Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Disney’s Festival of Fantasy – One Terrific Parade

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Festival of Fantasy Parade DaleI like a good parade.  Shoot, nearly every parade I see is good to me.  Mardi Gras parades?  Love ’em!  “Throw me somethin’, Mister!”  Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?  It’s a classic – what’s not to love about those giant bobbing floats?  The added drama of the whole potential wind-disaster factor makes it even more exciting!  Neighborhood kids’ parades?  Got a soft spot for those, too – the decorated wagons and adorable little costumes get me every time.  Don’t even get me started on how great pet parades are!

So, all that now fully disclosed, you can probably guess how I felt seeing the new Festival of Fantasy Parade in Magic Kingdom for the Festival of Fantasy Parade Birdfirst time!  So much awesomeness!  In one parade!!!  Hel-lo!  The wizards of Disney parade assembly are pure genius.  From the theme, to the music, to the floats, to the costumes.  Pictures and videos (yes, I watched it streaming live from the comfort of my own living room on the day the parade debuted) do not do it justice.  It must be experienced in person for the full effect.

Annnnd Cue the Flashback Sequence:

I don’t think there’s a bad place to watch the 3 o’clock parade in Magic Kingdom.  If you’re Festival of Fantasy Parade Belle and Beaston the parade route, you’ll see everything.  I know people have their favorite parade-viewing spots and opinions vary, but I think if you can get a “front row” spot anywhere along the route, you’ll be happy.  We were squeezing parade viewing in between fastpasses and needed to be in Fantasyland for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as soon as the parade ended.  We found seats on the curb along the circle of the hub in front of Cinderella Castle – on the Tomorrowland side.  We were out in the blazing sun, conveniently situated beside a trashcan, and the concrete of the curb was hot enough to fry an egg on!  Luckily, for posterior protection, I opened my handy-dandy, multi-Festival of Fantasy Parade Friendspocketed backpack and retrieved our rain ponchos for us to use as seat cushions.  Worked out perfectly for our sitting comfort.  Nothing we could do about the sun.  It was strong and hot and felt incredibly close – we were wearing plenty of sunscreen, but, let’s not sugar coat it, we were sweating something fierce!

Raymond and I were alone at first (Megan and Joseph were planning to catch up with us before show time).  As usual (Raymond is completely used to this by now), I was making friends with the people around me; In this case, the young ladies sitting next to us.  They were an adorable group from all over the U.S. – a Festival of Fantasy Parade Frozencouple of girls were Disney College Program participants, the rest were friends.  They were so excited (like me!) to be seeing the Parade and we just chatted up a storm.

Now, speaking of storm, that’s when the most amazing thing happened – as if preparing for an afternoon shower, clouds moved in and a soft breeze came up – but no rain fell.  As the parade was about to start, we got relief from the oppressive heat!  Megan and Joseph found us just in time and took their places as we heard the first sounds of the parade coming in the distance, softly at first and then louder as the tops of the first floats came into view above the crowds across the Festival of Fantasy Parade Pinocchioplaza.

We’d chosen our viewing spot based on convenience, but it was beautiful to see the brightly colored floats and our favorite Disney characters pass by us with the castle in the background.  I was so amazed by the movement – the floats had many moving parts- and the clever and unique costumed walking characters, I didn’t really notice the music.  I think it was because, unlike the previous “Celebrate a Dream Come True” parade which had a repetitive Small-World-esque theme song (that stuck with you for a while), the music for Festival of Fantasy changes for each float.  That’s pretty cool, if you ask Festival of Fantasy Parade Dragonme!

As one would expect with anything produced by Disney, the magic of the Festival of Fantasy Parade is in the details – the clever, fun, and funny touches that Disney adds to surprise and delight us.  This new parade has no shortage of those things.  And if there’s a steam punk, fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon for the grand finale?  Well, that’s just as perfect a way to wrap up a spectacularly entertaining show as I could imagine.

If you have a trip to Walt Disney World in your future, put Festival of Fantasy Parade-watching on your touring plans.  Your family will love it!

Talk to me:  If you’ve seen Festival of Fantasy, what did you think?

Festival of Fantasy Parade Ostrich Festival of Fantasy Parade Costumes

 

Epcot’s Japan Pavilion – Mitsukoshi Department Store

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Epcot's Japan PavilionI’m planning to write an article about my favorite stores in Walt Disney World – so I started thinking about them – where they’re located, what type of merchandise they carry, and why I love them.  I’m still going to write that post, but in the middle of all that thinking….I couldn’t get my mind off the ONE most fantastic store in the World.  It really deserves its very own place in the limelight – without being grouped in with other great, but, let’s face it, lesser…or maybe I should say, more mainstream or ordinary stores.

If you’ve visited Walt Disney World but passed up the opportunity to visit the Mitsukoshi Plush Toys in Matsukoshi / Epcot's JapanDepartment Store in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion – I can understand how that could happen, but I need to…well…point out the error of your ways.  The store isn’t out there, up front with attractive window displays designed to draw you in.  The understated entrance gives no hint of the riches to be found inside – a treasure trove of unimaginable variety.  Do NOT pass through the World Showcase without taking at least a few minutes to look around at this huge and fascinating collection of Japanese goods!  I’ve been in Mitsukoshi many times, but every time feels like the first – and I always discover some new section I didn’t know existed.

Believe me, I’m not exaggerating or building this up for a good story.  Unless you’ve had the Shopping for Socks in Epcot's Japanchance to visit Japan (the actual country), I cannot believe you wouldn’t be impressed and, dare I say, enthralled by the enormous selection of unique merchandise within this building!  All the things you would expect to find are there – and so much more!!!  Traditional Japanese shoes and clothing?  Yes.  Incense, teas and teapots, chopsticks, swords, and fans?  Check!  Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Sanrio, Domo tees and collectibles – they’ll fix you up!  Tabi socks, books and jewelry – it’s all there!  But there’s also so much more!

The Pick a Pearl counter allows you to choose a live oyster from a tank for a Cast Member tBonsai Trees in Epcot's Japan Paviliono open for you…and retrieve your pearl!  You can have it made into a piece of jewelry right then and there or take it with you as is.  Ever wanted a Bonsai Tree of your very own?  The have a tiny forest from which to make your selection.  Too hard to take it home?  Buy a Bonsai seed kit instead!  Curious about Japanese food, candy and soft drinks?  Go wild in an entire room full of every imaginable snack, sweet, cracker – if you’re having a hankering for some shredded dry fish?  Not to worry!  They have that too (and it tastes better than you’d think)!

Mitsukoshi Department Store SnacksOne of Joseph’s favorite things to do at Walt Disney World is to take his time at Mitsukoshi and pick out a variety of Japanese packaged foods to try.  So much there is unlike anything we’ve ever had before!  At this point, he’s been to the store enough to have some favorites he’ll buy each time we visit.  Last week while we were there, he enlisted Megan’s assistance in picking out some new and different snacks (I even got to pick out something!).  Some of the candy looked so strange but was surprisingly tasty!  The descriptions on most packaging are completely in Japanese – so you’re pretty much guessing what you may be getting based on pictures and/or what the candy or snack looks like.  The mystery of it is what makes choosing treats so much fun!   Our Loot! Japanese Snacks from Mitsukoshi

There is literally something for everyone at Mitsukoshi and if it’s souvenirs you’re after – you’re guaranteed to find special and unique treasures for everyone on your list!

Have you been to Mitsukoshi?  What did you think?

Mitsukoshi Department Store in Epcot

Godzilla Tee at MitsukoshiAdorable Plush in Mitsukoshi

Disney’s 1900 Park Fare is Tons of Fun

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Doorway to 1900 Park FareI have come to realize that we will, most likely, never outgrow our love of character meals at Walt Disney World.  Sure, our kids are now 18 and 23, but we still get a kick out of meeting and interacting with Disney characters.  Combine that with food and hey – even more to love!  C’mon, we can’t be the only ones!  Some of you can totally sympathize with this, I bet.

For many years, the Fab Five were our dining companions of choice and no trip to Walt Disney World would be complete without a visit to Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort.  There’s just something so perfectly, Disney Character Autographs at Chef Mickey'sclassically Disney about seeing Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.  We used to always go for dinner, then we switched to breakfast, then, well, I started thinking about just how many pictures and memories we’d accumulated at Chef Mickey’s….  So, when planning this year’s family vacation, I thought it would be super fun to try something new!  We could still have a character meal, but why not make it with a different crowd of Disney celebs at the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare?   Well, as usual, I was right!

1900 Park Fare

It’s a buffet (like Chef Mickey’s), but the setting is a bit different and where the Fab Five are silent while they happily pose for pictures and sign autographs, the characters at 1900 Park Fare are all face characters, meaning…they talk!  Cinderella and Prince Charming are there to the delight of children of all ages – but the really FUN characters, especially for big kids (and kids at heart) are Lady Tremaine, Drizella, and Anistasia (the Step Sisters).

Not to diminish Cindy or Charming in any way – they are certainly lovely to look at and as gracious and regal as one would hope and expect.  They make their way from table to table like the seasoned royals they are – greeting guests, making polite cPrince Charming! 1900 Park Fareonversation, paying compliments, posing for pictures, and signing what must amount to hundreds (if not thousands) of autographs as their adoring fans enjoy dinner (and the company of this very kind couple).

That’s not why we ate there.  We specifically went to 1900 Park Fare, upon my recommendation, to see Lady Tremaine and the Steps.  We’d met them before and we knew they’d be wildly entertaining.  Getting the opportunity to mingle with them while we enjoyed dinner was just too good an opportunity to pass up!  The are simply amazing.  Lady TremaineDSCN2998 is constantly a tad stressed and looking for chocolate to soothe her nerves.  And it’s no wonder!  Her “darling” daughters are enough to put any mamma on edge.

Prince Charming visited our table first.  He was, true to his name, charming.  He was polite, an expert at small talk, and very willing to sign the items we’d set out for autographs (more on that another day).  Once he left, we had plenty of time to make our first visit to the buffet.  A HUGE variety of flavors are featured there – representative of all the “kingdoms” around the world.  Just FYI:  The pot stickers and sushi were actually really good!  But, for the Cinderella at 1900 Park Fareless adventurous, there was a good variety of dishes meant to appeal to the tastes of every guest.

Cinderella stopped by our table next.  Smiling, pretty, friendly and kind – just what you’d expect!  She was also very willing to autograph any and everything we had placed at the end of our table (with several pens to choose from).  Cinderella was so nice…I actually felt sorry for her knowing she’d be overshadowed by what we considered the evening’s main event!

Lady Tremaine was all we’d expected her to be.  Short on patience (with commoners), with DSCN3011dead pan humor – she played the adoring and indulgent parent to the hilt!  She was very pleased with our Joseph as a potential match for one of her beloved daughters.  She was funny and slightly intimidating – just as she is in Cinderella!  We thought she was GREAT!  But the best was yet to come.

Drizella was the first sister to arrive at our table.  Enamored of the gold paint pen we’d set out with our autograph items, she wanted to know if it was “real” gold.  We said YES!  At once she asked if Joseph was a prince, where he was from, and how many castles he had.  It seems those questions were answered to her Drizella at 1900 Park Faresatisfaction – she next hinted at their exceptional compatibility.  Joseph offered her a blue gummy bear as a token of his affection and the deal was done – she shouted for her mother, informed Lady Tremaine of the impending nuptials, then proceeded to jump up and down!

At this point, Anastasia, tired of photo-bombing the pictures recording our table’s excitement, made her way over to introduce herself to her impending in-laws and offer advice.  Joseph should begin ring shopping at once – using his nostrils to determine a ring’s suitability.  “If a diamond can fit up your nose, it’s too small!”  Embracing Megan as her future sister, Anastasia posed for pictures, signed autographs, and gave us pointers on how to look skinnier in photos.DSCN3022

Charming in their own way, the Tremaine women were also hilarious and the stars of the show at 1900 Park Fare!  The character of these characters is indescribably fabulous!  You just have to experience it to believe how great it is.  Even more impressive?  When Megan and Joseph ran into Lady Tremaine and the Steps  in the Magic Kingdom the next day, Drizella immediately demanded of Joseph, “WHERE is my RING!?!”

Have you ever experience a character meal at 1900 Park Fare?  What did you think about it?

Walt Disney World – Trying New Things

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Walt Disney World ChurroOne of the best parts of visiting Walt Disney World is that there are always new things to try.  No matter how often we visit, there seems to be at least a few opportunities for new experiences.  Our recent trip was no exception.  The key is to be able to pass up some tried and true favorites in favor of the unknown – Risky?  Perhaps a little.  Exciting?  Pretty much.  Worth it?  Absolutely!

As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Disney blogs, podcasts and Twitter-peeps!  If you want to know what’s going on at Walt Disney World, just follow a few of these folks – they have the scoop on what not-to-be-missed adventures await and which Disney treats are the most delicious.  Since it had been a full two years since our last WDW vacation – my list of new-and-exciting + not-new-but-never-tried items for last week was pretty ambitious!  I am happy to report, the Dole Whip disappointment notwithstanding, nearly everything new to me was GREAT to me!

Let’s start with food, shall we?

I’m not much of a snacker and there are tons of Disney snacks and treats our family has yet to try.  Creatures of habbit, we tend to stick with something we love as opposed to trying something new – which is weird considering how much we LOVE food adventures…aside from Disney park snacks, I guess.  We always choose either the classic Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bar or the Ice Cream Sandwich.  During last week’s park-hopping madness, we managed to break out of our snack rut (although, I’m not going to lie – ice cream bars and sandwiches were still IMG_3812consumed, just in lower quantities) and try out some of the treats other Disney fans are always praising.

Pretzels – We tried the classic Mickey and the Jalapeno Cheese pretzels (can both be purchased several places) and both were met with enthusiastic, unanimous YUMmmmms of approval!

Cronut – The Croissant Donut from the Refreshment Port in Epcot was a warm, fluffy-on-the-inside, crusty-on-the-outside, cinnamon-sugar dusted bite of heaven!  Caution:  Don’t try to share one among four people – the situation gets ugly fast.

Red Velvet Cupcake – I love the Starring Rolls Café in Disney’s Hollywood Studios!  I’ve tried the Red Velvet Cupcake at Walt Disney Worldeverything bagels and the Butterfinger cupcakes in the past and both were delish.  This time around, while buying late breakfast items (“Second Breakfast”) – Megan spotted the red velvet cupcakes (with cream cheese icing and crunchy topping) in that glass case by the check-out…you know the one…where the Darth Vader and Yoda cupcakes are during Star Wars Weekends!  Meg and I decided, “What the heck – we’re on vacation” – we bought the cupcake and had dessert with breakfast!  It was to die for.  Just PERFECT!

Roasted Pork Shank – Forget the Turkey Legs – I’ll never go back!  Gaston’s Tavern IMG_3774in Fantasyland serves up a giant, hot, meaty, smoky – did I mention giant? – shank o’ the pig that is indescribably delicious.  Seriously.  Do NOT pass up the opportunity to try one – if you like Disney’s turkey legs, you will LOVE these delectable delicacies.  Normally, I let thoughts of calories and fat grams mar my enjoyment of these types of foods – not this time, baby!  Picked the bone clean in record time with reckless abandon…worth every extra mile I’ll be running to make up for it.  OINK!

Churro – They look strange and uninteresting to me, but they sure are popular among Disney snack enthusiasts!  So last week I snagged one at the churro cart in Frontierland.  Easy to carry and eat on the fly (while heading to Main Street USA to meet up with the kids) – it was simple, yet sweet and cinnamon-y.  Like comfort food.  It’s no Cronut, but I’d eat one again sometime.

Epcot's EmpanadasEmpanadas de Queso – My friend Heather sings the praises of these cheesy little half-moons of tastiness – Heather also steered me to the roasted pork shank.  Heather knows her Disney snacks.  Over at La Cantina de San Angel (outside Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion), you can purchase these warm and tasty tidbits (they come with a side of  tortilla chips) – wash them down with a mango margarita and you’ve got an awesome lunch!

Shofferhoffer Grapefruit Beer – When I heard the guys on one of my favorite podcasts discuss the virtues of this beer (which may be purchased in the Germany Pavilion in Epcot), I was a little weirded out by the concept.  I like beer.  Raised in St. Louis – the home of Anheuser Busch Brewing Company – I know beer!  I prefer dark beer best, but was intrigued enough by the grapefruit beer concept to give it a whirl – talked Megan into it, too.  We loved it!  Low alcohol IMG_7113content combined with the sweetness of pink grapefruit juice made it less a beer than a completely refreshing beverage for a hot, sunny Florida afternoon.  Four thumbs up for the Shofferhoffer!

Now on to rides and attractions…

Of course I have to mention the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – which deserves an entire post all on its own and I will pay it homage one day soon. Today let me just say that I’m NOT sorry Snow White’s Scary Adventure left – this new tribute to Snow and her merry band of little men is charming, clever, and suitable for everyone at least 38″ tall.  I loved the indoor/outdoor combination of beautiful landscaping and state of the art animatronics and some pretty clever special effects.  The ride in the carts is incredibly smooth – just lovely, but I must warn you – the lap bar doesn’t “click” into place as you lower it in front of you – which makes it super easy to lower it too far – you end up squeezed so tight the ride actually hurts!  Lower the bar really slowly and stop moving it when you like where it is.  Stop.

Walt Disney: One Man's DreamThe next attraction on this list is not new at all and I’m ashamed to admit…We had never taken the time to fully explore Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream at the Studios.  Shame on us!!!  First the walk-through – this features a staggering variety of actual artifacts, memorabilia (and some reproductions) from Walt Disney’s life – along with stories and information about the creation of beloved Disney characters.  It’s cool, quiet and packed with fascinating objects and discoveries.  Then there’s a 15-minute film that was SO fascinating – it not only revealed details about Walt Disney we didn’t know, but we got to hear Walt’s voice and see him as the happy, innovative, dream-chasing visionary –that was still a pretty ordinary guy.  If you love Walt Disney – do NOT pass this by.

I have to mention Primeval Whirl.  Normally we just go over to the Dinoland USA area to ride Primeval Whirl VehiclesDinosaur and then go right back to the parts of the Animal Kingdom park we understand.  I like looking at the animals (and taking a crazy number of pictures of them).  I have never taken time to explore or appreciate all the gaudy but fascinating aspects of Chester and Hester’s little roadside oddities.  I think I was a little offended by the garishly in-your-face, utter tackiness of the small-town carnival rides and midway games.  I can admit when I’m wrong…okay, rarely and with reluctance, but I have to do it now.  I was wrong to have ignored Dinoland in the past.  It’s sort of adorable in its own way and Primeval Whirl is actually a fun ride.  Fun enough to ride three times.  And make a video of.  And take a bunch of pictures of.  I was wrong.  If I can find the charm, I’m betting you can too.

I know a BUNCH of you have tried new things on your last Disney vacation!  Tell me about them!