Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Star Wars and Motor Cars...244

The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

This Week's Theme: Face Characters 

So to be honest the Face Characters have always kind of weirded me out a little.  Sorry.  I like the princesses but I'm just not a fan of the others.  That being said I had to look pretty hard to find a picture I liked.  I really miss the Stars and Motor Cars Parade and am a huge fan of Star Wars.  I wish I would have gotten the entire car/Landspeeder in the shot.  Still it brings back good memories of a good parade.  I added a couple more shots for free.   Hope you enjoy.






Focused on the Magic


Monday, September 26, 2011

Breakfast Lasagna from Crystal Palace...245

I miss Breakfast Lasagna or as I like to call it, Manna from Heaven.  I'm not a huge fan of traditional breakfasts.  I don't like biscuits and gravey.  I like sweets.  I want donuts, chocolate gravy, "puffed" french toast (also from the Crystal Palace) and stuff with lots of syrup.  Then there is the mother of all breakfast dishes...Breakfast Lasagna.

In the summer of 2006 I was a Disney novice.  It was our first trip as a family and I didn't know much about the World.  After talking with the good people at Disney I decided we would try one character meal. My choice was the Crystal Palace for breakfast.  It was also my wife's birthday.  Perfect...


The characters, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore were all great and the food was amazing.




But the standout dish was Breakfast Lasagna.  It didn't look pretty but I feel in love after the first bite.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/04/02/disney-breakfast-dishes/
Breakfast Lasagna consists of pancakes, waffles, pound cake, custard, bananas, strawberries, blueberries and pastry cream.  Put it all together and bake it until it becomes one, life changing dish.  Here is the receipe at AllEars.net.  I discovered during my visit in April that sadly the Crystal Palace no longer serves Breakfast Lasagna.  I could have almost cried.  I still recommend the Crystal Palace for breakfast but no longer consider it a MUST.  I'm thinking about starting a petition to get it back.  Let me know what you think.  Did you ever have the Breakfast Lasagna?  Leave a comment below.   Thanks for reading.

**I would also like to thank AJ over at the DisneyFoodBlog for the use of their photo.  Check them out for great information about all the amazing food at Walt Disney World.  They are a great resource.  Enjoy.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Essential Gear for Walt Disney World...246

As Scar told us in Lion King, "Be Prepared."  That statement couldn't be more true when it comes to a Walt Disney World vacation.  Here are the top five essential gear for a successful WDW vacation.  Keep in mind that I usually go to WDW in the summer and Florida can be pretty warm and humid.



#1 - Good Comfortable Shoes - Seems obvious doesn't it.  I would not encourage you to wear flip-flops.  You need tennis shoes that you have already broken in.  You can plan on walking several miles in the course of a day at the park.

My Addie and her Brown Dog and comfortable shoes!
#2 - Sun Screen - A sunburn on vacation is never fun.  We love the spray on sunscreen for our kids but be careful not to spray it in your daughter's eyes...not fun moments!

#3 - Bottles of Water - The good folks at WDWToday recommend freezing your water bottles and then putting them in your backpack.  Try to get them to rest up against your back and you will be thankful that you get to wear the pack.  Another tip...the counter serve restaurants will give you a cup of ice water for FREE!



#4 - Backpack - Last time we went we had a 6 month old.  That meant that we were carrying formula, jars of baby food and diapers.  The pack was crazy big.  Now that all our kids are out of diapers and eating big people food we will still be using a backpack but a much smaller one.  They are still great for a change of clothes, water bottles, cameras, maps and anything else you might want to carry.  If you can rock the fanny pack you are much more secure in your adulthood than I am.

#5 - iPhone - Or other SmartPhone.  This is like the Swiss Army knife for your vacation.  You have a pretty decent camera, video camera and countless apps to assist you.  Facebook and Twitter can help all your friends and family keep track of all the fun you are having.  The Lines app and the one from UnderCover Tourist will help you determine the wait time at all the attractions.  It's also great to be able to check the menus and reviews at all the great places to eat via AllEars.net.  Remember that you will be using 3G as there is not free WiFi in the parks.

Well those are my essentials for the park.  Did I miss anything?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.  Thanks for reading.

*My wife and editor just told me I left off an essential, snacks.  Yes, snacks are very important for children and adults too.  It's amazing how a simple fruit snack or crackers can help save the day.  So let's call snacks #5a.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

What if Disney Characters had said AFI's Most Famous Movie Quotes? Cont...

Today I continue the countdown...So what if the top 100 movie quotes of all time were said by Disney characters?  My goal is to take the 100 "Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" as determined by AFI and determine what Disney movie or Disney character would have said the line.  I will start the countdown at 100 and then countdown five at a time. Let me know what you think.  Did I make any obvious mistakes or overlook an obvious choice?  Leave your comments below.   I hope you enjoy.  If you missed the earlier lines click HERE and HERE.


#90

#89

#88

#87

#86

Come back next week and check out the next five...







Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Crystal Palace...250

The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

This Week's Theme: Architecture 

One of my favorite places on property for a great breakfast.  I just wish they would bring back the Breakfast Lasagna!  I also love seeing Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.






Focused on the Magic

Animal Kingdom and a Little Strategy...251

Animal Kingdom is not my favorite park but my 8 year old son loves it.  On this next trip to WDW I am planning on going to the AK for two days.  I have been told that when the Imagineers designed the park their goal was to have people tour it at a much slower pace than the other parks.  They didn't want guests running from attraction to attraction but wanted them to spend time enjoying the surroundings, atmosphere and the hidden treasures.  So I am going to try and humor them on this trip and in the process make my son a very happy boy.


One of the great things about Animal Kingdom is that it closes early.  That may sound like a strange thing to celebrate but hear me out.   If you are planning an early breakfast at one of the parks you can schedule the Animal Kingdom the day before because you know you can get to bed early.  It can also free up and evening so you can head to Downtown Disney, the BoardWalk or tour some of the other hotels on property.  Sometimes it's just nice to have an evening away from the parks to relax.  If you have young kids, trust me, a night off can save a vacation.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

What if Disney Characters had said AFI's Most Famous Movie Quotes? Continued...

Today I continue the countdown...So what if the top 100 movie quotes of all time were said by Disney characters?  My goal is to take the 100 "Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" as determined by AFI and determine what Disney movie or Disney character would have said the line.  I will start the countdown at 100 and then countdown five at a time. Let me know what you think.  Did I make any obvious mistakes or overlook an obvious choice?  Leave your comments below.   I hope you enjoy.  If you missed the first five click HERE.


#95

#94

#93

#92

#91

Come back next week and check out the next five.




Thursday, September 15, 2011

If I Could Be Any Place in the World...255

If I could be anywhere in the World right now I would be on Main St.  The park would be dark and I would hear the following, "When stars are born, they possess a gift or two. One of them is this: they have the power to make a wish come true."  For the next twelve minutes I would enjoy Wishes with my family.  After Wishes we would head to Casey's Corner for a delicious Disney Coke and sit and watch the castle all aglow.   If we were lucky we would also get to witness the "Kiss Goodnight."  Nothing beats Main St. at night, nothing.



So if you could be anywhere in Walt Disney World right now where would you be?  Leave your comments below.  Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

What Park to Go to First: Something Else to Consider...256


In my last post I discussed which park I like to visit on our first day.  For me it is an easy choice, I want to be at the Magic Kingdom. But I had two great comments from Kathy and Jenn that pointed out the other issues one should consider when deciding which park to hit first.

Kathy said "I base my decision completely upon what day of the week we're talking about! (Going for the lowest crowds.)"  A great place to go to see what the crowd level is going to be on a particular day is at Touringplans.com.  Click on "Crowd Calendar" and you can find out the crowd level  for a particular day. To get full access you do have to subscribe for $10.99.  With that subscription you also get touring plans and the Lines App for your phone.  Crowd level can make a huge difference in how much of the park you get to see and experience.  This is definitely something you need to consider as you plan your first day and all following days.

Jenn from DisneyBabies brought up another great point saying, "I do normally pick the first park based on crowd calender/emh..."  Extra Magic Hours or EMHs allow guests staying on Disney property the opportunity to experience one designated park for either an hour before official park opening or up to three hours after regular closing time.  No matter if you are staying on property or not, EMH will have an effect on your visit.  You will want to avoid visiting parks that offer EMH if you cannot or will not be taking advantage of them.  The park with EMH will be busier than the other parks, but if you do it wisely, getting to the park 15 to 30 minutes before the morning hours begin and closing down the park in the evening,  you can also get a good deal of touring done during those extra hours.  (And there is nothing like being in a nearly empty Magic Kingdom at 2am.)

Thanks for the great points Kathy and Jenn, and be sure to check out their blogs for more great information.
The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin' Spectrum Mom and Disney Babies Blog.
Thanks for reading.

Disney-lovin' Spectrum Mom

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Hop...257

This week's theme is Characters.  
Belle spent about 5 to 10 minutes with my little princess.  Addie didn't say much. She was simply in awe of Belle.  Addie was three in this picture and she may not remember much about meeting her, but I will never forget this moment.  



Check out the next stop on the Wordless Wednesday Hop.  Enjoy!




Focused on the Magic




What Park to Go to First?..258


So how do you determine which park to visit on which day?  I have heard it recommended that if you are a first time visitor you should visit the other parks, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studio and Epcot before you visit the Magic Kingdom.  The thinking is that your family will be more impressed with the other parks if they are not comparing them to the Magic Kingdom.  Thus you save the best for last!


My only problem with the theory is that I have never been able to do it or recommend it.  The moment I get on property I want to walk down Main St., be surrounded by the smells of the bakery and popcorn

Monday, September 12, 2011

Disney World's Mom's Panel...259

So I just applied to be on the Walt Disney World's Mom's Panel.  Since they don't notify you if you were not selected, I figured I would post the only correspondence I am likely to receive from Disney about the Mom's Panel...


The application process was fun and kind of exciting.  I can't say that I was nervous because I feel my chances are pretty slim but I wanted to be able to say that I applied and tried.  If you are interested in 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

What if Disney Characters had said AFI's Most Famous Movie Quotes?...260

So what if the top 100 movie quotes of all time were said by Disney characters?  My goal is to take the 100 "Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" as determined by AFI and determine what Disney movie or Disney character would have said the line.  I will start the countdown at 100 and then countdown five at a time. Let me know what you think.  Did I make any obvious mistakes or overlook an obvious choice?  Leave your comments below.   I hope you enjoy.


#100


Thursday, September 8, 2011

More Fantasyland Expansion Info...262

Here is some more information I found on the timeline for the Fantasyland Expansion.  This information comes from Inside the Magic.


1.  Complete - Hundred Acre Wood facade for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

2.  Early 2012 - Half of Storybook Circus with double Dumbo, Great Goofini coaster, Fantasyland Train Station, Casey Jr.



Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Fantasyland and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster...264

I can't wait to see the Fantasyland expansion and ride the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster.  Enjoy.  I saw this on WDWMagic.com and thought I would repost.



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...264


Sunday, September 4, 2011

Planning the Perfect WDW Vacation...Pt 2...

The Mission Statement.

I am on part 2 of my series titled Planning the Perfect WDW Vacation.  Maybe that is not the best name for a series because let's be honest, planning a perfect anything is difficult.  Planning a perfect vacation, any vacation, is pretty close to impossible and to plan THE perfect Walt Disney World Vacation has to be, well, impossible.  So, why did I use the word Perfect?  It just sounded so much better than, Planning the... Semi-Perfect, Not that Bad or I've Had Worse, WDW Vacations.  Thus I ask for a little leeway or slack as I try to navigate the planning process for our Disney vacation.  

Over the next several post in this series I want to address how to schedule our days so you know which parks to do on each day.  I also want to look at creating our own touring plans for each park and lastly, how to make sure we make time to relax.  However, in this post I first want to address our mentality or attitude on our vacation.  

Sad Moments

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Planning the Perfect WDW Vacation...Part 1...270


With the hotel question answered, I turn my attention to scheduling. Now that I know we are staying for nine days I can begin to play with our overall schedule for our trip. I will not assign the parks to specific days until I know the Extra Magic Hours for May and June. (Information about Extra Magic Hours Here)  There are several factors that I consider as I put everything together.  Do we want the Park Hopper Option?  How can we balance early mornings and late nights?  Which parks, rides, and attractions are most important to the family?  Lastly, this is a vacation, how can I make sure we have time to relax?