Disney Rich, Cash Poor and Proud

Posted on October 27, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

It feels incredible to know that we’ve been doing it right! Well, some of it, anyway. While we don’t claim to be the best parents ever (there were a few bumps in the road and, just between you and me, we are probably not the parents to come to for potty training advice), it’s nice to know that mixed in with our well-intentioned but certainly not perfect child-rearing decisions, we did one thing right! We spend all our extra (and occasionally a little more) money on travel.

Disney Rich, Cash Poor and Proud

What makes us right? Science! Recent studies have revealed that spending money on experiences is more meaningful than buying expensive or fancy material items. Most recently, this article caught my eye. And it got me thinking about our vacations…

In all fairness, it was not all Disney travel. There was an ill-fated (for me) ski vacation to Park City, short trips to places in nearby states (Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) that were certainly fun, and wonderful visits to see family in Missouri and Illinois. During the lean years, we spent many of our summer vacations on the “Red Neck Riviera” (Alabama’s Gulf Coast). All of those places were great! By far though, our most amazing vacations were (and still are) Disney ones.

Raymond and I honeymooned at Disney World and sailed on the Big Red Boat (precursor to Disney Cruise Line). Then we were parents with extremely limited vacation resources. As time passed, we made the conscious decision to spend less on “things” and more on vacations. The more we saw and did, the more we wanted to see and do! Disney World became our favorite destination followed quickly by Disney cruises that would carry us as far and wide as we could possibly afford to travel.

So what if we drive our vehicles for 10 years or more? That outdoor kitchen I’ve been dreaming about can wait a little longer. Would I like a new washer and dryer? Oh, you bet I would! But that will have to wait until we can no longer repair what we have. We need our Disney vacation fixes and the memories they provide – long after the vacation is over. I suppose the telltale truth in all of this is now that our children are adults, they tell us how much they’re looking forward to traveling with their own children someday. They now appreciate that while they may have been jealous of their friends’ swimming pools, game systems, and trampolines, those same friends may not have dined with Mickey Mouse, zip-lined in Alaska, kayaked in Norway, or saw Michelangelo’s David in Italy…all things we did on Disney vacations. Some of these trips took years of planning and saving to achieve, but every sacrifice was worth it!

We’ve taken some flack through the years for how much we spend on travel. (Let’s not even start on the “You’re going to Disney World AGAIN?” comments.) At the same time, not a single person ever criticized us for not buying our children the latest video game or most expensive sports equipment. I’m not saying we are perfect parents or that anyone else is wrong for buying their kids whatever makes them happy – I’m just thrilled that in rearing our children, we got one thing right. We showed them as much of the world as we possibly could, gave them tons of happy family memories, and wouldn’t trade a single moment.

What vacations have been your family’s favorites? Where are you planning to visit next?

Disney Dining Review: Trattoria al Forno

Posted on October 24, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Welcome to the weekend, Disney fans! Today’s post for Saturdays With Nick needs no introduction – It’s about food. At Disney World. Enjoy!

Disney Dining Review: Trattoria al Forno

By Nick

A few months ago, Trattoria al Forno opened at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort in Walt Disney World, replacing Kouzzina by Cat Cora.

Trattoria al Forno takes it’s patrons on a taste tour of Italy featuring regional specialties as well as classic dishes, such as wood-fired pizzas made with house-made-daily mozzarella and pastas prepared al forno, which is Italian for baked in an oven, using authentic ingredients and recipes hailing from all over Italy.

There is a wonderful back story created by Walt Disney Imagineering that tells of an Italian family that ran a modest tavern and boarding house on the boardwalk, which expanded over the years into a popular restaurant. As the establishment was handed down, each generation added their own touches to the meals and the restaurant’s design.

The interior helps to convey this story, starting with the original Entrata, or entrance, where the story begins, with vintage family photos lining the walls introducing the generational story. A custom wine cabinet displays authentic regional wines offered on the menu.

The story continues into the dining areas, which were once boarding house spaces. There are four distinct rooms, with furnishings, finishes and lighting relating to the character of each original boarding house room.

The three main dining rooms are open to the show kitchen and to each other.

On to the important part. The food!

My wife and I had dinner here in January, and it was the best meal of that trip.

The meal started with a warm loaf of Ciabatta Bread.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a beer guy, but I chose to go with the Romantic wine flight on that evening, primarily because I wanted to try the Sogno d’Italia Chianti, which is made exclusively for Disney.
Trattoria al Forno has an extensive, 100% Italian, wine list with over 60 offerings by bottle and more than 25 by glass.

For an appetizer, we shared the Fried Calamari with White Balsami and Lemon Agrodolce which is a traditional sweet and sour Italian sauce. Calamari is one of my favorites, and this was in all honesty one of the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked and the sauce was excellent.

While our entrees were very good, we both agree we’d try something different next time.

Barbie had the Eggplant Rollatini with shaved fennel-arugula salad.

She actually preferred my meal which was the Braised Beef with house-made cavatelli. The beef was very tasty, but it could have used more sauce, as it was a huge hunk of meat, which would have benefited from more of a flavor variety.

Desserts were terrific. Barbie had the Tiramisu, lady finger-soaked espresso and layered with Italian mascarpone cream.

I had the Bomboloni, essentially an Italian doughnut with dark chocolate, served with vanilla gelato.

Both my wife and I look forward to returning to try more meals at Trattoria al Forno in the future.

This article was originally published on The Disney Exchange Blog and Podcast, which Nick co-writes and co-hosts.

For more great reviews, trip reports and all manner of Disney delights, follow Nick, his wife Barbie, and friends: Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Evolution of Disney Vacations

Posted on October 23, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

If you’re a lifelong Disney fan, you may have a good many Disney vacation memories to smile about. You’ll also maybe have seen the way you vacation at your favorite Disney resort change over time. Today I’m here to share our family’s experience…how our vacation style has changed over the years. Perhaps you’ll be able to relate to one (or more) of the stages of the…

Evolution of Disney Vacations

The BK Stage (Before Kids) – We were young, broke and just married. We didn’t know what we didn’t know, but were crazy about everything – the attractions, shows, atmosphere, the details…the magic that hooked us and made us want to keep coming back! No plans, no dining reservations, no FastPasses (they had not yet been invented), but we were blissfully happy and felt so fortunate to have had the experience.

The Stroller Phase – I realize looking back that taking kids in strollers with one in diapers must have been challenging (and involved packing a LOT of stuff!), but I don’t remember that part. I remember taking our time, seeing and doing what we could while fitting in naps and pool-time at our resort. The child-swap option for attractions worked well for us and we loved the three o’clock parade.

The Character Phase – Meet-and-greets, autographs, character dining – we couldn’t seem to get enough! During this phase, we seemed to care the most (compared to any other time) about where and when we could find our favorite characters. Megan was a shy little girl and felt the most comfortable with characters that didn’t talk because it meant that she didn’t have to talk either. Her happiness meeting Donald, Minnie, Mickey and the rest of the gang stands out in my memory especially for this reason.

The Family Motto Phase – This will be different for every family – based on your family’s touring style. This is the stage when you are free to go, go, go! No strollers, no naps, everyone’s tall enough to ride everything. We really liked this phase! The Green Family coat of arms is made up of three gold stags on a blue shield with the motto: Virtus Semper Viridis – we convinced our kids that this meant “We’ll rest when we’re dead” and during the post-stroller, post-character phases, we rose early and hit as many attractions as we possibly could before seeing a nighttime spectacular – after which we’d return to our room, collapse, rise and repeat. The motto really means “Virtue is always flourishing” but nobody needed to know that, did they. We felt our five or six days at Walt Disney World was time so precious (and expensive) that to relax at our resort was unproductive. Right or wrong, that’s how we felt and boy, could we get stuff done! We’re still especially guilty of living by the (made up) motto when we visit ports on Disney Cruise Line – we make the most of every minute and return to the ship exhausted.

The Empty Nest Phase – Sounds sad and lonely, but it’s anything but. We can invite our Disney-loving offspring to join us on some trips and sometimes not! Yes, we’re back to vacationing without kids, only this time we know what we’re doing. We know exactly when we want to go (and aren’t vacationing around school and sports), we know where we want to stay, how we want to tour, where we want to eat, and now we know how to relax! Best of all worlds! We’re really making the most of this phase because in the next one, God willing, we’ll be back to the stroller phase again as grandparents… which actually sounds pretty good to us.

How about you? How have your family’s Disney vacations evolved over the years? Which phase are you in now?

Walt Disney and New Orleans

Posted on October 20, 2015 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Walt Disney and New Orleans

I’m fascinated by the connection between Walt Disney and New Orleans. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of exploring the Big Easy – the draw is undeniable. A city like no other, New Orleans leaves visitors with the impression of old world charm, mystery, tradition, funky modern influence, and, yes, a bit of seediness woven in here and there. A unique place, this steamy city on the Mississippi delta made such an impression on Walt Disney, he incorporated her iconic images in Disney parks, resorts and movies.

It’s said that New Orleans was once a contender for the location of Disney World. If this article is true, it’s amazing to think about what might have been! We recently had the chance to head south for the weekend to a wedding in New Orleans. While I’ve been there many times before, this time I tried to look at the city with fresh eyes; tried to picture the streets, the buildings, and the atmosphere as Walt Disney might have seen them so many years ago. While lots has changed in post-Katrina New Orleans, her heart is the same. She’s still mysterious and fascinating – much like you’d expect in a neighborhood founded in 1718, yet full of surprises at the same time.

Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the heart of the French Quarter. It was cloudy and misty, which made it thankfully cooler, but a bit dreary for pictures. We strolled leisurely along Bourbon Street after lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, the Red Fish Grill. Turning right on St. Peter Street, we passed a New Orleans Ghost Tour headquarters, the famous Preservation Hall, and Pat O’Brian’s pub (home of the famous Hurricane) as we headed to Royal Street. Once on Royal, we slowly made our way from the touristy voodoo and souvenir shops to the more upscale boutiques full of antiques, estate jewelry, art, and crystal chandeliers. Street musicians of all types were plentiful and added the perfect soundtrack to our wandering, as special as the city itself. Browsing incredible (and incredibly priced) treasures of all sorts was both interesting and educational. All the while, I tried to imagine Walt and Lillian shopping for the furnishings for Disneyland’s Club 33. It was very easy to do!

Now let’s look at some of the New Orleans influences that can be found in Disney parks and resorts (photos courtesy of Nick Maglio) – Can you tell me where each of these pictures was taken?