Countdown to Disney #15

#15

Disney Princesses

Our daughter loves Princesses, and as you can see from the picture, even her little brother is a bit smitten with them as well! So it's no surprise that one of the things we are excited about for our upcoming trip is meeting the Princesses!  We've got one Princess character meal scheduled and we plan to stop in and see some of the others around the parks as well.  

If you want to meet Princesses, the Magic Kingdom is the place to be.  At the Town Square Theater you can meet a few Princesses at once with a FastPass to shorten the wait.  Around the rest of the park are many other places to see some of your favorite Disney ladies, sometimes with their Princes too!  And don't forget that you can dine with some Princesses inside Cinderella's Castle at Cinderella's Royal Table.  

EPCOT is not a bad choice either with several Princesses distributed around the World Showcase in their home countries, and a character dining experience in Norway that features several Princesses.  The Animal Kingdom does not boast any Princesses, unless you count Pocahontas.  Disney's Hollywood Studios is getting its one and only Princess, Sofia the First, coming this summer!  We're hoping she'll be there for our visit, but she may not appear until after we're gone. 

Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

Come back later tomorrow for #14!

If you like meeting characters at Disney, check out our post on 
the Best Character Meet and Greets at Walt Disney World!

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Countdown to Disney #16- Main Street Electrical Parade

#16

 Main Street Electrical Parade

When the sun goes down, Walt Disney World comes alive with a festival of twinkling lights. From shops to rides, everything is glowing. It is my favorite time of the day. Out of all of the nighttime shows and spectacles, one of our favorites is The Main Street Electrical Parade. Every time we visit WDW, we must see the parade at least once. Although our vantage point may change each time, we always enjoy seeing the characters and floats all lit up in thousands of twinkling lights. I wonder where we will see it from this year?

Come back later for #15!

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Countdown to Disney #17

#17

Eating in 2 Castles in 1 Day

With the addition of the Be Our Guest restaurant, the Magic Kingdom now has two castles you can eat inside of.  We've had a few meals over the years at Cinderella's Royal Table, but this will be our first time eating inside the Beast's castle.  This will also be a first for us in that we will be eating breakfast in Cinderella's Castle, and then having dinner later in the same day at Be Our Guest!  2 Castles in 1 Day!! That's something to be excited about?

Which castle do you think you'd like to eat in more?

Come back later for #16!

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Wordless Wednesday - July Calendar Shot

This week's theme: July Calendar Shot

Celebrating America

Went a different route this week as I had already used my patriotic pics and fireworks pics for other weeks.  Hope you like it.!

Special Thanks to Deb at "Focused on the Magic" for hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.  If you've hopped here, please feel free to look around, Like us, Follow us, Email us, or Subscribe to us.  Then be sure to use the link above to return to the blog hop and check out the other great blogs participating.  Thanks!

   

Countdown to Disney #18

#18

Meeting Mickey

Who doesn't like Mickey Mouse?  No trip to Walt Disney World is complete without meeting Mickey.  In fact, we usually meet Mickey more than once.  You can currently meet Mickey in all four theme parks and at some character dining locations as well.  

Here's a list of where to find Mickey Mouse

• Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom (Tuxedo Mickey)
• Character Spot in EPCOT (Tuxedo Mickey)
• Disney Visa Meet in EPCOT's Innoventions West* (Tuxedo Mickey)
• Adventurer's Outpost in Disney's Animal Kingdom (Safari Mickey)**
• Magic of Disney Animation in Disney's Hollywood Studios (Sorcerer Mickey)
• Chef Mickey's Restaurant in the Contemporary Resort (Chef Mickey)
• Best Friends Breakfast at 'Ohana in the Polynesian Resort (Hawaiian Mickey)
• Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness (Hoedown Mickey)
• Garden Grill Restaurant in the Land Pavilion at EPCOT. (Farmer Mickey)
• Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in Disney's Animal Kingdom (Safari Mickey)**

*We've met Mickey each time we've done the Disney Visa Meet and Greet, but it's not guaranteed he'll be there every time.

**The outfits worn by Mickey at the Adventurer's Outpost and inside the Tusker House are a little different, but I called them both "Safari Mickey".

Mickey's Backyard BBQ is the only place we've never been to meet Mickey.  We'll have to remedy that one of these trips!  

Another way to interact with Mickey, though not an official Meet and Greet, is at the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it, Street Party!

You can watch Mickey get down from a pretty close distance.  When we were there he didn't get down off his float to dance in the crowd like some of the other characters, but it was still pretty cool to be right there with him dancing to the music!


So, which Mickey is your favorite to meet?

Come back later tomorrow for #17!

If you like meeting characters at Disney, check out our post on 
the Best Character Meet and Greets at Walt Disney World!

While you're here, be sure to leave a comment to let us know you've stopped by!  You can also use the mickey head links below to Like us, Follow us, Email us, and Subscribe to us!

   

FREE things to do at Walt Disney World

So let's say that you're in the vicinity of Walt Disney World, but you don't have a resort reservation or park tickets... What can you do?  Well, there are in fact a few things to do at Walt Disney World that are absolutely FREE!




That scenario is completely hypothetical, and I'm not sure I'll ever find myself in a situation exactly like that, but I can definitely see there being times when I want to take a break from the parks, still do something Disney, but also not spend more money than I already have.  So, here are some of my favorite FREE things to do:

1. Explore Downtown Disney

Each trip, we make time to go to the Downtown Disney marketplace.  In fact, on our last trip, we delayed leaving for home by going over to Downtown Disney.  There are plenty of great shops to browse, and restaurants to grab a bite (which isn't free, but let's face it, you gotta eat).  Yes, the potential is there to spend a lot of money, but you could just as easily visit without spending a dime.  There are many picture opportunities for some souvenir photos.  The kids can play at Once Upon a Toy as well as the Lego Store.  On a hot day, bring a change of clothes or bathing suits and get wet in one of the water fountains.  If you're lucky, you might also catch some free entertainment.  Not a bad way to spend the day at Disney without spending money.

*Earl of Sandwich has a club you can join for free for a free sandwich during the month in which you were born.  you'll also get emailed a coupon for a free triple chocolate brownie, which tops the list of my favorite snacks at Walt Disney World.  So be sure to sign up for their EClub here!

2. Disney's Boardwalk

Just a short walk from EPCOT and a slightly longer walk from Disney's Hollywood Studios is a great spot to visit.  Disney's Boardwalk is a beautiful place for a stroll, or doing some window shopping.  At night, the Boardwalk lights up and comes alive with entertainers and the sounds of music and people having a great time coming from the restaurants and clubs.  For adults, the Atlantic Dance hall has no cover charge, if you want to bust a move for FREE!  

*Each night, you can view the fireworks portion of Illuminations above the trees, also for FREE! One of the best viewing locations is on the bridge that leads from the Boardwalk Inn to EPCOT's International Gateway.

3. Resort Hop

Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort, 2010.

Disney puts incredible detail into everything, including their incredibly themed resorts.  I've never had trouble stopping by any Disney Resort to have a look around.  While the use of amenities such as the pool or gym is limited to resort guests, you can still roam around the resorts and take in all the magic, look for hidden mickeys, and take lots of photos.  The holiday season is an extra special time to resort hop as well, as many of the resorts add extra decorations.  You may also stumble upon a show or some extra friendly Cast Members who will add some magic to your day.  Think of it all as research on what resort you want to stay at for your next trip.  Some of our favorites:

• Animal Kingdom Lodge - incredible theming and you can also see the animals on the Savannah!
• Grand Floridian Resort and Spa - Just walking into the lobby is an experience. 
• All-Star Resorts - walking around all the over-sized props is a lot of fun!
• Art of Animation - we haven't seen this in person yet, but the pictures we've seen are amazing!

*You can see both the Wishes! fireworks display over the Magic Kingdom AND get a close up view of the Electric Water Pageant from any of the Magic Kingdom resorts: Grand Floridian, Contemporary Resort/Bay Lake Tower, or Polynesian Resort.

4. Take a Ride

Who says there is no such thing as a free ride?  Hop aboard a Disney monorail from one of the resorts and take a ride around.  Disney also has boat service around the Seven Seas Lagoon, Crescent Lake, and to and from Downtown Disney from a couple of nearby resorts.  Combine some resort-hopping with some relaxing Disney transportation for a fun, and FREE day at Disney!

*Disney has transportation cards you can collect.  These are FREE, and are obtainable simply by asking the drivers and crew members of the monorails, buses and boats.  I believe there are 18 different cards in all, depicting different modes of Disney transportation with interesting facts about each.


This has been a Magical Monday blog post.  For other ideas of ways to add extra Magic to your Disney Vacation, click HERE.



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Countdown to Disney #19

#19

Splash Mountain

Since the first time I took Lisa to Walt Disney World, I tried and tried to get her to ride Splash Mountain.  I succeed once.  Just one time.  Sadly, there's no photographic evidence because the photo was unavailable when we got off the ride. (My theory is that someone else in our boat ruined it for us by doing something inappropriate).

So, imagine my excitement when Bella, not even tall enough to ride, declares one day while eating lunch that she's going to "splash that mountain!"  Last summer, Bella was finally tall enough, and we rode Splash Mountain together.  She was a trooper, and was very excited until we hit the drop!

Her face in that picture says it all.  After the ride, Bella told me it was fun, but she wouldn't be doing it again!  Fast Forward nearly a year and Bella is once again excited to ride Splash Mountain.  This time she says she's going on with her mommy... but I know how difficult that will be...

What do you think?  Does Bella ride with Lisa or James on Splash Mountain this trip??? Place your bets!  We're excited to see how this all turns out!

Come back later tomorrow for #18!

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