With the countdown to my trip to Disney World in October just coming in under the 200 day mark, I thought it would be a good time to discuss the top 5 things I'm excited about doing and seeing on my trip (and what you should be excited about as well if you are taking a trip in the near future.)
Number 1: TRADER SAM's GROG GROTTO! I'm sure you can tell my excitement by my choice of capital letters, but I literally screamed when I first heard that this famous bar would be coming to the World, and I screamed even louder when I learned that it would be open for our trip in October. I know it only seats about 50 people at a time, so I'm hoping that at least some of the initial buzz wears off in the next few months so we don't have to stand in crazy long lines when we are there (although I totally would....).
Number 2: Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic! This will be my first time going to the event and to say I salivate everytime I think about it is not a lie. The idea of being able to sample over 60 different food and wine offerings only makes me sad that the event is three hours long, so I will have to eat quickly if I want to try them all. I will say that next to Trade Sam's this is really what I am looking forward to about our trip this year.
Number 3: Be Our Guest Restaurant! I am going to brave the early morning glow of my computer screen at the 180 day mark of our trip and try and get lunch reservations here. It was open last time we went, but we both thought it was too much hype, and not actually going to be a great meal so we decided against it. Now, after reading so many glowing reviews of it, we would be crazy not to at least try and dine here on our next trip.
Number 4: Being in the parks for 6 days! This marks our longest trip (aside from our honeymoon), so I'm excited about having so much time in all of the parks. Now that Hollywood Studios has been cut down to a half day park for us, I am looking forward to being able to spend more time in my husband's favorite park, Animal Kingdom. He would be perfectly happy spending all day at Dawa Bar and people watching, or riding Expedition Everest 5 times in a row, and this trip we will actually have time to do that. Although just to be clear I highly suggest going on Expedition Everest BEFORE spending an afternoon at Dawa Bar.
Number 5: Going back to Epcot Food and Wine Festival! Last year was our first year attending the event and we ended up spending much more time there than we originally anticipated. Even though we researched a lot before we went, we still thought we would only want to spend one or two nights there since we only thought we would enjoy and handful of the offerings. Well cut to my husband wanting to sample something at every single pavilion so we could get all of the stamps in the booklet they hand out. We came pretty close, but I still think we missed one or two countries. Either way, we ended up heading to Epcot almost every night of our trip and spend hours sharing food and drinks and just hanging out around the promenade at Epcot, so we are going to allow lots of time this trip for a repeat visit.
As always, feel free to find me on Facebook under "The Married Mouse" where I will be posting live photos from my trip this October!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
What's Next?
With all of the changes going on over at Hollywood Studios, it seems to be a hot topic with any Disney fan, so I thought I would put my two cents in on what I think might be coming to a currently very barren park.
The number one thing I think must be happening soon will be Star Wars Land, or at the very least, more attractions based on the ever popular movie franchise. I think that Disney acquiring Lucasfilm was just the tip of the iceberg. They already had done so much with Star Wars in the parks (Star Tours, Star Wars weekends, Star Wars merch), so it's a no brainer to think that now that they own the rights they will make it much more of a presence in the parks.
The available land right around Star Tours also seems like a land themed to the movies would make an easy fit. They could use the theatre where Indiana Jones is, as well as the Backlot Express restaurant and really expand the area around where Star Tours currently stands, plus all of the land right outside of the park. To make it easier, they also already have one hugely popular mainliner attraction already built in, so they only have to expand the land and add in two or three more attractions.
It would also be a good way for Disney to go away from the "everything princess" theme that has caused some Disney fans to be disappointed recently. Don't get me wrong, I like Frozen just as much as they next gal, but for a family with small boys, or for a couple without children, the princess themeing that is constantly being shoved down our throats can be a little much at times. Star Wars would give another option for character interaction that isn't focused around a fair maiden in a long, poofy dress. In fact, this has already proven to be the case with the new Star Wards Dine In Galactic Breakfast that started last year over at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre where guests spent $49.99 for a character breakfast. Yes you read that right, $50 per person for breakfast, and nobody from Frozen was even there! This means that guests are literally crying out for some character dining that isn't centered around princesses, and I think people would be willing to pay much more if they were able to meet actually Star Wars characters in a dining environment that came right from the Star Wars world.
I know the idea of extended Pixar Place has been thrown around, as well as the idea of making another Cars Land, but honestly I think that those were thought of before the Star Wars acquisition. I just can't see why the company would duplicate the exact thing we see in California Adventure (since they want us to have a reason to visit both parks), and Pixar Place seems like it would be hard to make a coherent land out of it, since all Pixar films are based on different subjects, and all live in different lands.
Well that's my opinion on what is going to happen, and hopefully we will see and hear some announcements soon (like at the D23 expo in August), so we can all stop speculating and start getting exciting about what is to come. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section!
The number one thing I think must be happening soon will be Star Wars Land, or at the very least, more attractions based on the ever popular movie franchise. I think that Disney acquiring Lucasfilm was just the tip of the iceberg. They already had done so much with Star Wars in the parks (Star Tours, Star Wars weekends, Star Wars merch), so it's a no brainer to think that now that they own the rights they will make it much more of a presence in the parks.
The available land right around Star Tours also seems like a land themed to the movies would make an easy fit. They could use the theatre where Indiana Jones is, as well as the Backlot Express restaurant and really expand the area around where Star Tours currently stands, plus all of the land right outside of the park. To make it easier, they also already have one hugely popular mainliner attraction already built in, so they only have to expand the land and add in two or three more attractions.
It would also be a good way for Disney to go away from the "everything princess" theme that has caused some Disney fans to be disappointed recently. Don't get me wrong, I like Frozen just as much as they next gal, but for a family with small boys, or for a couple without children, the princess themeing that is constantly being shoved down our throats can be a little much at times. Star Wars would give another option for character interaction that isn't focused around a fair maiden in a long, poofy dress. In fact, this has already proven to be the case with the new Star Wards Dine In Galactic Breakfast that started last year over at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre where guests spent $49.99 for a character breakfast. Yes you read that right, $50 per person for breakfast, and nobody from Frozen was even there! This means that guests are literally crying out for some character dining that isn't centered around princesses, and I think people would be willing to pay much more if they were able to meet actually Star Wars characters in a dining environment that came right from the Star Wars world.
I know the idea of extended Pixar Place has been thrown around, as well as the idea of making another Cars Land, but honestly I think that those were thought of before the Star Wars acquisition. I just can't see why the company would duplicate the exact thing we see in California Adventure (since they want us to have a reason to visit both parks), and Pixar Place seems like it would be hard to make a coherent land out of it, since all Pixar films are based on different subjects, and all live in different lands.
Well that's my opinion on what is going to happen, and hopefully we will see and hear some announcements soon (like at the D23 expo in August), so we can all stop speculating and start getting exciting about what is to come. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section!
What's Changing?
With all of the recent changes (subtractions) in the attraction lineup at the Studious I thought it would be nice to look at what they have taken away, what may be to come, and what you can currently do there.
What they have taken away:
-The American Idol Experience: Laugh all you will, but this was actually one of the attractions my father and I went to most often on our trips to the parks. We would generally see one or two shows during the day, and then make sure to go to the finale show if we really liked if "our person" made it to the finale, so we could go and vote for them. The witty banter between the judges was fun to watch, and even though the auditorium held 1,000 people it never filled to capacity when we were there, so it was always easy to drop by right before show time and snag a seat. I wouldn't say this a crazy popular attraction, but considering it took over from a stage that had been vacant for 7 years, it was better than nothing, and thrilling for the contestants and their families. I also loved that it really tied in to the whole "working studios" aspect that the park tends to consistently lack.
-Studio Backlot Tour: This was such a heart breaker for me to lose because it really was such an integral part of my MGM or Hollywood Studios experience, as well as one of the major E-ticket attractions here. It was a great way to soak up an hour or so of your day in the park, and a huge bonus (to everyone over 21) is that they allowed you to take beer, wine, or cocktails on to the attraction!!! While you couldn't take them on to the ride vehicles themselves, you were allowed to quench your thirst during the pre-show (starring the fabulously awful Michael Bay doing what he does best, bragging about himself and how awesome he is-so alcohol is necessary to make it through this terrible pre- show). It also offered a fun look into the costuming area as well as a behind the scenes look at the practice area for Lights, Motors, Action. It was a great way to beat the heat and really relax on a hot day and learn a little something extra about Disney alone the way.
-Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: This is another attraction that I will greatly miss (as well as another one that took up a good chunk of your time in the parks). Another adult tip on this one as well was that you were also allowed to bring beer and wine in to the theater to drink during the performance! Indiana Jones doing daring stunts AND beer- really, what could be better? Even though this show did fill up fast, if you came 10-15 minutes before show time you generally didn't have a problem finding seats ( well, unless you are a party of 15). It was a fun look into how some stunts were performed, and the audience participation really added the cherry on top. Once again, this felt like you were right in the middle of a real movie set, and once again added to the whole "real working studios" appeal that they were originally going for. I'm starting to think that they are going away from this concept, and thus why they are taking away many attractions that make guests feel in the middle of the action.
-The name of the park! Bob Iger just announced the other day that they would be officially changing the name of the park sometime down the road, but he wouldn't even hint as to what it would be changed to. I'm thinking it will have less to do with Studios, and more to do with themed lands (Star Wars Land anyone?), so maybe a name to encapsulate more brands and variety in theming and not something that pigeon holes them into being all about movies.
Stay tuned for the next update to this series where I discuss what may be coming soon to Hollywood Studios, and please come on over to Facebook and like my page! You can find it by searching for "The Married Mouse."
What they have taken away:
-The American Idol Experience: Laugh all you will, but this was actually one of the attractions my father and I went to most often on our trips to the parks. We would generally see one or two shows during the day, and then make sure to go to the finale show if we really liked if "our person" made it to the finale, so we could go and vote for them. The witty banter between the judges was fun to watch, and even though the auditorium held 1,000 people it never filled to capacity when we were there, so it was always easy to drop by right before show time and snag a seat. I wouldn't say this a crazy popular attraction, but considering it took over from a stage that had been vacant for 7 years, it was better than nothing, and thrilling for the contestants and their families. I also loved that it really tied in to the whole "working studios" aspect that the park tends to consistently lack.
-Studio Backlot Tour: This was such a heart breaker for me to lose because it really was such an integral part of my MGM or Hollywood Studios experience, as well as one of the major E-ticket attractions here. It was a great way to soak up an hour or so of your day in the park, and a huge bonus (to everyone over 21) is that they allowed you to take beer, wine, or cocktails on to the attraction!!! While you couldn't take them on to the ride vehicles themselves, you were allowed to quench your thirst during the pre-show (starring the fabulously awful Michael Bay doing what he does best, bragging about himself and how awesome he is-so alcohol is necessary to make it through this terrible pre- show). It also offered a fun look into the costuming area as well as a behind the scenes look at the practice area for Lights, Motors, Action. It was a great way to beat the heat and really relax on a hot day and learn a little something extra about Disney alone the way.
-Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: This is another attraction that I will greatly miss (as well as another one that took up a good chunk of your time in the parks). Another adult tip on this one as well was that you were also allowed to bring beer and wine in to the theater to drink during the performance! Indiana Jones doing daring stunts AND beer- really, what could be better? Even though this show did fill up fast, if you came 10-15 minutes before show time you generally didn't have a problem finding seats ( well, unless you are a party of 15). It was a fun look into how some stunts were performed, and the audience participation really added the cherry on top. Once again, this felt like you were right in the middle of a real movie set, and once again added to the whole "real working studios" appeal that they were originally going for. I'm starting to think that they are going away from this concept, and thus why they are taking away many attractions that make guests feel in the middle of the action.
-The name of the park! Bob Iger just announced the other day that they would be officially changing the name of the park sometime down the road, but he wouldn't even hint as to what it would be changed to. I'm thinking it will have less to do with Studios, and more to do with themed lands (Star Wars Land anyone?), so maybe a name to encapsulate more brands and variety in theming and not something that pigeon holes them into being all about movies.
Stay tuned for the next update to this series where I discuss what may be coming soon to Hollywood Studios, and please come on over to Facebook and like my page! You can find it by searching for "The Married Mouse."
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Let's Party!
After scheduling an entire trip around it, e-mailing the Swan and Dolphin almost weekly to find out when tickets would be released, today was finally the day that we got our tickets to the 6th Annual Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic!!! Not sure if you can tell by all of my exclamation points, but to say that I am excited would be a wee bit of an understatement. You see, the issue is that we really wanted to attend this event last year during our honeymoon, but the dates that it fell on were too far away from our wedding date to be able to fit it in for a honeymoon so we had to skip it. This year we knew we wanted to take a trip to celebrate our one year anniversary, but we were open to going anytime in October so long as we could attend the event, so imagine my excitement when we found out the event would be held this year on October 30 and 31!!!
When I got home from work today and was checking Facebook I literally screamed when I saw the post that tickets were now available for sale and immediately purchased them. We decided to go on October 30th to (hopefully) avoid some of the crowds that we figured Saturday would bring, but also because we literally couldn't wait one extra day to attend. One of the big reasons that I really felt drawn to this event was because of Lou Mongello and his site over at wdwradio.com. The past few years he has done a live broadcast of the event that I have been fortunate enough to watch and he had me practically salivating over the amazing food and wine offerings. I know I mentioned this in a previous post but when I'm in the parks I truly hate sitting down to a two or three hour dinner and a restaurant where I will spend upwards of $200 for my dinner (and some wine), so this really seemed like the perfect option. While, yes, we are still spending $200 for our tickets to the event, it will be a very interactive adventure where we can sample lots of different options and won't just be sitting at a table for three hours.
I'm already counting down the days until we leave for our trip (232), and the days until we get to attend the event (234)! I also hope to post some more factual information about the event in the coming months, and will for sure post a more in depth trip report and review once I come back from my trip in October!
When I got home from work today and was checking Facebook I literally screamed when I saw the post that tickets were now available for sale and immediately purchased them. We decided to go on October 30th to (hopefully) avoid some of the crowds that we figured Saturday would bring, but also because we literally couldn't wait one extra day to attend. One of the big reasons that I really felt drawn to this event was because of Lou Mongello and his site over at wdwradio.com. The past few years he has done a live broadcast of the event that I have been fortunate enough to watch and he had me practically salivating over the amazing food and wine offerings. I know I mentioned this in a previous post but when I'm in the parks I truly hate sitting down to a two or three hour dinner and a restaurant where I will spend upwards of $200 for my dinner (and some wine), so this really seemed like the perfect option. While, yes, we are still spending $200 for our tickets to the event, it will be a very interactive adventure where we can sample lots of different options and won't just be sitting at a table for three hours.
I'm already counting down the days until we leave for our trip (232), and the days until we get to attend the event (234)! I also hope to post some more factual information about the event in the coming months, and will for sure post a more in depth trip report and review once I come back from my trip in October!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Flower and Garden Festival - Part 3
Now we continue where we left off from my last post about my trip to the 2014 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.
The amazing topiaries were one of my (obviously) favorite aspects of the festival. This being my first time going, it really amazed me the detail that Disney had with these. They weren't just sticking random oddly shaped trees in random locations, but instead really made these topiaries look exactly like their Disney characters, and took great time to make sure and place them where it would appropriate. My favorite example of this was Peter Pan being placed on top of one of the shops in England, and Captain Hook down below in a fighting stance, making it seem like you have caught them in the middle a swash buckling battle. And since Epcot really is the best park to tour at night, it was great to see the addition of some great lighting to the topiaries that really made them stand out during a nighttime stroll around World Showcase.
The last thing I really remember about this trip was that it was the last trip I went on with paper Fastpasses, before the Magic Bands were rolled out to all resort and off site guests. Now that I have made another trip since then using Magic Bands, it is crazy to think of how insane it was to have to get to the parks at rope drop only to have to run (almost literally) to your favorite attraction and stand in line quickly to get a Fast Pass, only to leave, go ride other attractions, and return to the very same attraction to ride it. On our last trip we were able to leisurely tour the park in the morning and then spend the afternoon hitting the busier attractions that we already had pre-planned Fast Passes for. Since we were traveling with my father and his girlfriend as well, I had to keep all 4 park tickets on me so I could quickly run to the kiosk and collect all of our Fast Passes.
The amazing topiaries were one of my (obviously) favorite aspects of the festival. This being my first time going, it really amazed me the detail that Disney had with these. They weren't just sticking random oddly shaped trees in random locations, but instead really made these topiaries look exactly like their Disney characters, and took great time to make sure and place them where it would appropriate. My favorite example of this was Peter Pan being placed on top of one of the shops in England, and Captain Hook down below in a fighting stance, making it seem like you have caught them in the middle a swash buckling battle. And since Epcot really is the best park to tour at night, it was great to see the addition of some great lighting to the topiaries that really made them stand out during a nighttime stroll around World Showcase.
The last thing I really remember about this trip was that it was the last trip I went on with paper Fastpasses, before the Magic Bands were rolled out to all resort and off site guests. Now that I have made another trip since then using Magic Bands, it is crazy to think of how insane it was to have to get to the parks at rope drop only to have to run (almost literally) to your favorite attraction and stand in line quickly to get a Fast Pass, only to leave, go ride other attractions, and return to the very same attraction to ride it. On our last trip we were able to leisurely tour the park in the morning and then spend the afternoon hitting the busier attractions that we already had pre-planned Fast Passes for. Since we were traveling with my father and his girlfriend as well, I had to keep all 4 park tickets on me so I could quickly run to the kiosk and collect all of our Fast Passes.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Flower and Garden Festival - Part 2
Now we continue where we left off from my last post about my trip to the 2014 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.
The amazing topiaries were one of my (obviously) favorite aspects of the festival. This being my first time going, it really amazed me the detail that Disney had with these. They weren't just sticking random oddly shaped trees in random locations, but instead really made these topiaries look exactly like their Disney characters, and took great time to make sure and place them where it would appropriate. My favorite example of this was Peter Pan being placed on top of one of the shops in England, and Captain Hook down below in a fighting stance, making it seem like you have caught them in the middle a swash buckling battle. And since Epcot really is the best park to tour at night, it was great to see the addition of some great lighting to the topiaries that really made them stand out during a nighttime stroll around World Showcase.
The last thing I really remember about this trip was that it was the last trip I went on with paper Fastpasses, before the Magic Bands were rolled out to all resort and off site guests. Now that I have made another trip since then using Magic Bands, it is crazy to think of how insane it was to have to get to the parks at rope drop only to have to run (almost literally) to your favorite attraction and stand in line quickly to get a Fast Pass, only to leave, go ride other attractions, and return to the very same attraction to ride it. On our last trip we were able to leisurely tour the park in the morning and then spend the afternoon hitting the busier attractions that we already had pre-planned Fast Passes for. Since we were traveling with my father and his girlfriend as well, I had to keep all 4 park tickets on me so I could quickly run to the kiosk and collect all of our Fast Passes.
The amazing topiaries were one of my (obviously) favorite aspects of the festival. This being my first time going, it really amazed me the detail that Disney had with these. They weren't just sticking random oddly shaped trees in random locations, but instead really made these topiaries look exactly like their Disney characters, and took great time to make sure and place them where it would appropriate. My favorite example of this was Peter Pan being placed on top of one of the shops in England, and Captain Hook down below in a fighting stance, making it seem like you have caught them in the middle a swash buckling battle. And since Epcot really is the best park to tour at night, it was great to see the addition of some great lighting to the topiaries that really made them stand out during a nighttime stroll around World Showcase.
The last thing I really remember about this trip was that it was the last trip I went on with paper Fastpasses, before the Magic Bands were rolled out to all resort and off site guests. Now that I have made another trip since then using Magic Bands, it is crazy to think of how insane it was to have to get to the parks at rope drop only to have to run (almost literally) to your favorite attraction and stand in line quickly to get a Fast Pass, only to leave, go ride other attractions, and return to the very same attraction to ride it. On our last trip we were able to leisurely tour the park in the morning and then spend the afternoon hitting the busier attractions that we already had pre-planned Fast Passes for. Since we were traveling with my father and his girlfriend as well, I had to keep all 4 park tickets on me so I could quickly run to the kiosk and collect all of our Fast Passes.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Flower and Garden Festival -Part 1
With the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival starting tomorrow (and running through May 17), I thought this would be a perfect time to look back on my trip last year during the event.
Last year marked the first time I had ever been to the Flower and Garden Festival, which is odd considering that I have been going to Disney multiple times a year since I was 8, so I can't imagine missing such an event. One great thing that they added last year was the addition of the "outdoor kitchens" a.k.a "we are trying to drag the Food and Wine Festival out to even longer than before, so now we are going to offer the same food out of the same booths, but this time in the spring". Even though I do criticize the lack of creativity (since it's the exact same concept as Food and Wine), I did really enjoy having new and exciting food and drink options during our trip. While I do really enjoy getting to sample some local cuisine from each country, my family really has a hard and fast rule against sitting down for a meal while at Disney, so the booths gave us a great opportunity to try new foods in an "on the go" setting.
One thing we also really loved last year was the butterfly tent! It was full of so many beautiful butterflies that you can get an up close and personal look at. It was really nice to be able to relax for a little bit and get to do something you don't normally do while at the World.
By far though the main thing we loved about the festival were the amazing topiaries, but more about that in Part 2!
Last year marked the first time I had ever been to the Flower and Garden Festival, which is odd considering that I have been going to Disney multiple times a year since I was 8, so I can't imagine missing such an event. One great thing that they added last year was the addition of the "outdoor kitchens" a.k.a "we are trying to drag the Food and Wine Festival out to even longer than before, so now we are going to offer the same food out of the same booths, but this time in the spring". Even though I do criticize the lack of creativity (since it's the exact same concept as Food and Wine), I did really enjoy having new and exciting food and drink options during our trip. While I do really enjoy getting to sample some local cuisine from each country, my family really has a hard and fast rule against sitting down for a meal while at Disney, so the booths gave us a great opportunity to try new foods in an "on the go" setting.
One thing we also really loved last year was the butterfly tent! It was full of so many beautiful butterflies that you can get an up close and personal look at. It was really nice to be able to relax for a little bit and get to do something you don't normally do while at the World.
By far though the main thing we loved about the festival were the amazing topiaries, but more about that in Part 2!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Magic Bands
You've made your vacation plans, booked your resort reservation, so now what? Now it's time to pick out your Magic Bands! This is a great part of the planning process because it's something tangible that says that you are going to Disney. I love picking out colors for everyone in my party, but I recently heard about something to customize your Magic Bands just a little bit more.
It's called _magicyourband.com and it's a website that allows you to buy removable skins to go over your traditional Magic Band. They have around a hundred options currently, and also the ability to customize your own bands for a special occasion, gathering, or group event. What i love most about them is that you can change them up as often as you like since they can easily be taken on and off and switched out. They also have free shipping with each order, and most skins cost around $6, so it's not a huge investment to make, but rather something fun to try. While I have not personally tried them, I do know of some other Disney bloggers who have who rave about them!
I think this is a great alternative to some of the Magic Bands add ons that they sell in the parks and online, and the cost is low enough that you can easily buy them for everyone in your party without breaking the bank. My personal favorite is the one that looks like Spaceship Earth, but they also have generic ones for different holidays and birthday celebrations.
Please leave a comment below if you have ever used them before!
It's called _magicyourband.com and it's a website that allows you to buy removable skins to go over your traditional Magic Band. They have around a hundred options currently, and also the ability to customize your own bands for a special occasion, gathering, or group event. What i love most about them is that you can change them up as often as you like since they can easily be taken on and off and switched out. They also have free shipping with each order, and most skins cost around $6, so it's not a huge investment to make, but rather something fun to try. While I have not personally tried them, I do know of some other Disney bloggers who have who rave about them!
I think this is a great alternative to some of the Magic Bands add ons that they sell in the parks and online, and the cost is low enough that you can easily buy them for everyone in your party without breaking the bank. My personal favorite is the one that looks like Spaceship Earth, but they also have generic ones for different holidays and birthday celebrations.
Please leave a comment below if you have ever used them before!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
The Countdown Has Begun
The countdown has finally begun! On Tuesday my husband and I finally planned our trip to Disney World for our one year anniversary. The biggest debate we had when planning this trip was which resort to stay at. We always stay on site, so no decision there, but we always struggle with the idea of spending more money to stay at a Deluxe or Moderate resort and whether or not that is worth it to us when we spend so little time in the room.
When I started going to Disney World with my father around age 8 we always stayed at a Value resort because my father is very, very frugal, and he never thought it would be worth it to spend more money on a room that we only slept and showered in. Once I got a little older and started doing my own research on Disney World I came across the ever popular Disney Vacation planning DVD (cue angels singing). I actually never knew there were other places to stay except the All Star Resorts! From that time on I always somehow convinced my father to stay at Moderate Resorts (I'm a little spoiled-what can I say?). Fast forward to my own honeymoon when I was trying to convince my new husband to spend upwards of $300 on a Deluxe hotel for the first night of our vacation -more on that later.
This time around we knew the number one thing we wanted to do on this vacation was go to the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic, so we planned our trip around the dates of this year's event (October 30th and 31st). After doing some research on this event last year I knew that you got discounted tickets to the event by staying at either the Swan or the Dolphin, so I worked the angle of convincing my husband that we would actually be saving money by staying there! Fast forward again to my idea of staying there this year for our trip and you can only imagine the sticker shock on my face when I saw the cost. Nightly rates weren't even available for our dates, but the "ticket package" rates were almost enough to buy a new Ford Fiesta. Even though the idea of casually strolling out of our room and walking on the causeway to enjoy some amazing food sounded wonderful, and the idea of rolling back to our room after being stuffed with delicious food and decadent wine sounded great, so did being able to pay my bills back home.
Plan two consisted of maybe staying our first night at the Beach Club Resort and then switching to a Value resort for the remainder of the trip, thus being able to enjoy Stormalong Bay for the first day of our trip and spend it relaxing by the pool. Well cut to me checking priced for our dates only to find out that it was OVER $400 a night!!!! While I do love the idea of floating along the lazy river and relaxing by the pool, I certainly do not want to spend more than the cost of our tickets for the entire trip just to do that.
Overall I guess my attempt at frugality (or ability to face reality) won out and we have decided to stay in the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation (my first time staying there!). While I would have loved to be able to spend part of my trip at one of the amazing Deluxe resorts, I always think what else we could be using that money for (margaritas at Hollywood Studios, dinner at California Grill, an extra day in the parks, etc).
Where do you like to stay on site? Do you think it's worth the extra price to stay at Deluxe, or are you more apt to save some money and stay at a Value Resort?
When I started going to Disney World with my father around age 8 we always stayed at a Value resort because my father is very, very frugal, and he never thought it would be worth it to spend more money on a room that we only slept and showered in. Once I got a little older and started doing my own research on Disney World I came across the ever popular Disney Vacation planning DVD (cue angels singing). I actually never knew there were other places to stay except the All Star Resorts! From that time on I always somehow convinced my father to stay at Moderate Resorts (I'm a little spoiled-what can I say?). Fast forward to my own honeymoon when I was trying to convince my new husband to spend upwards of $300 on a Deluxe hotel for the first night of our vacation -more on that later.
This time around we knew the number one thing we wanted to do on this vacation was go to the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic, so we planned our trip around the dates of this year's event (October 30th and 31st). After doing some research on this event last year I knew that you got discounted tickets to the event by staying at either the Swan or the Dolphin, so I worked the angle of convincing my husband that we would actually be saving money by staying there! Fast forward again to my idea of staying there this year for our trip and you can only imagine the sticker shock on my face when I saw the cost. Nightly rates weren't even available for our dates, but the "ticket package" rates were almost enough to buy a new Ford Fiesta. Even though the idea of casually strolling out of our room and walking on the causeway to enjoy some amazing food sounded wonderful, and the idea of rolling back to our room after being stuffed with delicious food and decadent wine sounded great, so did being able to pay my bills back home.
Plan two consisted of maybe staying our first night at the Beach Club Resort and then switching to a Value resort for the remainder of the trip, thus being able to enjoy Stormalong Bay for the first day of our trip and spend it relaxing by the pool. Well cut to me checking priced for our dates only to find out that it was OVER $400 a night!!!! While I do love the idea of floating along the lazy river and relaxing by the pool, I certainly do not want to spend more than the cost of our tickets for the entire trip just to do that.
Overall I guess my attempt at frugality (or ability to face reality) won out and we have decided to stay in the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation (my first time staying there!). While I would have loved to be able to spend part of my trip at one of the amazing Deluxe resorts, I always think what else we could be using that money for (margaritas at Hollywood Studios, dinner at California Grill, an extra day in the parks, etc).
Where do you like to stay on site? Do you think it's worth the extra price to stay at Deluxe, or are you more apt to save some money and stay at a Value Resort?
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Running To Disney
My recent attempts at running would only be possible if I had one ultimate goal in mind...running in Disney World. I have recently been hearing a lot about how amazing the Run Disney events are and really wish there was a 5k or 10 miler planned while we are going to be down there in October.
I recently started using the C25K app and I really love it. The interface is very basic, and almost "manly", but I like how it counts down each run or walk time in a simple way and doesn't spew inspirational phrases every ten seconds. Each workout is 30 minutes or so (they do get longer as the weeks go by), but they also have a built in warm up and cool down time, so the time you are actually running is manageable. It's a great way to get you to be able to run a 5k, and then once you master that you can go on to their other training apps for a 10k, half marathon, etc.
One of my bucket list items is to run a RunDisney event, so hopefully in 2016 I will be able to check it off my list!
I recently started using the C25K app and I really love it. The interface is very basic, and almost "manly", but I like how it counts down each run or walk time in a simple way and doesn't spew inspirational phrases every ten seconds. Each workout is 30 minutes or so (they do get longer as the weeks go by), but they also have a built in warm up and cool down time, so the time you are actually running is manageable. It's a great way to get you to be able to run a 5k, and then once you master that you can go on to their other training apps for a 10k, half marathon, etc.
One of my bucket list items is to run a RunDisney event, so hopefully in 2016 I will be able to check it off my list!
Friday, February 20, 2015
Mistakes Not to Make- Part 2
In my previous post I discussed two mistakes that we made on our honeymoon, and in this post I will discuss even more mistakes that we made!
Mistake #3- Not always getting to the parks at rope drop
One thing my husband and I both agree when it comes to our Disney trips is the importance of always getting to each park every morning at rope drop. It really is amazing how much you can get accomplished in the first 2 hours that the parks are open, before the rest of the families with early children arrive. You can literally do every single attraction in New Fantasyland in under an hour if you arrive first thing in the morning, instead of waiting in 90 minute lines later on in the day once all the kiddies are there. The issue with getting to the parks so early each morning is that we found ourselves waking up each morning before 7 a.m. so that we would have time to get ready and make it to the bus stop by 7:45 or so. And believe me, if there is one thing you want to do on your honeymoon, it is to sleep in! This also meant that each night we ended up going to bed around 10 or 11 just because we were so tired from getting up so early and we wanted to make sure to get enough sleep to get up at the crack of dawn the next day! This meant that we couldn't stay in the parks too late each night and enjoy the romantic ambiance of the twinkling lights and near empty parks. If I had to do it all over again I would not feel the need to rush to the parks super early every morning, and instead give ourselves some time at the end of each night to relax and enjoy some evening activities, like Jellyrolls or a late night cocktail at the Rix Lounge.
Mistake #4- Not planning our trip around The Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
I have heard nothing but amazing things about this event, and really wish we would have planned our trip around it last year! Luckily we got smarter this year and we will be attending in 2015!!! Another perk of this event is that if you book a room package at either the Swan or the Dolphin you can get free tickets to this event....yes, FREE!!! And really what's more romantic than free tickets to an unlimited assortment of amazing wine and mouthwatering food? I watched Lou Mongello's video about this event last year (http://www.wdwradio.com/2013/10/video-walt-disney-world-swan-dolphin-food-wine-classic-2013/), and I can't wait to go this year! It also gives you a chance to get outside of the parks for a night and really enjoy some of the great activities that don't involve theme park admission. I can't wait to go this year and report back!
Mistake #3- Not always getting to the parks at rope drop
One thing my husband and I both agree when it comes to our Disney trips is the importance of always getting to each park every morning at rope drop. It really is amazing how much you can get accomplished in the first 2 hours that the parks are open, before the rest of the families with early children arrive. You can literally do every single attraction in New Fantasyland in under an hour if you arrive first thing in the morning, instead of waiting in 90 minute lines later on in the day once all the kiddies are there. The issue with getting to the parks so early each morning is that we found ourselves waking up each morning before 7 a.m. so that we would have time to get ready and make it to the bus stop by 7:45 or so. And believe me, if there is one thing you want to do on your honeymoon, it is to sleep in! This also meant that each night we ended up going to bed around 10 or 11 just because we were so tired from getting up so early and we wanted to make sure to get enough sleep to get up at the crack of dawn the next day! This meant that we couldn't stay in the parks too late each night and enjoy the romantic ambiance of the twinkling lights and near empty parks. If I had to do it all over again I would not feel the need to rush to the parks super early every morning, and instead give ourselves some time at the end of each night to relax and enjoy some evening activities, like Jellyrolls or a late night cocktail at the Rix Lounge.
Mistake #4- Not planning our trip around The Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
I have heard nothing but amazing things about this event, and really wish we would have planned our trip around it last year! Luckily we got smarter this year and we will be attending in 2015!!! Another perk of this event is that if you book a room package at either the Swan or the Dolphin you can get free tickets to this event....yes, FREE!!! And really what's more romantic than free tickets to an unlimited assortment of amazing wine and mouthwatering food? I watched Lou Mongello's video about this event last year (http://www.wdwradio.com/2013/10/video-walt-disney-world-swan-dolphin-food-wine-classic-2013/), and I can't wait to go this year! It also gives you a chance to get outside of the parks for a night and really enjoy some of the great activities that don't involve theme park admission. I can't wait to go this year and report back!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Mistakes Not to Make- Part 1
After lots of talk of where to go on our Honeymoon, my husband and I ultimately decided to go to Disney World for our honeymoon, and while we are so glad that we did, we do have a few suggestions of what not to do on your "Disneymoon."
I hope you can learn from our mistakes and have the best honeymoon possible!
Mistake #1: Not splurging on a Deluxe hotel for at least a night
We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort for the duration of our stay, and while that is a beautiful resort, I really feel that we should have spent at least one night at a Deluxe resort like we originally planned. We kept saying that our honeymoon would be the one Disney trip that we would pull out all of the stops for, but once we started planning we started thinking about how much money we were spending for just a short trip. That lead us to decide against our original plan of spending the first day and night at the Beach or Yacht Club Resort. Our plan was to be able to check in early in the morning and then spend the afternoon swimming in the pool, floating along the lazy river, and drinking frozen concoctions poolside. In reality we arrived at the Coronado Springs Resort, immediately checked in, and went right to Epcot. That brings me to mistake number 2.....
Mistake #2: Spending less time in the parks
One of the ways I convinced my husband to go to Disney on our honeymoon was promising him that we wouldn't be spending all of our days getting to the park at rope drop and spending all day everyday at the parks. While that was my original intention, once we got there the Disney bug got the best of me and all I wanted to do was go to bed early every night so I could be at the bus stop every morning by 8:00 sharp, so we could arrive at our designated park at least 20 minutes before it opened. While this would be a great touring strategy for any other Disney vacation, it wasn't exactly ideal for a relaxing honeymoon. If I had to do it all over again I would have spent at least one day out of the parks, exploring the different resorts, the Boardwalk area, or just relaxing at our hotel pool with a frozen margarita in hand.
I hope you can learn from our mistakes and have the best honeymoon possible!
Mistake #1: Not splurging on a Deluxe hotel for at least a night
We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort for the duration of our stay, and while that is a beautiful resort, I really feel that we should have spent at least one night at a Deluxe resort like we originally planned. We kept saying that our honeymoon would be the one Disney trip that we would pull out all of the stops for, but once we started planning we started thinking about how much money we were spending for just a short trip. That lead us to decide against our original plan of spending the first day and night at the Beach or Yacht Club Resort. Our plan was to be able to check in early in the morning and then spend the afternoon swimming in the pool, floating along the lazy river, and drinking frozen concoctions poolside. In reality we arrived at the Coronado Springs Resort, immediately checked in, and went right to Epcot. That brings me to mistake number 2.....
Mistake #2: Spending less time in the parks
One of the ways I convinced my husband to go to Disney on our honeymoon was promising him that we wouldn't be spending all of our days getting to the park at rope drop and spending all day everyday at the parks. While that was my original intention, once we got there the Disney bug got the best of me and all I wanted to do was go to bed early every night so I could be at the bus stop every morning by 8:00 sharp, so we could arrive at our designated park at least 20 minutes before it opened. While this would be a great touring strategy for any other Disney vacation, it wasn't exactly ideal for a relaxing honeymoon. If I had to do it all over again I would have spent at least one day out of the parks, exploring the different resorts, the Boardwalk area, or just relaxing at our hotel pool with a frozen margarita in hand.
To all who come to this happy place, welcome!
Hello and welcome to my very first blog post, on my very first blog site!
First off let me take a moment to introduce myself. I'm Michelle. A recently married (hence the blog name) lady who works retail by day and browses Disney blogs by night. After reading so many amazing Disney blogs online I found that almost all of them centered around things to do with children, what places are great to eat at with children, and how to choose a hotel based on the ability to go back and take an afternoon nap. As much as I love reading about all of that, I found that there really weren't very many blogs dedicated to doing Disney without (gasp!) children, so that's what I plan to do here!
I'll start off the blog with some posts about my recent Disney Honeymoon (or Disneymoon as they say), as well as advice to travelers looking to go to the World without little ones.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little blog, and please feel free to leave any comments you may have!
First off let me take a moment to introduce myself. I'm Michelle. A recently married (hence the blog name) lady who works retail by day and browses Disney blogs by night. After reading so many amazing Disney blogs online I found that almost all of them centered around things to do with children, what places are great to eat at with children, and how to choose a hotel based on the ability to go back and take an afternoon nap. As much as I love reading about all of that, I found that there really weren't very many blogs dedicated to doing Disney without (gasp!) children, so that's what I plan to do here!
I'll start off the blog with some posts about my recent Disney Honeymoon (or Disneymoon as they say), as well as advice to travelers looking to go to the World without little ones.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little blog, and please feel free to leave any comments you may have!
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