomorrowland and over to Buzz. We got on Buzz and rode by ourselves completely!  At the end, they gave us souvenir ride photos, which we have never done on that ride.  Very cool!

We went over and got Fastpasses for Buzz.  The kids headed for Space and I suggested that Bryan and I shop.  Well I ended up shopping by myself at the Merchant of Venus for a bit and I had five Cast Members falling all over themselves, asking if I needed help.  Seriously, that needs to happen everywhere!

I found a few things that I put on my must-have list before Cate texted me wondering where I was.  What was funny is that each of us, at that moment,  was waiting for the male member of our party to get out of the bathroom.  Talk about weird synchronization.

Anywho...we headed over to the Mad Tea Party and spun around before going to Philharmagic, which was fabulous as always!

Bryan has always wanted to head back to Tom Sawyer's Island so he and the kids headed over there and I went back to the ye Olde Christmas Shoppe and made some acquisitions. My favorite so far:  Edible Pixie Dust aka Mickey Head Christmas Cookie Sprinkles!

I love my family, but it was nice to shop unencumbered or worrying about who was antsy to leave or what.

I wandered through Adventureland's shops and then came upon the Golden Goose of character meet and greets for Bryan - Ariel.  And not just any Ariel...this was Ariel in her blue dress, which is not easy to find.  I texted him about it and then headed down Main Street.

Did a little more browsing and identifying things for my own personal wish list while listening to a great acapella group singing Christmas carols on Main Street.  Love. It.

By that time, it was approaching noon and we were bushed and ready to head home.  Except for Bryan.  He was still in line to meet Ariel.  I took the kids home and Bryan came back on the bus.

We had some leftovers and then hit the pool.  Great pool day.  Temp was around 80 degrees and it was mostly sunny.  Fun times.

Cate, Bryan and I made Mickey Tye-Dye T-shirts at the pool activities table.  They're being washed right now.  I'm a little disappointed in mine...not very distinctive ears.  But we'll see what the others look like.

We came back and got cleaned up because we had another dining experience waiting for us.  I made a reservation for the new La Hacienda de San Angel, the new table-service place in Mexico in Epcot that's right on the lakeside.

We walked around and got checked in.  Nice open restaurant and very well themed.  We were shown to a half circle booth facing the water.  I had scoped out the menu earlier and we had decided to get both the mixed grill items that were for 2 people each so we could sample a lot of stuff.

I was a little leery because I don't do onions and I didn't want to be picking onions out of my food. No worries.  The food was fabulous. Amazingly yummy.  It had a bit of a kick, but it wasn't a four-alarm fire or anything.

It had been a long day and we were pretty bushed.  Stefan headed home, but Cate and I thought we'd hit the Karamel Kuche in Germany for a dessert.

Didn't happen.  We got distracted saving the world, a la Kim Possible style, got tired and headed home.

Bryan, meanwhile, made a stop and saw Mexican Donald before heading home, too.

All in all, a very fun day.

Sun. Nov. 28 - Animal Kingdom and More

Sun. Nov. 28

I have to say, it's a great vacation when you don't "have" to get up early every single day.  It's been nice to not feel rushed.

We got up and I made pancakes for breakfast today.  No one had any other preference, so we headed to Animal Kingdom.

We got there about 9:15am and headed for Dinoland.  We love Primeval Whirl and figured that just about everyone else heads for Everest or Kilimanjaro Safaris.  We waiting maybe 5 minutes before getting on PW.  Seriously fun.  We were going to do it again, but by the time we exited, the line was too long.  Ok, too long that I didn't want to wait in it.  It said it was only 10 minutes, but this one looked way more than 10 minutes long to me.  PW is a slow loader, too.  But I digress...

Stefan needed his first Mickey head ice cream of the day. He got his treat, which Cate & I did some quality control on.  :-)

Cate & Bryan wanted to do Dinosaur;  Stefan and I had zero interest in that so we decided to walk to Asia in preparation for Kali River Rapids.

Once Bryan and Cate caught up, the kids and I divested all out stuff on to Bryan and headed to Kali.

Thank goodness we gave him all our stuff.  We've ridden Kali many, many times and we've gotten wet.  We don't mind being wet at all, but this was a colossal soaking!  The wettest we've ever gotten. I think our ridemates were a little appalled at how wet we were. Thank goodness is was warmer today than it was on Saturday.

Cate wanted to do the Maharajah Jungle Trek, so we meandered through there.  Nice easy walk.

Stefan was hungry again when we got out of there.  Seriously...I'm not kidding when I say this kid has a hollow leg.  He got the side order of chicken fried rice from Yak & Yeti.  He thought it was a little dry, but ate the whole thing.

He wanted to get on the safari, but it was a 60 minute wait by that time and we didn't want to wait an hour for a Fastpass return time so we headed out of the park.

Once we got back, we had leftovers for lunch.  That's a bonus thing for cooking in the room - leftovers!

We're having turkey dinner tonight so we needed to get that in the oven.  We got one of those dinners from SuperTarget.  Basically, cook from frozen without babysitting.

We headed for the pool and spent a good, long, enjoyable time just fooling around.  It was never crowded. Stefan actually volunteered to help herd a mama duck and her ducklings out of the pool area, but it wasn't working too well.  At least he did his Boy Scout good deed for the day.

Bryan decided the kids needed ice cream so he went over to Beaches & Cream and got Stefan a cone and Cate a hot fudge sundae.

Once we got back to the room, I started a load of laundry and then Bryan and I headed for Downtown Disney. That place was crazy busy.  But we were target shopping/browsing.  We headed to Mickey's Pantry to check out the Spice & Tea Exchange.  Wicked cool place.  If you like to cook, you'll love what this place has to offer.

We popped in to the Christmas store, but it was just too busy for browsing so we left.  I wanted to stop by the new Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel and see what it looked like.  Pretty cool place.  We didn't eat there, but I stopped into the little corner that is Babycakes.

Babycakes makes gluten free treats and uses agave sugar in its frostings.  I bought two chocolate cupcake tops with chocolate frosting, a banana bread cupcake with chocolate frosting and a frosting shot.  Yes, that's right - a frosting shot.  What a great idea!

I'm sorry to say that I'm not a fan of Babycakes.  The flavor just was not right and while agave is natural, it just tasted artificial to me.  My kids didn't like it either and that's saying something.  Sorry, Babycakes.

Back at home, we had the turkey dinner and right now, I'm so stuffed I can barely see straight.  I'm going to pull up a piece of couch and watch some TV for a while.  Stefan says he wants to head to MGM...I just don't think I can make it tonight.  Though walking off some of this turkey is probably a good thing.  We'll see how it goes.

One final thought for today...that I should have included in the post for yesterday...you know it's a great vacation when your teenage daughter randomly says to you while walking through Epcot, "Mom, I'm so happy.  I don't know why, but I'm so happy."

Checkmark in the Awesome column for me.

Nov. 27 - Welcome to Magic Kingdom

Sat. Nov. 27

I've never been a park commando.  I just don't like scheduling every single second of a day.  I am one to make plans, but this is probably the loosest set of vacation plans I've ever had.

We got up and the kids watched a little TV over a breakfast of cinnamon streusel muffins.  Stefan asked where we were going to go today.  We had no firm plans, but I'd scoped out predictions and found that Magic Kingdom was a good day.

That's right.  Magic Kingdom.  On a Saturday.  The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

We didn't leave the room to be there at rope drop and I thought that might be a problem.  As we drove to MK and saw the sheer number of cars pulling into the parking lot, I started to wonder a little bit more.

After we got off the tram, we headed to Will Call because I figured that just in case it was crazy, we could use one of our Give A Day, Get a Day Fastpass Cards here.  Just to review:  These cards give you 6 Fastpasses on your choice of major attractions within your choice of park on one day.

After getting the FP cards, we headed to the monorail station.  The Express Monorail line was really backed up, but no one was waiting for the Resort Monorail.  We hopped the line and got on the Resort Monorail as it had just pulled in to the station.

After entering Magic Kingdom, we walked down a pretty busy Main Street.  For the first time visitor, you might have looked at those crowds and thought, "I'm toast.  There's no way I'm getting on any rides today."

I could not believe the number of things we did... without the Fastpasses.

For the first 60-90 minutes...everything was a walk-on. I'm not kidding!

Bryan and the kids wanted to do Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.  Once they walked off, we had to have the traditional ride on Aladdin's Magic Carpets so that Stefan could try and get Bryan wet from the spitting camel.  He was successful, by the way.

The kids and I walked right on to the Jungle Cruise.  Sara, our skipper, was a freakin' hoot!

Bryan joined back up with us and we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean.  Whoa!  Pirate Goofy was out so we had to jump in line to meet him.

Both side of POTC were open, but everyone else was walking onto the left hand side.  We walked through the right hand side and, you guessed it, walked right on to the next boat.

We headed to Frontierland to hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR).  The wait time said 20 minutes. I looked at how fast people were walking in and I did not want to use a FP...I totally thought it wouldn't be a wait.  The kids wanted to, and since we had 6 FPs, we used one.

That was a total waste!  We walked in, joined back into the line and walked right into an empty spot to await the next train to arrive.  It was not anywhere close to a 20 minute wait.

Stefan had the munchies when we were done;  he was in search for his favorite Mickey head ice cream bar.  We mosied in the direction of Liberty Square.  Bryan decided he needed a funnel cake.  He and kids headed to Sleepy Hollow and I wandered over the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe.

Lots of fun new stuff in the Christmas shop;  I'll be back on Monday to make some actual purchases.

For all our luck in no lines for attractions, we waiting the lonnnnnggggest time for that darn funnel cake.  I'm not kidding.  I think we waiting 10 minutes and that was after I rejoined Bryan and the kids.

By that time, everyone was getting a little more hungry than snacks could cover.  We decided we'd do Philharmagic, Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain before heading home.

Philharmagic, oddly enough, had a weird waiting line and seemed rather long.  We decided to ditch it and do it on another day.

Another odd factoid:  The Fastpass machines for The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh are near the Philharmagic Stand By Entrance.  I'm sure it has to do with the Fantasyland construction, but that was just plain weird to me to have the FP machines so far from that ride.

We headed over to Tomorrowland.  Buzz had a listed wait time of 30 minutes.  Fastpass!  By the way, those GADGAD Fastpass cards give you instant Fastpasses. No waiting!  We got right on.

Bryan and the kids headed over to Space Mountain (Mary does not do Space.) and I decided to do the TTA, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, or Wedway People Mover.  I did a short video, which I'll upload to YouTube and link here in a later blog post.

Once I was done, I decided to take advantage of not having my tribe with me and I'd do a little shopping on Main Street.  I texted Caitlin where I was going and headed in that direction.

I cut through Tomorrowland Terrace and it was open!  It seems like this place is never open and I was glad to see it!

It's sporting a different menu - not just Asian food, but a smorgasbord of stuff, including sushi.

I shopped for a bit before the tribe caught up with me.  At that point, the natives were restless for some food so we headed back to BCV and made hot ham and cheese sandwiches.

After lunch, it was time to hit the pool!

It was a bit of a cold day today so the pool was a bit empty.  Bryan camped out in the hot tub and the kids and I swam about a little.  But we were the star family of the day at the poolside games that afternoon.  That means we were the participatory ones that weren't afraid to make fools of themselves in a t-shirt relay and pool deck dancing.   Seriously, though, I think the lifeguards and recreation staff were glad to have participants.  They wanted to make sure we'd be back for the campfire and the movie under the stars, which was Toy Story 3.

We headed back to the room and had a little down time before making chicken stir fry for dinner.  

After dinner, we were a little antsy, so we headed to the Beach Club lobby and checked out the gingerbreak carousel. There are 11 hidden Mickeys within the structure.  So far, I've only found 9. We'll take a crack at it again.

We headed outside and Cate decided to go pearl diving.  She got a beautiful blue pearl and decided to get a silver ring for it.  Good grief, they suck you in with the jewelry part...but she doesn't ask for much so when she sees something she really gets into, you kinda have to jump on it.

The movie didn't start until 8pm so we decided to walk over to Epcot and waste a little time. That's the nice thing about the Beach Club Villas...great location.

The kids wanted to head to Test Track so Bryan and I headed to MouseGears. It turns out TT had a pretty long wait and the kids didn't want to do single rider so we headed back to the World Showcase.

Bryan needed coffee so we stopped in one of those gift shops and got the Disney Holiday Cheer.  We'll see if he likes it tomorrow. He's finishing up the coffee in the room today.

We caught up to the kids in Norway and it was around 7:30pm.  We figured we better hoof it back so they could get to the movie on time.  We had a brief stop in Germany - Bryan to the Christmas Brewmaster's stall and Cate and I to Karmel Kuchen. Stefan wanted to head off to Japan.

Karmel Kuchen was packed!  We walked through so we could look at the diabetic-inducing goodies and wow! We're going to stop here on another day when it's not packed.

Cate & I headed out toward Japan.  Good grief, was it crowded.  Hello...it's opening weekend for Candlelight Processional, knucklehead.  What were you thinking?

Bryan caught up with us in Japan, we picked up Stefan and headed home.   The kids lasted a little bit, but got tired and came back to the room.  We vegged until it was bedtime.

Tomorrow:  Sun. Nov. 28 - Animal Kingdom

We're Here at Disney World!

Here we go!  My attempt at blogging from The World!

Cast of Characters:
Mary ~ The planner
Bryan ~ My DH (aka the 3rd child)
Stefan, 14
Caitlin, 14

November 26 - Arrival Day

Grandma Z picked us up at 7:30am and we headed to MSP for our 10am flight.  The airport was not busy, at all. I'm seriously think that Black Friday is the day to fly. 

I checked a bag this time around because I was bringing a Pampered Chef pan and a good knife to leave in my Owner's Locker.  Since it's free to check a bag as a Delta Amex holder, I figured I'd just do that because people would need to eat and I could wait for the bag while they ate.

I've been traveling carry-on for years now...Oh.My.Gosh...it was murder waiting for that bag to come out!  Seriously...I could have been half way to WDW by the time the bag showed up.  Thank goodness this was a one-time bag checking.

Once we got the bag, we headed over to National Car Rental.  I'm an Executive Emerald Aisle member so we got to choose from both sides of the EA.  Lots of Suburbans, Expeditions and other larger SUVs.  However, we already knew that we needed a Gibbs car.  For those of you who aren't NCIS fans, that means we were looking for a Dodge Charger.

We had black, steel grey, silver and white to choose from.  Took the black one!

Exited with no problem, as usual, and went on our way.

Our plan was to stop at the SuperTarget on Orange Blossom Trail to get groceries for the week.  This time around, I made a menu for each day, added in the 3 ADRs we're doing, and planned meals for everything else. 

We even got one of the Small Turkey Dinners from their deli...except they were out of the small turkey breast.  So they gave us the 12Lb turkey but only charged us for the Small Dinner.  Great customer service!

Had a small hiccup at checkout...my credit card wasn't working.  I used another method of payment, but was fuming because I had just used this card and it wasn't for Black Friday!  It was one of those afternoons.  We got out of the store and it's raining.  Everyone else loaded up the car in the rain while I'm going through the calling tree at the credit card co.  It turns out that they put a hold on it because I hadn't called them to tell them I was in FL and they were concerned that someone had stolen my number.  Yet another good case of customer service in that they were looking out for me, the customer. So now I know I need to call them when I travel with this specific card.

We made it to BCV and checked in quickly.  We're in room 452 which is way at the end of the hallway that's perpendicular to the main BCV hallway.

Nice quiet location. But a bear to have to haul all the groceries to.  Should we have gotten a bell cart?  Absolutely.  My arms are still a little sore from hauling everything to the room.  I'm not kidding.

We didn't hit a park on Friday.  I made sloppy joe's for dinner and man, did that hit the spot!  We lounged in the room for the night, with the exception of Cate and I hitting Dune's Cove for a swim and hot tub soaking.

Next up:  Saturday morning at Magic Kingdom .

Using Google Calendar and Android for Park Touring

So I'm a week or so out from departing for land of Mickey and I decided to mess around with an idea for keeping track of park hours that I'm sure someone has already done before.

I have an Android phone (love it, BTW) so I'm a Google girl.  (Ok, that looks soooo funny, but I'm just going to run with it.)

I use Google Calendar for my VA practice so I was thinking why not make calendars for each park for the time I'm at Disney World, color code each park and that way I can see at a glance what the hours are, when the special activities (eg parades, fireworks, etc) are, and so on.

So I sat down and I did it this afternoon.  I have to say, it's pretty cool. I didn't go commando with every possible little thing on the schedule.  Here's what I have:

• How late each park is open
• If a park has EMH and if it's AM or PM
• Fantasmic, Wishes, MSEP, AK Xmas Parade - I already know Illuminations is every night at 9:30pm
• The pertinent ADRs

So if I decide I want to hop, I don't need to worry about carrying a times guide or whatever since I already have my phone with me.

I'll see how it goes, but here's my initial impression:

For a newbie who's never been and has the smartphone as an umbilical, it's probably a cool way to stay organized and informed.

For a veteran who's been at this time of year many, many times...it probably wasn't necessary because I could probably recite the hours and special events with pretty good accuracy.

We'll see how it goes when I'm actually down there.

Interesting Tidbits...Should they be added to the visit list?

Ok, I'm a total slacker when it comes to keeping this blog updated. I fell off the wagon, but I'm getting back on because I'm in single digits before my next trip to Disney World!

But before I dive into prepping, I have a few news bits to throw out for discussion:

Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel just opened this week at Downtown Disney where McDonald's used to be.
I'm ready to try this place.  I'm not a huge McDs fan, and the menu sounds pretty interesting.  Looks like these two eateries share the space.  Pollo Campero is known for having delicious, hand-breaded, fried (not in trans-fats) chicken that's supposedly moist, and yummy.  Fresh A-Peel features fresh ingredients and made to order burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.

The Spice & Tea Exchange opened at Downtown Disney as part of Mickey's Pantry.
I can already tell this will be a dangerous place for me.  I love love love variety in spices, teas and stuff like this.  After browsing the online store, I turned to DH in our home office and said, "I'm pretty sure you can do most of your Christmas shopping for me at this store."  The sheer variety and reasonable prices are so appealing.  I can't wait to shop there.

So, the conclusion is, "Well, duh...of course, you're adding those places to the must-do list."

Now I've just got to get through the rest of the time before we leave. I've got several work things on my plate, including trying to schedule a short meeting while I'm down there in FL,  plus two Thanksgivings and then the usual packing stuff.

So far, no further movement on my rental car, but I've already adjusted twice so I'm not sure if I'll get anything more.  However, I've got it down to $180 for 9 days and that's after taxes so I don't think I have much to complain about. $20/day, after taxes, is pretty good.

Right now, my plan is to blog from the world in all its Christmas glory.

OH!  And guess what...last I checked, the Space Shuttle is launching while I'm down there!  Super sweet!

This Day In History...A Look Back at Epcot

It's one of those historical days...today, in 1982, Epcot was dedicated.

I have to say that Epcot is ties with MK as my favorite park at Disney World.  I'm reminded so much of Walt Disney and his vision for tomorrow.  Most of us Disneyphiles know that EPCOT is short for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.  I wonder how many visitors even comprehend that?

I think certain sections of the community don't get that "amusement parks" and "theme parks" are distinctly different. In certain circles, Epcot is snubbed for not having enough "rides" to make it "worth it" to buy a ticket to go there. Sure, Soarin', Test Track and, to some extent, Mission:Space, have their fans, but the people who are only looking for "rides" are missing the point of Epcot.

We'd do better to follow Walt's example:  look for and pursue innovation of all types.

One of my favorite non-fiction books that sits in my office is titled, "The Quotable Walt Disney."  Here's a couple direct quotes that I feel really apply to Epcot, even though Walt died before he could see it opened:

"I believe in being an innovator."

"I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination."

If you spend any time in Future World, especially Innoventions, you'll find that while some exhibits could be considered mainstays, there always seems to be a new kid on the block.

If you've always breezed by these buildings and never taken the time to "take it in" because you are in a rush to hit the "rides", take a step back and check out all that Future World has to offer.

You might be surprised at what you find.

Hello! I'm back!

You probably thought I fell off the face of the earth right?

Or maybe that I snuck off to WDW and didn't tell you?

Fortunately, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.

Unfortunately, I wasn't at WDW.

Welcome to my world of two teenagers in fall sports and activities,  and a busy VA practice.

So what do I have to talk about today...Lots of news in the past couple of weeks. Bear with me if I've covered something that's old hat for you:

Duffy the Bear appears in Epcot
You may be asking yourself, "Who the heck is Duffy the Bear?"  Well he's no other than Mickey Mouse's own teddy bear. He's now making character appearances at Epcot.  I think his likeness may end up coming home with us the next trip.

Food & Wine Festival is in full swing
Seriously, I have to make time to go...without my kids.  I love them to pieces, but I'd really love to do to F&W Fest and just pig out on all the goodies that are available.  Eating and Drinking Around The World...doesn't that sound fun?

Food &Wine Fest happens every year at Epcot.  It usually starts around the first of October and runs through mid-November. Not only are there food and beverage samplings from around the world, but there are also the Eat To The Beat Concerts.  Classic 80s groups.  Gotta love it.

Rejected...again.
Earlier this week, I found out I was on the Disney Moms Panel reject list...again.  I didn't let myself get too hung up on it this year so it wasn't the devastatingly crushing blow that it was last year.  You'd think after four times, I'd at least get through the first round. Good gravy.

Let's see...what other news can I share with you...

Still no word on Destination D at WDW.  I need those dates.  Scheduling people...if by some chance you've found my teeny little blog, please don't schedule Destination D on April 9 or May 21.  My sister's getting married and I have to ground crew the air show.

As I look at my handy-dandy Firefox add-on countdown timer on my taskbar, I'm approaching 40 days to my next trip home.

I can shamelessly say that I'm in full Disney Christmas withdrawal and I can't wait to get there.  I'll save the dissertation on WHY I love Christmas at Disney for a later post.  Otherwise, you'd probably be scrolling and scrolling....and scrolling.

Check out the Holiday 2010 Planner.  Lots of fun stuff!.

Random Disney Musings

It's been one of those weeks where there have been a lot of little tidbits of information and I'm just now getting to posting here about it.

This time of year is when we tend to see a lot of announcements from Disney because Oct. 1 begins its year.

So here are a few random musings about what I've heard this week:

Destination D is coming to WDW Spring 2011

So. freaking. excited.  I really wanted to go to Destination D and its associated scavenger hunt at DL in August, but with two teens in high school sports, it just wasn't going to fly in August.  I watched the reports come in and I was just wishing I could be there.

THEN...D23 announces that they are bringing Destination D, the scavenger hunt AND an Ultimate Disney Trivia Contest to WDW in the Spring 2011!

I'm SO booking as soon as they announce the dates!

Ok...small caveat...I can go if it's not April 9 (my sister is getting married that day) or May 21 (I'm in Civil Air Patrol and we're ground-crewing for an air show).   Pixie dust that D23 stays away from those dates!

Karamel Kuche in Germany at Epcot

The new Caramel Kitchen is open at Epcot.  Get a paper towel and have it handy.  Then head over to the Disney Food Blog because they talked about it way better than I could and there are pictures.

I want the Apple Pie Apple.


Food and Wine Festival

It started yesterday and I'm already wishing I was there.  The food booths offering sound amazing.  I haven't been to a F&W Fest for a couple of years and withdrawal has definitely set in. If you ever have the opportunity to visit WDW during F&W Fest, do it.  You won't regret it.

Countdown to my next visit

We're sub-60 days.  I'm SO ready for a vacation. My DD asked if we could make a chain yet.  She's 13 and she still loves to make the paper chain. I told her when we hit 50, she can make the chain.  Otherwise, it's too long and hangs on the floor.

That's all for now.  It's a beautiful fall day today and I'm off to have some girl time with my DD.

Have a good one!

Mary

Disney's Big Announcement - Let The Memories Begin

I just watched the live Ustream announcement from DisneyParks and it's official:

Let The Memories Begin is the new Disney campaign.

Disney is inviting guests to share memories with their photos, stories and videos online.  Tom Skaggs coined a new phrase ~ Guest Generated Content. 

You can send them in advance or that same day while you are in the DisneyParks. 

They want to celebrate the memories and experiences of their guests.  Because that's what DisneyParks are all about.

Check out the Let The Memories Begin website! 

What do you think!?!?!?

More on Disney's Art of Animation Resort

WaltDisneyWorld.com supposedly has made some improvements.

One of the new bits of information is an official page for the NEW Disney Art of Animation Resort.

Be sure to visit the page for the details, but here are some highlights:

• Located in across the bridge from Pop Century on the previous Legendary Years site.
• Four different room themes: Lion King, Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid and Cars
• A whole bunch of rooms will be family suites, suitable for up to 6 people

Disney isn't taking reservations yet for this new resort, but they have announced that it will open Summer 2012.

Random Tips for First Time Travelers

Well, I survived the first week of "back to school."  On one hand, I think I  got a lot more done now that my kids are back at school.  On the other hand, this first week seemed pretty hectic with work.   Not that having a lot of work to do is a bad thing.  It just makes me want my vacation that much more. ;-)

One of the things I absolutely LOVE is being asked to help plan a Disney vacation. One of my college friends happens to be on Facebook.  She posted on Thursday, "Help!  I think I'm going to Disney World on Oct. 1."

She booked her family for 10 day trip (she has 3 days where she's at a conference in the middle) for Free Dining at Pop Century. It's the first time she's been there since 1989 and neither her kids nor her spouse have been there ever.

I LOVE helping this type of vacation traveler!  Rookies are so much fun to help! Not that we veterans are like old dogs, but someone who's never been is so much fun to guide along the way.

So, in honor of Janet's family trip in less than a month, here are my random tips for first time travelers to WDW:

1. Don't be a park commando.
No matter how long you have, you'll never see it all.  I've been to Disney nearly 20 times and I still haven't done everything there is to do there.

2. Make a list of "must do's."
This goes along with #1.  Use a guidebook.  Look on the internet. Watch a video.  Do what works best and find out what each person in your party really wants to see and do.  Then make sure you hit everything on that list.  Anything else after that is gravy and just make the experience that much more fun.

3.  It's not just about the rides.
Disney is not just about rides.  There's so much more to it than that.  Not only are there shows, but it's the whole immersive experience.  Yes, I will say it; you should live and breathe the Disney Magic while you are there. 

4.  Look for those small things that can be so easily overlooked.
Pressed penny machines are everyone.  In the parks and on the property. Sword in the Stone? Jedi Academy? DeVine? Mulch, Sweat & Shears? Sum of All Thrills?  The Jammitors?  If you haven't experienced all of these things, you are missing out on some pieces that make up the experience!

5. Make Dining Reservations
There have been times where I have planned the rest of my vacation around my dining reservations. Even if you aren't doing that, you'll want to take time to make some reservations.  Walk-up reservations can be hard to get in many table service restaurants.  Some of the most popular placed won't even take walk-ups. I understand wanting to be on vacation and not be "scheduled", but if dining is important to you, then take the needed steps to enjoy it.

6. Take a break.
This goes along with #1, too.  We always go out in the morning, come back to the resort for a pool and rest break and then we might go out again in the evening.  It's a great way to manage everyone's stamina, especially in the hotter months of the year.

7. Pack outfits for kids
When my kids were younger, I'd pack outfits in large ziploc bags.  Then in the morning, when it was time to get dressed, we'd just pull out one bag and go for it.  So much easier than picking out a shirt and shorts and arguing about it.

8. Use that camera
Not just for the scrapbook.  Take a picture of the kids each day before you head out to the parks. That way, if by some strange chance you do get separated and the Cast Members ask you, "What was Johnny wearing?", you can pull out that digital camera and show them rather than go, "Huh?"

9. Get a Passpouch
Don't mess with fanny packs.  And unless you really need to carry a lot of crap with you, leave it in your room. Disney has security outside each of its parks.  If you have a camera bag, diaper bag, backpack...any kind of bag, you have to go through security before you even reach the turnstiles.

We all have something similar to the Passpouch that Passporter offers.  It's goes around your neck, has space for your ID, room key, cash, and a pen. Hands-free so you don't leave it on a ride. Love it.  Won't travel without it.

10.  Get a water bottle strap
We have several.  You can wear it over the shoulder and across the body.  Instead of hauling a bag to carry a beverage for each person in your party, give everyone a strap and they can carry their own water, soda, whatever. 

Bonus: With a water bottle strap and a Passpouch, you can skip security and go through the "Guests with no Bags" entrance.

Well, I hope this has been helpful.  

Wouldn't it be great if Disney Transportation had this app?

I know I've been lax in posting here at the end of summer, but I'm hoping once we get back in the fall routine, I'll have more time to chat with you all.

I came across this website from Mississippi State University.

They have an application that shows the locations and arrival times for the buses in this system.

Now, Mary rarely takes the bus at WDW (remember, I'm a control freak in that department.), but so many WDW Resort Guests rely on the Disney Transportation System to get them to and from their locations. 

Live Maps to see where the buses are.  Arrival Times to see when the bus will arrive at a given stop.

This wouldn't be valuable just to the information junkie, but also to the mom whose kids are getting a little wiggly who can say, "The bus will be here in 6 minutes."

What do you think?

You mean there are things for BOYS to do at WDW?

Here I am...back from an unintended hiatus.  My kids go back to school in 10 days and in the last two weeks, we've started all the high school sports practices.  Unfortunately, up until 3 days ago, swimming practiced in the morning and soccer in the afternoon. I've been in the car A LOT!  So, I've had to use all my free time to work and haven't been able to stay current on my postings!  First some news and then my main article.

NEWS:
Well, Candlelight Processional Packages went on sale yesterday.  Odd setup this year;  Disney claims to not have a tiered system, but when you look at restaurants and pricing, it certainly seems tiered to me. That, and the week after Thanksgiving still doesn't have any narrators lined up.

After all the hubbub that's been running the online community gamut on whether Disney will let you into MNSSHP or MVMCP at 4pm or make you wait until 7pm like the ticket says, an email from someone at Guest Relations has come out that party ticket holders will indeed be allowed in as early as 4pm.

I got my official mailing from DVC about Aulani taking reservations (and the accompanying teaser to bu points there) earlier this week.  I'll have more to say on that front later, but let's just say for now that it's not high on my priority list.

MAIN EVENT: Stuff for Boys at WDW!
Doesn't it seem like there are SO many things for girls at WDW?  I mean, there's Princess and Fairy "stuff" galore.  And I'm saying this as a parent of a daughter. And a son.

If you have a son, I'm sure there's only so much "princess stuff" that he can hack.  Heck, if  you have a non-princessy daughter like I do, you might be thinking, "What can I do?"

Mary to the rescue! 

Top 7 Things for Boys to do at WDW

1. The Pirate Cruise
This wonderfully fun activity is available at several marina locations including the Grand Floridian, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans and the Yacht&Beach Club.  Kids 4-12 join a pirate crew (Disney lifeguard and recreation staff) on a pontoon boat and travel around the lake looking for clues and eventually finding the pirate treasure!  Each location has its own schedule. The Pirate Cruise lasts a couple of hours  ~ long enough for some leisurely parent time!

2. Jedi Training Academy at MGM Studios
Who wouldn't get a kick out of learning from a Jedi Master and then getting to lightsaber battle Darth Vader?  This activity takes place several times a day on most days out of the year.  Head towards Star Tours to get signed up.

3. Hoop Dee Do Revue
 It's the type of corny comedy that boys just love.

4. Frontierland Shooting Arcade
My Boy Scout is 14 and still loves going here to "hone his skills."  ;-)

5. SeaRaycers
These fun little boats can be rented at the on-site resort marinas

6. Swimming in the pool
Make time for some downtime!

7. The Pirate League!
The answer to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!  I'll have to post on my family's adventure here!  It was fantastic!

Well, I hope that gives you some new ideas, besides rides, on what you can steer your boys towards on your next trip to WDW!

Mary

Disney Releases Discounts Through 2011

This is some interesting stuff to talk about.

Disney has never released so many discounts over a long period of time all at once.  There are discounts out now through October 2011.

Typically, Disney has released discounts in 2-3 month spurts, usually a few months or so in advance of the opening date.  The company probably has wanted to see how much they can eek out before offering a discount at all.

So perhaps future bookings are looking a bit softer than expected?  Who knows?

Here's the scoop:

• It's not available every day for the next year. It's a hodge-podge of dates here and there.  Look to the bottom of my post of the dates or head over to Mousesavers for a more detailed skinny.
• You have to book by December 20.  So you have a lot of time to think it over
• You have to pay for a non-discounted room and ticket package and then you get a FREE dining plan. Stay at a Value Resort, you get the Quick Serve Plan for free; stay at a Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort, get the regular Dining Plan for free.  

Make sure you crunch the numbers to see if it works out to benefit you or not.  See my previous post on why the Free Dining option isn't always the best choice.


Here are the dates that this deal is available:

For 2010:

• 10/1-10/7
• 10/22-10/28
• 11/12-11/18
• 11/27-12/2
• 12/10-12/21

For 2011:

• 1/1-1/5
• 1/9-1/13
• 1/21-2/3
• 2/11-2/17
• 2/25-3/3
• 5/27-6/2
• 8/19-9/29

So, are you going to book a trip with this special?  Or did you already plan booking a trip and this is the icing on the cake for you?  Or does it make any difference?

Rumor - New Theme Rooms at Port Orleans?

How flipping exciting is this!?!?!?!?

First, Disney gives us Pirate themed rooms at Caribbean Beach:

Now, Disney is sending out surveys asking people who've recently stayed at Disney World what they would think about staying a "Royal" themed room or a "Haunted Mansion" themed room.

Here's the concept art:

Royal Room - rumored to be going into some renovated rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter.

Haunted Mansion room concept art - rumored to be going into some renovated rooms at Port Orleans Riverside.

The Disney survey apparently asks how likely the respondent is to pay an extra $30 per night to stay in one of these themed rooms.

This seems to be a trend for Disney to charge for preferred views or themes.  The 2011 room and package rates were recently released.  Disney added a new category at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Arusha Savannah View - and it's $30 more per night  for that specific view.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Haunted Mansion.  It's just not my thing.  But I LOVE the Royal Room concept.  Talk about feeling like royalty, even in a Moderate resort.  Some people felt it might be too girly or princessy...until they saw the art.  I LOVE this concept.

Is it worth an additional $30 per night? My opinion - No.  For a week's stay, that's an additional $230+ after you tack on the hotel taxes just for an uber-themed room.  Now, if it was more like an extra $100+ tax, I'd consider it for the experience. But if you think about it...$30 is the cost of a counter service meal for a family of four.  And you'd have to pay that much extra each day to have that theme.

I have to say that I do love themes and being immersed in the magic can definitely be worth it. There will be those who would pay it no matter what.  For me, I'd have to wait for just the right occasion or just the right deal.

What do you think?

~Mary

New Kids Menu at Garden Grill

It's the Picky Eaters vs. the Healthy Horde.

Well, maybe not that drastic.  But there are some interesting changes afoot at the Garden Grill in Epcot.

Disney has a pretty standard kids menu and chicken nuggets and fries take center stage in most places.  I mean, come on; chicken nuggets are something even the pickiest eater will chow down on, right?  That way, Mom and Dad can feast on the regular menu that Garden Grill offers (which rocks, by the way).

But now, the Garden Grill has changed things up a bit.  The standard kids menu is refreshed and includes the following:
* Oven Roasted Chicken Drumstick
* Sweet Potato Sticks
* Baked Macaroni & Cheese
* Broccoli
* Mickey "Mousse" Cookies and Cream

Now it seems that there are some elements that are upset that chicken nuggets have been swapped for a drumstick. 

Really?  My kids have always loved drumsticks!  Are we the odd ones? 

And while I can see where a kid would turn up his nose at orange French fries, seriously have you tasted sweet potato fries?  Yumatrocious!

Broccoli...I get this one.  A lot of adults don't like broccoli.  But the beauty of the Garden Grill is its all family-style so you don't have to take it if you don't want to.

And the Mickey Mousse...it's like good old fashioned worms-and-dirt, baby.  My teens would rather eat that then the fruit cobbler dessert any day of the week.

By the way, the kids can still eat off the adult offerings at the Garden Grill:
* Roasted Turkey Breast
*Sustainable Fresh Fish of the Day
*Beef Strip Loin
* Farmer's Market Salad - seriously, this is eat-the-whole-bowl yummy
* Bread and Maple Butter
* Vegies, potatoes, dressing, dessert!

So what are your thoughts on the new kids offerings from the Garden Grill?

Hey, if they bring me some of that stuff, I know I'll be eating some of it.

Mary

New Knight Package at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

I have to tell you, Disney really needs to get on the bandwagon and have more stuff geared toward boys or non-princessy girls. 

We all know that there are princess meets galore, several different dining options to eat with princesses and more.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was a bit progressive is having a "Cool Dude" package available for boys. But seriously...how can you compare that to a Princess package.

Now, granted, boys in general are usually not that hyped about getting "dolled up" (figuratively speaking, of course), but hey, at least they have an option.

Well now, the "Cool Dude" package is making way for the "Knight" package. Boys get hair styling plus a sword and shield.

That's more like it! 

While my "little boy" is 14 years old and aged of something like this, I'm excited that younger boys have this new option that fits with the Fantasyland persona that goes with Bibbid Bobbidi Boutique.

Mary

Top 5 Things To Do Beyond The Parks

Beyond the parks?  What the heck does that mean?  You mean there are other things to do?

Heck, yeah!  I LOVE doing all the other things you can do without having to use a day on your park ticket.  Now, it really doesn't matter for me because I always get an AP, but I really want people to see that there are a lot of things you can take in outside the big 4 parks.

1. Miniature Golf

Disney has two fabulously fun mini golf courses on property!  And these just aren't your run-of-the-mill mini golf spots from back home.  You get fabulous theming!

Fantasia Gardens is located near the Swan and Dolphin Resort.  It's themed to...you guessed it...the classic Fantasia!  Actually, the classic themed course is just one of two 18-hole courses at Fantasia Gardens.  The other course I haven't actually done.  It's supposed to be fairly challenging.  But it's also pretty popular because supposedly this course can have the longer wait times.

Cost is around $12 for adults and $10 for kids under 10. Last I checked, if you played a second round right away it was half price.

Winter Summerland is located right near Blizzard Beach waterpark.  So it's a little closer to the Animal Kingdom park area. It too has two 18-hole courses:  one is covered in "snow" and the other is more tropical and holiday themed.  Both courses are probably equal in difficulty, which I'd say is not terrible.

Prices are the same as Fantasia Gardens.

2. Resort Hopping

Resort Hopping means you visit other resorts and just check them out.  This can be as simple as deciding to eat at the counter service place at another resort and doing a Hidden Mickey hunt while there.

Keep in mind that pool hopping is not allowed at some resorts.  Some resorts allow it, but you need to call ahead and ask about availability.

3. Waterplay

There are lots of water options you can take advantage of.
* Fishing excursions are available.  You go out on a pontoon boat and do a little catch-and-release.
* Pole fishing is available at some resorts.
* Rent a SeaRaycer.  These little two seaters are available at several resort marinas.  Kids age 12+ can pilot with an adult in the same boat.  Ages 16+ can drive solo.


4. Dinner Shows

Ahhhh...here we are, back to food!  There are three dinner show options on property and all of them are outside the parks.

* Hoop Dee Doo Revue is an old West Vaudeville type show at Fort Wilderness.  It's all you care to eat ribs, chicken, salad, corn bread and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  There are usually three shows each night.

* Mickey's Backyard BBQ is a bit of a character experience and located at Fort Wilderness as well.  It features more of your picnic type foods. Chicken, hot dogs, ribs, salads, corn on the cob...stuff like that. This one is not held year round nor is it every day.  It's usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is on hiatus for part of the winter months.

* Spirit of Aloha Luau is held at the Polynesian Resort.  You get the whole nine yards: hula dancing. tiki torches, fire dancing, etc.  You can expect the food to feature salad, pineapple, chicken, rice vegetables and a "volcano" dessert. There are usually two shows each night the show plays, which is Tuesday through Saturday.

5. Shopping at Downtown Disney

I think this is probably an obvious answer, but sometimes people forget that Downtown Disney is on the Disney Transportation System and is easy to get to.  You can take a leisurely shopping day, but it window shopping or buying the stores out.  Plus, the people watching can be very entertaining!

A couple more tidbits... It's sounding like Disney is NOT raising ticket prices tomorrow.  They may be waiting for the first full weekend in August to do that.  Stay tuned!

Also, it seems that Rapunzel and Flynn from the new Tangled movie will be moving into the space where Storytime with Belle used to be in Magic Kingdom later this year.  I'll be interested to see that.  From the previews, Rapunzel and Flynn look like a hoot.  They could be hugely entertaining.

Have a great weekend!

Mary

Tasty Tidbits Update - plus a reminder to get your tickets!

Sorry for my recent hiatus.  It's been one of those weeks where work gets in the way of play!  ;-)

Here's a bit of news to digest:

* Disney announced earlier this week that the Main Street Electrical Parade will stay in Florida with no specific end date!  Great news for those of us who just couldn't make it there this summer.

* Via Napoli, the new Italian restaurant at Epcot, is soft opening on August 5.  Have you seen the menu yet?  It's definitely tantalizing.  See AllEarsNet.com and check the menu (with prices) out.

* Disney announced HP is taking on a larger corporate role and there's a new field house at the WWoS involved.

* Have you heard about the Taste of Africa?  It's this new street party at Animal Kingdom that's in a trial run this summer.

The scoop is that there's a lot of entertainment in Harambe with specific food vendors and even some wines you can taste.  You can get a tasting card and try a certain number of wines during the festivities. The pics I've seen so far make it seem like a great family-oriented (Yes, stuff for kids, too!) activity in the latter part of the day at AK.

I'm staying tuned to this one because I hope it's still around OR becomes a permanent fixture in time for my next trip in a few months.

* Get your tickets by tomorrow.  Disney typically raises its ticket prices on the first Sunday in August.  And rumors seem to support that happening again this year.  So if you know you are traveling to WDW and need your tickets still, consider ordering them before Sunday.

* Disney has confirmed that it will not offer Wishes Dessert parties on hard-ticket event nights.  So if you are planning on attending an MNSSHP or an MVMCP, don't expect the Wishes Dessert party to be available.

I'm going to get my act together more here in the next week.

Have a great weekend!

Mary