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Some Favorite Disney Adventures

Posted on April 2, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up at Disney world and then going there on my honeymoon with TechyDad means that I have a lot of memorable adventures. While in high school, we had the Food and Fun plan that included things like parasailing. Yes, I went parasailing at Walt Disney World. We got onto the boat at The Contemporary Resort and traveled around the Seven Seas Lagoon. While up in the seat next to my brother, we listened to music and could see The Magic Kingdom. I need to find these old photos one day soon.

On our honeymoon, TechyDad and I had another amazing plan that also included extras. We were able to do behind the scenes tours, boat, do a fireworks cruise, and more. This was also the trip that we had our first Cirque du Soleill adventure. La Nouba was new in Downtown Disney and we made sure to snag tickets to see the show.

Of course, last year while at Disney Social Media Moms I was able to go on an even bigger Disney inspired adventure. I signed up for the African Trek at The Animal Kingdom.

This tour takes you behind the scenes where you can see the animals even closer, cross over rope bridges, and eat at a beautiful Boma. Here is the group of bloggers that I went on the trek with.

Once we were set up with equipment, it was time to see some amazing animals, cross some bridges, face fears, and live out a magical dream.

One of the last items on the trek is time to sit, relax, have a meal, and watch the animals on the gorgeous Boma.

Of course, this also meant spending some time with some old friends and getting to know new ones.

Before we knew it, the time was up and we were heading back to get our things and go back to our families. Of course, we stopped for one last group photo.

What Disney adventure have you been on that was beyond magical? Please share below or share your link with me to read.

For more on my Wild African Trek adventure, check out these posts:

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Tuesday Tales – Walt Disney World Books for Kids

Posted on March 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned before, my oldest son can sometimes be a reluctant reader. It took him a long time to accept chapter books and not be intimidated by lack of pictures. NHL is a third grader and loves to read about science, people, and places. If we have tour books around the house for an upcoming vacation he will read them. I have absolutely no complaints about this. As a reading teacher, I applaud almost any type of reading a child will do.

Last year, while at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I briefly met Tracie A. Cook. Tracie, who runs Vacation Field Guides, is a veteran teacher and Disney fan who is also an author.

When these books arrived the other day, the boys were so excited. I explained to them that both were books about Walt Disney World that were made just for kids.

Vacation Field Guides – Kids Tips for Walt Disney World

Kid Tips for Walt Disney World: Touring Advice by Kids for Kids is just that. The book contains thoughts, via quotes, from children ages 7-15 about Walt Disney World.

There were things to know before you go, specific items to see/do while in each of the parks (with specifics about some rides), dining suggestions, and many other items. NHL enjoyed reading these and weighing in on what his views were since he has been to Walt Disney World multiple times now. I also know he’s excited to possibly help Tracie by filling out a survey for upcoming books. I think the kid connection will help get kids involved in planning your upcoming trip.

WDW Adventure: A Field Guide & Activity Book for Explorers

Walt Disney World Adventure: A Field Guide and Activity Book for Explorers is an interactive book for kids to learn while exploring the magic that is Walt Disney World. As an educator, Tracie has packed this book with a lot of items to make children think while completing their exploration. As I have said forever, there are so many EduMICKational experiences within Disney World if you take the time to look for them.

The book begins with a letter to the explorers, key to navigation symbols used in the book, and some tips before they head into the parks. From this point, there are pages filled with items to complete, locate, find, and research in fun ways while touring. Yes, you will want a pencil to write down items as they are located. Here is one of the pages that caught my son’s attention when looking at it.

I have to admit, I am a little jealous of this book. I want to head into the parks and try these out. The teacher in me thinks that it looks like a great hands on learning exercise while having a lot of fun. NHL will definitely be reviewing this after he tests it out on our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World.

I would love to know if your children (or you) have tried either of these books and you have any tips for children testing out the adventure. As always, please share what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

Disclosure: We received these books from @WDWFieldGuide in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Two Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the books through these links.

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Favorite Disney World Resorts

Posted on March 19, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Over the years, I have stayed at a lot of the resorts at Walt Disney World. This Spring, we will be adding two more to my list. Growing up, I stayed at The Contemporary Resort (multiple times), Dixie Landings (multiple times and now called Port Orleans Riverside), and Caribbean Beach (multiple times). Since I have been married, we have stayed at The Beach Club Resort, Pop Century (three times), The Polynesian, and The Grand Floridian. Thanks to Disney dining, we have also visited Port Orleans French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness campground.

Deluxe Hotels:

I don’t think I could just pick one of the deluxe hotels. If money were no option, it would be tough to select which one. There’s monorail convenience, great overall location, and never stayed there before dream.

If I had to pick a resort on the monorail, I would immediately pick the Contemporary. I love that you can simply go down to the ground floor and walk to the Magic Kingdom along a palm tree lined walkway. It isn’t usually crowded, plus you always have the monorail to jump on and get back with relative ease. In addition to this, The Contemporary has Chef Mickey, The Wave, and The California Grill (never been there yet).

After staying at the Beach Club Resort on our honeymoon, I fell in love with the location. Not only is it simply gorgeous with an amazing pool, you can walk or take a boat to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. TechyDad and I often walked into Epcot for dinner, or over to the Boardwalk for a snack or another meal.

A deluxe hotel that I have not stayed at, but visited many time to dine there is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I would adore waking up one morning and opening my door to view animals like giraffes while sipping my cup of coffee. Another perk would be having Boma and the other great restaurants located steps from our room.

Moderate Resorts:

Looking back I loved the quaint, quiet feel of Dixie Landings. We stayed in the mansions there twice and it was fun to bike, boat, and walk around the resort. Since our stay there, the name has changed. I know the the kids would also adore Port Orleans (either section), but would probably prefer a stay at the newer Pirate Themed rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Value Resorts:

We adore Pop Century as a fun filled value resort at Walt Disney World. We have never stayed at any of the other value resorts to date. Our last three visits have included nights at this destination.

The rooms are smaller and you do not have a sit down restaurant, but it’s extremely fun, kid friendly, and they a great food court that includes the infamous Tie Dye Cheesecake. We have adjusted to the value resorts by saving money on the room to use for our dining plans and to extend out stays.

So where do you love to stay or dream of calling your home while at Walt Disney World? There are a lot of Disney posts on my blog from trips during the last few years, so check them out if you are interested.

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

Categories:
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Disney Dining Memories

Posted on March 12, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I love Walt Disney World and have since I was a very young child. During one of our vacations, my relationship with the Walt Disney World Resort changed. We were introduced to the new Food and Fun plan. We had vouchers to do things like parasailing, renting boats, and bike riding. In addition to this, gourmet meals beyond my wildest imagination were included. Walt Disney World suddenly became a dining destination that was not simply for Mickey Ice Cream bars and Dole Whips – it was a lot more.

One of our family meals during that trip was in Epcot. We had reservations at The Coral Reef. Back during this time it was in The Living Seas Pavilion (before Nemo took over). With the dining plan back in the day, we were able to get an appetizer, meal, drink, and dessert. For a small price extra, you could upgrade and order the full lobster dinner. My younger brother was intrigued with this, but had no clue how to attack his meal when it arrived. I still remember the amazing waiter, he pulled up his sleeves, stood behind my brother and guided him on how to get meat out of the places within his lobster dinner.

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue also has memories that still bring laughter to our family. My mother had gotten us a table up front. My father had his new camera with us. He was so excited to take photos of the show. Well, at one point the entire group was on the stage and paused since they saw my father was ready. Then, one of them quickly noted “Hey it may help to take off the lens cap!” Remember, this show is a musical comedy and now my father was part of the act. For the rest of the show, they kept picking on him and reminding him about the lens cap.

On our honeymoon, TechyDad and I had another package that included a dining plan. We tried foods from lands and places that we will always remember. We fell in love with Spoodles (now where Kouzina is located on the Boardwalk) and Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot. This was almost 11 years ago when you could actually walk up to Le Cellier and get a table without one of the highly desired ADR.

When we took the kids back for their first trip, we knew that character meals had to be in the mix. The night that we arrived I made reservations for our first sit down meal at Chef Mickey. What I did not expect was both of my children to cry, hide under the table, and be mortified of the characters. The people at Chef Mickey were great and made sure to warn the characters. One of the sweetest memories I have is Chef Mickey standing over a sleeping JSL reminding us to be quiet. When Mickey saw that he was asleep, he came over to get a photo even though it was not our turn.

Over the years, we have tried a lot of restaurants and each has a special memory associated with it. So many of those have been captured here on my blog and I know many more will come in the future.

Do you have a most memorable Disney food or dining experience? Please share them below or let me know if you have written about them so I can stop by. If you want some great information about specific Disney Dining topics also check out The Disney Food Blog.

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.

Categories:
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Favorite Disney Characters

Posted on March 5, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up in a family that loves Disney, we always had favorite characters. Of course, they would change depending on my age when I was little. I loved Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and then the year Epcot opened, I feel in love with Figment. He was just the cutest thing, especially when paired with Dreamfinder.

Once I was in high school I feel head over heels in love with a positively pessimistic guy who stole my heart. I collected Eeyore items at the Disney Store, Disney World, and he had a special place in my classroom as well. Here is a photo of me with Eeyore at The Crystal Palace breakfast last year.

I thought it would be fun to see who the boys like these days. TechyDad will be writing a post about who he likes this week.

A few months away from his fifth birthday, JSL took no time to reply. He immediately shared his love for Buzz Lightyear and Tigger. How funny that I have a photo of him chatting with Tigger from our last trip while wearing his favorite Buzz Lightyear shirt.

I think JSL has a special place in his heart for Tigger since he was the one he connected to on his second birthday at The Crystal Palace. Prior to Tigger letting JSL honk his nose, he was very much afraid of the characters walking around the parks.

NHL was not as quick to list people. He mentioned several characters from Phineas and Ferb. I know he can not wait to meet the title characters at Hollywood Studios. Last time we were there, they had not moved into their new home at Walt Disney World. Then, NHL surprised me and mentioned Piglet. I think this is again from our first trip in 2009 when the boys really liked the easy going nature of the characters at The Crystal Palace.

The second character he mentioned was Captain Hook. Of course, once JSL heard this – the pirate was added onto his list as well . . . along with others from Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

No doubt that another adventure to Walt Disney World will change some of these favorites or add on many more for the boys. So, who are your favorite Disney characters and why?

P.S. A huge thank you to Mariana from The Domestic Buzz for creating this magical Blog Hop! The link will be within this post the day after it is published.