Monthly Archives: April 2017

Headed to Disney World – Time to Pack!

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I’m a week away from our short trip to Disney World for the Dark Side Challenge.  It may be for only four days, but the same packing strategies I use for longer vacations still apply.

Headed to Disney World – Time to Pack!

I think about what I’ll be taking along in three categories:  Must-go items, things I’d like to have, and “if there’s room” extras.

Must-go Items

  • Magic Bands, IDs, money (gift cards, credit cards, small amount of cash), medical insurance card, DVC membership card, and Tables in Wonderland card. (Note:  I would never choose gray for a Magic Band color.)
  • Phone & chargers (both plug-in and on-the-go varieties)
  • Rain Poncho, cap and/or visor, and sunglasses
  • One outfit per day and as few pairs of shoes as possible (I’m a reformed vacation shoe over-packer).
  • Sweater or light jacket (I tend to get cold during sit-down meals)
  • Sunscreen, hair and makeup bare necessities
  • Running outfits for runDisney events & armband or waist carrier for my phone
  • Headphones
  • Mini first aid kit (Tylenol, antacid, Band-Aids)
  • Carry-on and park bag
  • Disney pins for tradingHeaded to Disney World - Time to Pack!

Things I’d Like to Have

  • 2-3 Extra shirts & an extra pair of shorts or pants – Sometimes it’s nice to have a fresh outfit to put on if we get back to our resort before going to dinner.  Especially if we’re eating someplace nice.
  • Swimsuit & Cover-up – We almost never swim, but it’s nice to be ready just in case.
  • Extra park bag(s) – I can make do with one, but having a couple of different sizes to choose from is better.
  • Snacks and/or Pre-race fuel – If I can bring Cliff bars or granola bars, I’m going to be much happier on race day(s) without the stress of trying to find something to eat that I’m sure won’t bother my stomach.  If I’m not going for a runDisney event, it’s nice to have snacks or breakfast items along to minimize the possibility of becoming “hangry”.
  • Flat iron – I don’t use one every day at home, but with the way my hair behaves in Florida, it’s certainly nice to have.

If There’s Room

  • Disney Exchange Podcast tees and pins to give away – I love meeting listeners and having something handy to give them.
  • Book and/or magazine – Nice at the airport and on the plane, but not a necessity.  I can always listen to music on my phone.
  • Extra cap(s) – I like choices and I like to color coordinate if I can.
  • My own hairdryer – Silly, but I’m used to it and get better results with my own versus the one supplied by the resort.
  • Laptop – I don’t have to have it, but it sure is nice if I want to whip up a blog post while I’m in the Disney Bubble.
  • Extra space for souvenirs – Yep, I’d like a little unused room.  There’s nothing worse than wanting to do some shopping and realizing you’ve got no way to carry anything home.  Sure, Disney will ship, but that adds a lot to the price.

That’s it.  On each and every Disney trip we take, I use this strategy and almost always come home with only one or two things I didn’t use or wear.  In the winter I pack a couple of extra layers and more pants, fewer shorts.  I refuse to pay for overweight luggage so I weigh my bag at home before we leave just to make sure.  Honestly, if I could get by with only a carry-on this trip, I’d be thrilled, but I doubt even the minimalist-packing me could pull it off.

What’s your Disney vacation packing strategy?

 

 

 

 

10 Little Things to Love About Disney Cruise Line

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Disney Cruise Line ships are gorgeous with well-appointed and above average-sized staterooms.  Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island paradise) is absolutely amazing.  Disney Cruise Line’s award winning service and top notch amenities for all ages can’t be beat!  Yes, all of that is what keeps us coming back – Raymond and I are looking forward to our eighth Disney cruise and our first voyage on the Fantasy later this year.  But when I think about Disney cruises, I often find myself remembering particular, small details.  I’ve compiled a few for you here today…

10 Little Things to Love About Disney Cruise Line

Bath Products – I’m not alone here.  The interwebs are crowded with fellow fans (this article is great!).  The H2O line is awesome and makes us feel pampered.  The fragrance of those soaps, lotions, and shampoos brings back such happy memories!

Towel Animals – Those stateroom hosts are artistic geniuses!  Leave for dinner and a show, return to your room and voila!  It may be a swan or an elephant.  It could be a rabbit, monkey, or lobster – that is what’s so fun about those towel animals – you never know what it will be!  They’re always adorable and are waiting every evening with your Personal Navigators (schedules, news, etc.) for the next day.  And chocolate.  There’s chocolate, too!Things to Love on a Disney Cruise

Entertaining Dining – Disney’s rotational dining is unique.  Each evening you (and your wait staff) visit one of three completely different, creatively themed restaurants.  The menus change along with some of the Disney magic in each location throughout your cruise – makes for some very special and memorable dinners.  Besides the themed dining rooms, the ships’ casual, quick-serve windows are fun in their own way, too.  From pizza to sandwiches, soft-serve ice cream, breakfast items and fresh fruit – there’s always something available when you’re feeling hungry (and even when you’re not).

Multiple Theaters – Want to watch a movie or a live show?  The Walt Disney Theater becomes THE place to be every evening (two shows a night) for Broadway style entertainment.  Seriously, the shows are fantastic!  In the Buena Vista Theater, classic favorites and the latest movie releases are shown daily – an especially fun activity on at-sea days.

Mixology, Cooking Demonstrations and Animation Classes – Whatever you’re interested in, there’s something for everyone.  Kids may have their own onboard clubs, but adults and families have plenty of choices for group activities.  Now that our children are adults, we like to attend a mixology class or martini tasting together (upcharges apply), check out a cooking demo by some of the ships’ amazing chefs, or learn to draw a favorite Disney character.  There are so many choices, it’s hard to fit it all in!

Live Music – It’s available here and there throughout each cruise and includes performances by musicians like violin and piano players and small bands.  One group in particular stands out in my mind.  It was on our cruise in Norway aboard the Disney Magic.  The group performed Irish music in one of the ship’s pubs (O’Gills) and they were amazing.  We became regulars at their evening show and ending the day with excellent music in a low-key, relaxing way was absolutely perfect.

Door Magnets – While I love personalizing our stateroom door with my own magnetic décor, I also love seeing all the fun, creative ways everyone else does as well.  Store-bought or homemade, there are magnets galore and I love walking around exploring door decorations.  Gives me ideas for next time.

Fancy Finishes – From light fixtures to carpeting, railings to artwork – every detail on a Disney ship is unique and special.  If you take the “Art of the Theme Show Tour” you can learn quite a bit about what it takes to make ships designed to the Disney standard.  This tour is kid-free and at no extra charge and it made us look at the ship with new appreciation.  Very cool.

Castaway Club Gifts – After your first Disney Cruise, you’re automatically enrolled in the cruise line’s Castaway Club.  Every time you take another cruise, there’s a gift waiting for you in your stateroom.  We love this perk and have found the gifts thoughtful and of great quality.  Last year we received a large beach bag with some goodies inside and were happy to have it for our stop at Castaway Cay.

Pin Trading – I should have outgrown this by now (ha!), but I’m still up for some serious Disney pin scouting from time to time (as is the rest of The Fam).  The ships have scheduled pin trading times and we’ve found some of our favorite pins during those events.  During the last one we attended, the ships officers had lanyards full of pins and as they traded, their lanyards were refreshed from time to time.  We found some pins we’d been looking for and some we’d never seen before.  Go prepared with some pins to trade so you don’t have to buy them on the ship.

This is but a small sampling of what we enjoy so much about Disney Cruise Line!  Most of all, it still feels like a Disney vacation (even without theme park attractions).  Have you sailed on Disney Cruise Line?  What did you like most about your experience?

Disney Dining – Off the Beaten Snack

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The tried and true, wildly popular, well-known Disney snacks are great!  Essential contributors to Disney vacation happiness, those Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars, churros, Mickey-shaped pretzels, and Dole Whips are must-haves for masses of fans.  But there are so many more options!  What about those?  Let’s talk about the lesser known but just-as-delicious Disney World snacks. (My apologies, turkey leg fans, I just can’t include you’re precious poultry treat here today…or ever.)

Disney Dining – Off the Beaten Snack

I consider the iconic snacks – you know, the ones mentioned above that are made into souvenir magnets and such – to be “tier one” Disney snacks.  Those would be followed by the slightly less popular “tier two” selections.  Those include Magic Kingdom popcorn (I’ve never had it, but I hear it’s the best in the World), Mickey krispie treats, and funnel cakes.  Also in this category are cupcakes like Butterfinger, Red Velvet, and the ones decorated like Disney characters, the Studios’ Carrot Cake Cookie, and those amazingly fancy candy/caramel apples.  I suppose my beloved Citrus Swirl would also fall into the tier two category (being slightly less popular that that frozen pineapple concoction). Starring Rolls / Red Velvet Cupcake

Finally, there are the snacks that fall out of the mainstream and into “tier three”.  These include some of the tastiest and best snacks in Disney World that are not available in every park.  Thus, they’re less well-known.

Think about the offerings in World Showcase like School Bread in Norway (Kringla Bakeri og Kafe), Macarons in France (Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie), caramel popcorn in Germany (Karamell-Küche), and the Churros with Caramel Sauce in Mexico (La Cantina de San Angel).  That caramel popcorn got me through Hurricane Matthew!  The School Bread, macarons, and churros are still on my to-try list.  Disney Dining - Off the Beaten SnackAlso in Epcot there’s the Croissant Donut from the Refreshment Port (YUM!) and let’s not forget that kiosk over in Italy where that Espresso Gelato “Affogato” is sold – so incredibly delicious!  I’ve mentioned the cinnamon glazed almonds and pecans before.  I’m not sure where else they can be purchased, but I always enjoy them during a visit to Animal Kingdom.  Finally, I’ve got to add the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls from the Adventureland egg roll wagon.  Yet another thing I haven’t tried, but I keep hearing how good they are.

The point of all this?  So many snacks, too little time!  I’m training like crazy for the Dark Side Challenge with just two weeks to go.  All that running makes me hungry and has me daydreaming about what snacks I’m going to have while I’m at Disney World.  Seriously, if running 19.3 miles in two days doesn’t justify a few extra snack calories, I don’t know what does.  This is a short trip and if I had more than four days to snack, I wouldn’t have to pick and choose.  Decisions, decisions…

Do you have a favorite Disney snack that I haven’t mentioned?  Please, tell me what it is and where to find it!

 

Being a Disney World Electrical Water Pageant Fan

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From my non-Disney-loving friends, I take some flack for my vacation destination of choice.  From my fellow Disney fans, I get teased about my love for one of the most special, original, and enduring attractions at Walt Disney World…The Electrical Water Pageant.  What’s made me so devoted?  Glad you asked.Disney World Electrical Water Pageant

Disney World’s Electrical Water Pageant

It was 1996 when the Pageant’s current version was launched and that’s the year I first experienced this most amazing of extra magical touches.  Available to guests who happen to be along the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake most evenings, this parade-on-water is a charming treat.  It’s one of those things Disney doesn’t have to do.  People would still flock in droves to the House of Mouse and have fantastic family fun without this one attraction, but it’s been there since late October of 1971 and is still “a thing” treasured by many adoring fans like me.Disney World Electrical Water Pageant

For my family, it’s the whimsical simplicity of parade floats made out of barges with blinking lights.  As the floats go by, animals seem to leap out of the water and dance.  There may only be 14 floats and the entire experience lasts only 15 minutes, but it’s got a special place in our hearts.  If we’re staying at Bay Lake Tower, we can sometimes hear the Electrical Water Pageant’s music as we’re drifting off to sleep – like a perky lullaby even if we’re not watching the show. Disney World's Electrical Water Pageant

The music is snappy and the songs are well-known (mostly…maybe not everyone is familiar with the 1988 Was (Not Was) hit, “Walk the Dinosaur”).  Many of the songs are from The Little Mermaid and there are also tunes from Peter Pan, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and other Disney movies.  Patriotic favorites like “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “America the Beautiful” add a nice touch as well.  I’m telling you – this thing’s adorable!  Quirky, eclectic – there are sea creatures, a dinosaur, and the Stars and Stripes –  there’s a lot to see in a mere quarter of an hour.Disney World Electrical Water Pageant Disney World Electrical Water Pageant

Who would love the Electrical Water Pageant?  Little ones, fans of classic Disney World attractions, folks who want a low key attraction that’s both free and outside the parks, and lovers of Disney music and magic.  Our favorite spot to watch the Pageant is on the boat dock at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, but there are lots of prime viewing locations.  If you’re enjoying a meal at one of the monorail resorts, adding the Pageant to your evening is a great way to end the day.  Evening show times vary and are available in the My Disney Experience app…search for “Electrical Water Pageant”.  Here’s what Disney’s website says…

Recommended viewing locations include:

Please note that all show times are approximate and may vary by several minutes. All entertainment is subject to change and may be cancelled in cases of inclement weather.

Have you watched the Electrical Water Pageant?  How do you feel about it?