Disney World’s Resort Loop Pub Crawl – Mizner’s Lounge

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Grand Floridian Society OrchestraWhen we find ourselves with a few minutes to spare before a dinner reservation in the Magic Kingdom resort area, we like to choose a spot along the monorail route to enjoy an adult beverage and relax for a while.  Once in a while we hit more than one lounge in a single day, so we call this habit the Resort Loop Pub Crawl (others call it the Monorail Bar Crawl).  Recently we found ourselves with a good 30 minutes we could use for just such an endeavor and chose Mizner’s Lounge at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.RM-Monorail

We decided on Mizner’s for three reasons:  Our dinner reservation was at Citricos (also at the Grand Floridian), we’d never been to Mizner’s before, and the awesome Grand Floridian Lobby Society Orchestra (long name, amazing sound) plays literally just outside of Mizner’s doorway.  We’d gone back to our room at Bay Lake Tower to clean up after a busy day that started with rope-drop at the Studios and ended with an afternoon in the Magic Kingdom.  By the time we boarded the monorail in the Contemporary, we were more than ready to sit down and be still for a few minutes.   We arrived to find Mizner’s only about half-full and were able to find a table for two by a window.

RM-Mizner's-LoungeLike everything in the Grand Floridian, Mizner’s is open, airy and bright with an upscale, fancy-feeling atmosphere.  Seats are available in well-cushioned chairs at the bar and in big, comfortable club chairs at tables situated throughout the lounge’s interior.  We were starving, but resisted ordering a snack from Mizner’s very tempting menu to save our empty stomachs for the delights at Citricos (review here).  We chose a Cabernet from the impressive (and expensive) beverage menu and settled back to enjoy our glasses of wine and listen to the Orchestra play some of our favorite Disney tunes.

As far as Disney lounges go, Mizner’s was more family friendly than most and had a hushed, subdued crowd.  Like us, the other guests appeared to be there for relaxation and quiet conversation.  Maybe Mizner’s is livelier later in the evening, but for a place to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail, it was perfect.

What’s your favorite lounge on the resort loop?

 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Yak and Yeti

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RM-Yak-&-Yeti-AccessoriesI’m not a big fan of fast food or counter-service restaurants at home.  When I’m not on vacation, I probably don’t eat at a fast food place once a month.  I like to cook and I try to avoid fried and processed foods.  I like to think we save money by not eating out much.  I also figure if we eat well most of the time, we earn the right to splurge a bit (or a lot) when we go to Disney World.

I’m not the person who can tell you where on Disney property to find the best hamburger or pizza.  I’ve only eaten one Disney World hamburger (Olivia’s Duval Street Burger at Old Key West and it was spectacular).  Anytime I’ve tried pizza, I’ve been remarkably disappointed.  Pizza and hamburgers aside, there are some mighty good counter-service eateries to be found at Disney World.  You just have to know where they are.

Let’s talk Animal Kingdom.  Personally, I’m hoping for the addition of more counter-service choices as the park expands.  In October, Raymond and I found ourselves there and in dire need of a late, but not too heavy, lunch.  Normally, we’re Flame Tree Barbeque fans, but I’d heard that Yak & Yeti had a quick-service counter serving a variety of Pan-Asian menu items that were both tasty and inexpensive (relatively speaking, of course).  We had FastPasses for Expedition Everest, so grabbing a bite in the park’s Asia section was convenient.RM-Yak&Yeti

As with everything in Animal Kingdom, the Yak & Yeti’s exterior is full of fun and interesting details.  Unlike most restaurants at Walt Disney World which are either table service OR counter service, the Yak & Yeti is both.  Inside is a sit down restaurant, outside is a quick-service counter. RM-Yak-&-Yeti-Menu-Blue

Because it was so late in the day, we skipped the main menu items and ordered from the “Sides” section.  We each ordered the Chicken Fried Rice ($3.99 ea.) and we got an order of two eggrolls ($5.49) to share.  To wash it down, we added two Safari Ambers ($7.00 ea.).RM-Yak-&-Yeti-Seating

Nearby, we found a covered seating area filled with large tables and soon found ourselves sitting with a friendly family from Alabama.  It was warm out, but the shade and cold beer helped a lot.  Too much food!  Can you believe it?  I ate only half of the rice and my eggroll and was full.  The food was good, the beer refreshing.  Not gourmet or fancy, but our meal at Yak & Yeti was satisfying and tasty. RM-Yak-&-Yeti-Fried-Rice RM-Yak-&-Yeti-Eggroll

Have you tried the Yak & Yeti?  What did you think? For more pictures and full menu information, visit the Yak & Yeti website here.

Disney’s Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post

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RM-Wandering-Oaken's-SignI know I’ve complained occasionally about the whole Frozen-ization of Walt Disney World.  Not everything is bad, though, or unnecessary.  One new Frozen-themed addition in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is nothing short of brilliant.  Of course adding a shop based on Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post from the movie was an obvious and easy choice, but even I have to admit…for something that seemingly came together in a hurry, Oaken’s shop is very well done, the details are adorable, and the selection of Frozen merchandise is very welcome indeed.RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Sleigh-Parking

Back in May, we could barely find anything Frozen to buy!  We chased rumors and ran around from shop to shop in every park where we thought we might score pins or a sweatshirt.  Finally, we ended up with two Olaf pins (the only Frozen pins we could find) and an extra-large child’s hoodie for Megan.  I was excited to wander into Wandering Oaken’s and will freely admit, I was charmed.Disney's Frozen - Olaf Pin

Before you enter the store, the exterior details make you feel as if you are definitely in Norway!  The snowy trees and landscape are fun!RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Exterior RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Snowy-Trees2 RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Snowy-TreesInside, Oaken’s is much more than a place to shop!  A blue-lit winter wonderland, compete with snowy play area (“Frozen Snowground”), take up a great deal of space at one end of the building.RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Snowy-Trees-With-Lights RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Snow2 RM-Wandering-Oaken's-SnowThere are plenty of excellent photo ops and a Disney photographer is on hand.RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Interior-Wall  STUDIO_FROZENFUN1_7068714183As you move from the play area to the store, the lighting changes and you’ll begin to notice more great details.RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Shop RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Merchandise    RM-Wandering-Oaken's-ShelvesThere is plenty of Frozen merchandise here!  I may or may not have purchased a few early Christmas gifts while I was there.RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Olafs RM-Wandering-Oaken's-SvensMostly, we just wandered around and enjoyed the immersion in those amazing Disney details.  The sauna absolutely cracked me up!!!RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Sauna RM-Wandering-Oaken's-Decor RM-Wandering-Oaken's-ToolsOaken’s is not far from Toy Story Midway Mania, so if you’re headed over to Pixar Place, don’t miss the opportunity to pop in an take a look around.  On a hot day, it’s a great place to cool off!

Have you been to Oaken’s Trading Post?  What did you think?

DIY Disney Christmas Tree Topper

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RM-Christmas-Top-HatIt’s been long time since I’ve worked on a Disney craft project.  This one was not even planned, but happened mostly by accident.  Raymond and I were out supporting our local merchants on Small Business Saturday and we happened to be in a fantastic home décor and accessory store that always has the most amazing Christmas decorations!  We were there for just a quick stop to pick up a couple of ornaments for gifts and grab some extra ribbon and deco mesh (you can never have too much deco mesh, right?).

As we were making our way to the checkout counter, I stopped dead in my tracks, having spotted something unexpected and adorable!  I spied a small black felt top hat, decorated festively for the holidays.  As usual, I immediately said what I was thinking, “Hey!  I could put ears on this!” and Raymond, in his usual way, replied, “You could.”  Enough chitchat.  New item added to the armfuls we were carrying, we made for the cash register.

By the time we got home, I had formulated a plan for that little top hat’s transformation into a Disney-themed tree topper.  All I needed was to make use of Raymond’s mad skills with powerRM-Christmas-Ornament-Piece tools.  I handed him a large, sparkly, black shatter-proof ornament left over from the Halloween wreath project and told him to make me a couple of ears from it.  Because I love him, I did remember to yell, “Don’t forget protective eye wear!” as he headed outside to his shop.  I wish I could show and tell you exactly how Raymond managed to slice two perfect ears out of that one ornament, but I didn’t see what he did.  I will tell you it involved something called a die grinder, but I have no idea what that is or does.  If you decide to slice up a plastic ornament, I imagine a saw of some sort would also work.

Now, I knew that if I just glued those ears onto the hat, there would be a big gap between each ear, the hat, and the hat’s brim.  I was trying to figure out a way to fill that gap with some black sheet-foam that I had on hand, when Raymond solved the problem for me by cutting the foam into tear-drops that could be used to cover the RM-Christmas-Top-Hat-Ears-Reverseback of each ear and fill in that gap at the same time – I do love that man!  So, I fired up my new glue gun, which gets really super hot in a hurry, and proceeded to glue the backs onto each ear, then glue the ears carefully onto the hat, making sure the corner part of the teardrop filled in the gap between ear, hat, and brim.  I only sustained one glue-burn (on my right pinky), which is actually good – the injury count where hot glue and I are concerned is normally much higher.

So, making the tree topper proved much easier than getting it in a good position at the top of the tree!  I ended up making a spiral wire around the top of the tree to perch the hat securely on, then I used my old tree topper (sprays wired together to mimic Wishes fireworks) to add some festive touches around the hat.  The moral of this story?  Don’t be afraid to try!  When inspiration strikes, go for it.  The hat was $12.99 and for the investment, Raymond’s cutting skills, and one hot glue burn, we got a pretty awesome new Disney decoration for our tree.RM-Christmas-Top-Hat-Finished

Do you have a Disney holiday craft to share?  Let me know and I’ll put your project on our Facebook page!