Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Who Would Love Enchanted Tales With Belle?

Posted on by

Sometimes (shout out if you’re with me here) when you’re making FastPass+ selections, something comes up that had never been on your radar before.  A ride or attraction that you’d never considered shows up as a suggestion along with two others that you are excited about.  If you, like me, have multiple visits to that park planned on vacation – this new, untried attraction causes you to stop and think…what the heck?  Why not!  Let’s give it a whirl.  Such was the case with us a few months back when Raymond and I were at Walt Disney World and I booked a FastPass for a most unlikely choice…Enchanted Tales With Belle Selfie

Who Would Love Enchanted Tales With Belle?

Yes, two mature (a.k.a middle-aged) adults visited this marginally popular Fantasyland attraction in Magic Kingdom.  While we were soaking it all in, we decided that this attraction has definite appeal for a certain subset of Disney fans.Enchanted Tales With Belle Cottage

Pre-school through about age 8 – This is a kid-friendly attraction!  Little ones who like Beauty and the Beast and love story-time will be happy with this attraction.  It’s not scary and includes familiar elements of the story while encouraging audience participation.  Shy people or folks like us who just want to see what’s going on without becoming part of the action are also completely welcome and made to feel at ease.Enchanted Tales With Belle - Wardrobe

Diehard Belle fans – Sure, there are plenty of familiar characters involved, but Belle is the star of this attraction and she’s everything you hope she’ll be.  Gracious, humble, and in her gorgeous gold ball gown.  What more could fans want?  You can get up close for a picture even.Enchanted Tales Wtih Belle - Lumiere

Anyone who loves Disney’s magical special effects – Belle’s the star here, but the “enchanted” part really adds to the experience.  This is Disney at its best – if you love Disney details large and small, Disney magic at its finest, you’ve got to experience this attraction at least once.  While we’ve only been the one time, I want to go back just in case I missed something the first time.  The technology in Enchanted Tales With Belle is excellent and should be part of all future Disney attractions!Enchanted Tales With Belle Special Effect

Are you a fan of Enchanted Tales With Belle?  What do you love about it?  If you’ve never experienced it before, I encourage you to give it a try!Enchanted Tales With Bell- Wall Art

WDW Vacation – Getting Psyched for Food & Wine

Posted on by

RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-LandscapeMy countdown calendar finally feels like it’s moving.  The days are ticking by ahead of our long-awaited return to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  I couldn’t be more excited!  This may only be my second visit during Food & Wine, but I feel like a seasoned veteran after our weeklong 25th Anniversary celebration at F&W in 2014.  This year we’ll be a party of seven and our plans are really shaping up.  With only two-and-a-half months to go, it feels right around the corner.  It’s Friday today and that means a Friday Five is in order.  Dear Readers, I give to you…

WDW Vacation – Getting Psyched for Food & Wine

  1. Pick a week and book it! – This is the first phase of excitement.  Thinking about going changes after you know exactly when you’ll be there and where you’ll be staying – makes it real and you can set your countdown calendar!  Because I’m a planner I’m also, in this very early stage of vacation prep, starting to think about where we’d like to eat when we’re not enjoying the Food & Wine offerings.  Which brings us to…Citricos-Vince
  2. Make some ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) 180 days out – “Some” being the important key here.  I think you can over-book dining reservations which may detract from the joy of strolling around World Showcase sampling all the excellent flavors that Food & Wine has to offer.  I like to ensure plenty of festival time, so I book just few carefully chosen reservations that will leave us a plenty of free afternoons and evenings for hopping from country to country on an international culinary tour.  Once those ADRs are booked, I feel more like I know what our touring plans will be each day and that makes me even more exited!RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Menu-Brazil
  3. Wait impatiently for the booths and menus to be announced – I’ve searched everyday for weeks and finally the kiosk and menu info is available – This is a major factor in getting psyched for the trip!  Sure, it’s fun to see what musical groups will be playing during our visit, but that’s not (for us) the primary draw.  You can print out those menus and narrow down all the food and beverage choices to the all important Top-Ten-Must-Try list (yours could be whatever number you like).  I’m not too picky, so I’m leaving room to be flexible and spontaneous in food selection.  It’s not imperative to have a list, but it sure is fun to strategize a festival food plan.  Yes, more excitement!  Check out this year’s lineup here.Disney's Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror
  4. Book those FastPasses ASAP – If you’re staying on property, this means there are only 60 days left before your vacation!  My strategy for Epcot is all about making sure we don’t have to come and go repeatedly from World Showcase once we start our feasting.  On this trip, we’ve got one whole day reserved for Animal Kingdom and I’m excited about having breakfast at Tusker House and dinner at Tiffins…while maximizing attraction enjoyment in between.  On most of the other days, we’ll be park-hopping to keep Epcot part of the action as often as possible.     RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Passport
  5. Reminisce or surf the web (or both) –  I like looking back at pictures and blog posts from our last trip to Food & Wine.  I also like reading about other people’s trips as well as food reviews, booth rankings, and touring tips.  This will keep me entertained and build excitement right up until the day we leave for vacation.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Pepper-Bacon-Hash

Are you headed to Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival this year?  What are you doing to get psyched for the trip?

runDisney Dreaming & Treadmill Woes

Posted on by

I have developed the most dysfunctional relationship with my treadmill!  Part of the problem is that I’m running on “the replacement” treadmill.  My beloved (yes, you’re allowed to love and become ridiculously attached to exercise machinery) original treadmill survived many years of reliable service.  It helped me train for dozens of races including marathon and half-marathon distances, then it died.

runDisney Dreaming & Treadmill Woes

Sadly, the frame split.  Raymond welded it back together (yes, my sweet husband has mad repair skills), and it finally split again – prompting Raymond to ask me, “Don’t you think it’s done enough and can be put out of its misery?” – and he was right.  That bad boy was awesome, but the time had come to let it go and buy a new one.  I’ve had the replacement since last December, but it’s still not as comfortable to me as the old one.  I’m much slower on this one.  It doesn’t have the same electronic display.  Yes, I’m whiney, but I’m old and we “mature” people tend to be set in our ways.runDisney training selfie

So here’s where I’m at and where I need your help.  I’m trying to lay down a base mileage of 25 miles per week so I can be ready for fall racing.  I can run 1-2 days on the road, but the rest of my running has to be indoors.  I’m looking for all your motivational tips, tricks and playlist suggestions – stuff I can implement to keep me on that stupid treadmill for 4-5 miles per day.  I’m desperate because….RM-Sunrise-runDisney-Princess-Half

Next year’s runDisney races are calling my name!  Princess Half Marathon registration was this week and I saw my friend and fellow blogger, Karen (check her blog out here), post on social media that she was in!  This got me even more excited about my own plans for next year.  Having run the Princess/Glass Slipper Challenge both this year and last, I’ve been wanting to try something new runDisney-wise.  You may recall that my son, Joseph, helped me train for this year’s Glass Slipper Challenge and then stayed home to take care of Junior while I raced. Lisa and Joe training run

 

I owe him a runDisney experience after all of that love and support and I aim to make good in 2017 by registering us both for the Star Wars Dark Side Challenge!

So, with registration looming (I believe in early August) and proof-of-time races in the not too distant future, I’m psyched, yet challenged by my treadmill woes.  Help!  Any and all suggestions to get me through my indoor training are welcome.

Are you doing a runDisney event in 2017?  Which one?  How are you planning to do your training?

 

Walt Disney World – Feeling Patriotic

Posted on by

RM-Flag-Main-StreetSummertime makes me feel patriotic.  I suppose it’s because of the holiday palooza of Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day – all great occasions to celebrate being in the good old U.S. of A.  When we visit Walt Disney World during the summer, I’m much more focused on the special events and attractions that make me feel patriotic – and there are plenty to choose from!

Walt Disney World – Feeling Patriotic

Hall of Presidents – While I might not visit this attraction in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square every time I’m at Disney World, I do love this attraction in the summer.  It’s cool inside and the building’s lobby is full of Americana – my favorite of which is the articles of clothing from First Ladies.  RM-Hall-of-Presidents-DressSome people find the attraction a great place to catch a nap, but I’m more inclined to sit close-ish to the stage so I can watch the subtle movements of the presidents.  The animatronics are phenomenal!  One president may have the floor, but while he’s speaking, the other presidents are shifting, nodding – actively listening.  I love that!!!RM-Hall-of-Presidents

The Flag Retreat – If you’ve never seen this ceremony on Magic Kingdom’s Main Street U.S.A., you’ve got to make time.  As the flag is lowered at the end of the day, guests are treated to a wonderful, patriotic few moments.  My full review is here and I cannot recommend this enough.Flag+Lowering

Voices of Liberty – Inside the American Adventure Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is (to me) the most underappreciated musical entertainment in all of Walt Disney World.  Making time to hear this highly talented a cappella group perform should be in everyone’s touring plan at least once – preferably during the summer months.  Enter the pavilion and marvel at the dome’s acoustics!  This is the way to listen to our favorite patriotic songs!!! (Full review here.)Voices-of-Liberty

The American Adventure – This is both a pavilion and an attraction!  Before or after you catch a performance of the Voices of Liberty, you can spend 30 minutes enjoying a journey through our nation’s history hosted by Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.  Sure, some people find this a cool, dark, relaxing place to grab a nap, but if you can stay awake, this attraction is a great source of patriotic inspiration.

Your turn!  Where do you feel patriotic at Walt Disney World?