Monthly Archives: December 2013

MY Favorite Disney Ride – Expedition Everest

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Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain!

I saved the best for last.  I told you all about the favorite rides of the rest of The Fam, but my favorite ride really is the very best, most exciting, most fun ride experience Disney World has to offer.  Expedition Everest has something for everyone – or at least everyone over 44″ tall.  As one of the newest thrill rides at Disney World, it has the best theming, best story line, best standby line – although Tower of Terror would be a very close second.  Located in the Asia section at Animal Kingdom, you’ll easily spot the ride’s famed mountain long before you reach it.

Way back in 2006, we were lucky enough to visit Disney World during Expedition Everest’s softEE Queue opening.  We rode it seven times!  Yes, we can say we are among the fortunate few who experienced The Yeti in its original, fully functioning, arm-swiping glory.  Jealous?  You know you are.  Sadly, Betty (as we super-fans call the mountain’s guardian) is broken.  Most EE fans agree – She may never be fixed, never restored to her original scary self.  All you get now is a mere shadow of her former brilliant Yeti-ness (albeit a strobe-lit disco one).  Originally (yes, I am an actual authentic eye witness), the Yeti was a highly visible, hunch-backed, dread-lock-sporting giant whose long, simian arm would take a swipe at you mid-ride – VERY cool and frightening.  However, early on, the rumors say, the foundation supporting the gargantuan beast cracked (reports about the actual problem vary).  But here’s a fact:  Betty the Yeti is broken and cannot be repaired without tearing up (or down) the entire mountain.  Searching the internet will uncover the many different theories about poor Betty but all seem to agree:  The repairs would be very costly and take a long time during which EE would be non-operational.

So why is this still my favorite ride?

IMG_1907For one thing, the queue for this attraction is SO fantastic – you’ll actually miss some of the best things about the Expedition Everest experience if you have a fast pass.  Long before you enter the actual queue, you’ll notice an abundance of detail.  The mountain itself with its snowy peak, the worn colored flags strung through the air, the statues, the trinkets and tributes – and that’s just outside.  Step into the Yeti museum and the expedition outfitters supply store!  Amazing!  So much to look at, you’ll forget you’re in line for the best ride at Disney World!

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IMG_1912Once you make it to the ride platform (where you’ll find still more details to enjoy), hop aboard a tea train for what at first is a delightful little ride past some pretty landscaping – then the climb begins that will take you into the forbidden mountain (check out the great view on the way up).  Once you reach the top?   Hang on!  There is SO much action on this steel coaster which reaches 50 mph during the ride’s nearly 3 minute duration.  There are plenty of surprises, so keep those eyes open!  Even the post-ride exit through the gift shop is fun.  This ride has it all!  If you haven’t yet had the pleasure and are headed to Disney World, put this at the tippy top of your “must do” list.

Anybody else love EE as much as I do?

 

Disney Cruise Ports – Juneau Alaska Whale Watching

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DSCN1684Juneau, Alaska is one of the exciting ports visited on a Disney Cruise Line Alaskan Cruise.  While on the Disney Wonder in 2011, we booked an excursion called “Whale Watching and the Mendenhal Glacier” through Disney for our day in Juneau.  This excursion was interesting, action-packed, educational and still left us plenty of time to explore Juneau.

We met our group early (7:45 am) beforeDSCN1979 debarking the ship and taking a motor coach to a quiet marina where we boarded our whale watching vessel.  We had great weather for most of our cruise, but this day was chilly and overcast with a light drizzle. 

The tour guarantees whale spotting – and we did see a few whales (in the distance) and some seals, but there were not as many whales nearby as we’d hoped for.  I’m not sure if this was due to the time of year (early DSCN1988June) or simple bad luck, but we still enjoyed the experience and took lots of photos.  Our boat was enclosed with lots of windows for mostly unobstructed whale watching and there was a naturalist on board to explain the different types of animals seen on our tour.  I had heard that there were a LOT of bald eagles all around in Alaska and we found that to be absolutely true – we saw young eagles, old eagles, and even eagle nests (HUGE).  DSCN1983 

 

Next we re-boarded our motor coach and headed for the Mendenhall Glacier.  This 12-mile-long glacier has its own visitor center (operated as part of the Tongass National Forest) with many, detailed exhibits to explore.  It provides an excellent place to step inside where it’s dry and warm and learn about both Alaska and glaciers.  DSCN2012

The center also offers excellent glacier viewing areas.  The excursion schedule allowed plenty of time for touring the visitor center and walking outside to see and photograph the glacier.  If we had been there longer, there was a very interesting looking nature trail available for hiking that we would have loved to try.    

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We returned to the pier around 2:00 pm.  This left us time for exploring Juneau and allowed us to take advantage of the great souvenir shopping Alaska offers.  We could not believe the selection of tee-shirts, jackets, and other items at extremely reasonable prices!  The shirts we bought are still being worn regularly and still look great!   

 

This excursion is still available, but is now called “Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest” – it sounds exactly DSCN2027like what we did, but in reverse order.  The current price is $165 for adults and  $94 for children under 10.  If you are planning to visit Alaska on the Disney Cruise Line, this is a reasonably priced tour suitable for the entire family.  There was something enjoyable for all ages.DSCN1997

The Vacation Initiative – Saving Money For Disney Trips

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IMG_3278A Disney vacation is an investment.  It’s an investment of both time and money and, I like to think, an investment in creating family memories that last much longer than things (like the latest video game or the trendiest jeans).  Oh, there are plenty of ways to save money on your Disney vacation (a post on that at a later date), but I want to talk about saving money FOR a Disney vacation.  If you are the kind of Disney fans we are – saving for that all important dose of Disney becomes a way of life.  It doesn’t feel like “doing without” or “making sacrifices” it’s just doing what needs to be done to get where you want to be.  

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Cruising in the Caribbean

I wish I could say I’ve joined the extreme couponing bandwagon and get all our household goods virtually free.  Yeah……no.  Our methods of saving are not of the “extreme” variety but save money they do and here’s a list of a few that come to mind today:

I take my lunch to work everyday – usually leftovers.  No eating out at lunch unless it’s a special occasion.  Raymond works close to home, so he spends his lunch hour at the house – eating leftovers and taking Junior out for a mid-day run around the yard.  If you think about eating lunch on a workday at a modest $5 a lunch for 50 weeks of the year for the two of us, we’re saving about $2,500 a year!!!

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The Mediterranean in the south of France

We rarely eat out in general.  Before launching the Vacation Initiative, we ate at a sit-down restaurant at least once a week (usually every Saturday) – now it’s more like once a month (if that).  I’m not counting our standing Friday night carry-out pizza from the only pizza joint nearby with a drive-through window – it’s Junior’s big night out, going with us to pick up that pie, and I wouldn’t dream of denying him the pleasure.  I enjoy cooking very much and cook enough hearty meals that there are some pretty tasty leftovers to take care of lunches all week long.

We grow our own herbs and vegetables.  I don’t consider myself a “living off the land” kindaIMG_1667 girl (hello…I was raised in the city!), but living in Louisiana, married to a dreamy guy who knows agriculture – planting a kitchen garden is so easy, it’d be silly not to do it.  I grow parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (are you singing along?) and also basil, mint, and oregano.  Raymond takes care of the spring and summer supply of things like peppers, mixed salad greens, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, eggplant, and butternut squash.  I don’t do canning, but I do freeze veggies and am so appreciative of being able to reach in my freezer and make butternut squash soup during the winter – it’s great!

IMG_1003I learned to groom the dog.  Go ahead – I laugh when I think about it too, but the investment in some electric clippers and dog shampoo sure paid off in spades when Junior grew to 60 lbs and it cost $100 per grooming visit.  Because he’s part standard poodle, our little guy must be clipped regularly or he becomes a huge, shaggy, matted mess!  Just today he got a haircut and he looks pretty cute if I do say so myself.  I’d say I’m saving conservatively $600/year.

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Holidays at Disney World

Finally – as you’ve seen if you’ve visited my little Disney blog before – I make my own Disney Christmas ornaments and decorations.  And, as I’ve mentioned, I do not buy craft supplies at regular price EVER.  I also like to make scrapbooks of our Disney trips…not super fancy ones like those incredible scrapbook artists make, but simple ones that allow Megan and Joseph to look back at those good times and remember.  Remember how we were as a family through the years, remember the incredible things we saw and the adventures we had and hopefully, dream about the day they can share those happy times with their own children.

Share your tips for saving for Disney vacations!