Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

Exploring Discovery Island-Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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If you’ve visited here before, you may have noticed what a HUGE Animal Kingdom fan I am – Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Maharajah Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail are some of my most favorite attractions at Walt Disney World.  It’s the incredible theming and the perfection of those Disney details everywhere you look that make me love this park so much.  That’s why I chose this particular post from Disney Musings to share with you today for Saturdays With Nick.  The artistic details and interesting animal exhibits of Discovery Island are even more reason to love Animal Kingdom.  If you have never taken the time before or are planning your first visit to Walt Disney World, I whole-heartedly recommend taking some extra time to check out this amazing area.

Exploring Discovery Island-Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The Tree of Life is Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s majestic centerpiece.

There are 300 animals carved in this iconic symbol.

There is a wonderful and often overlooked area that gets you closer to this amazing display of artistry called the Discovery Island Trails.

I say often overlooked because every time we’ve visited this serene area, it is relatively uncrowded.
There are wooden foot bridges and tunnels.

Animals you may spot along these paths include White Storks, Asian Small-Clawed Otters, Red Kangaroos…

…West African Crowned Cranes, African Crested Porcupines, Galapagos Tortoise, Lesser Flamingos, Macaws, Saddle-Billed Storks,  Lappet Face Vultures, and Ring-Tailed Lemurs.

If you want to get off the beaten path at the Animal Kingdom, take a stroll along the Discovery Island Trails.

For more Disney adventures with Nick and Barbie, follow Disney Musings on your favorite social media:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

A Leisurely Stroll Through Hollywood

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Disney's-Hollywood-StudiosTiki Keith is BACK!  Straight from the Tiki Hut and the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast, please welcome once more, my very good friend and fellow Disney fanatic, Keith.  To hear more about Keith’s passion for all things Disney, listen to the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast, follow Keith on Twitter, and Like Enchanted Tiki Talk on Facebook.

A Leisurely Stroll Through Hollywood – by Keith from Enchanted Tiki Talk

Admittedly Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a park in transition. With constant rumors (some slips and confirmations) there is no doubt that the future is brighter than the present. However, it is still one of my favorite parks. The reasons why might surprise you.

Unlike most people I don’t stampede the crowd at rope drop and run to either Rockin’ Roller Coaster or Toy Story Midway Mania. Thankfully, I am big enough where most people avoid me like a bull in Spain. Rather than goring unsuspecting guests I like to take my time and enjoy the finer points of the park.Twilight-Zone-Tower-of-Terror

One of my favoite things is to stop and watch are the Citizens of Hollywood. They are a group of comedians, “magicians”, keystone cops, etc who love to put on shows in the street. They always draw a crowd and pull you into their scenes.Citizen-of-Hollywood

Drawing on my childhood memories Muppet*Vision 3D is a can’t miss show. The queue line is one of the best (check under the mat), and the show itself puts you in the theater for a wild ride with the Muppets.Muppets in Disney's Hollywood Studios

Recently sponsored by Turner Classic Movies, The Great Movie Ride is still an amazing attraction. You are literally put into scenes from some of the most treasured films of all time.

There is also a fitting tribute that most people walk right past. If you look above the Hollywood and Vine restaurant. There is a window tribute to Eddie Valiant and the silhouette of Roger Rabbit. Who Framed Roger Rabbit in my opinion is a far underrated film that needs more appreciation in the parks.Walt Disney: One Man's Dream / Disney's Hollywood Studios

Lastly, I will leave you with my favorite non thrilling part of Disney’s Hollywod Studios. Walt Disney’s One Man’s Dream is maybe the most important attraction in the park. Most people run right past it stampeding to Toy Story Midway Mania. However, I feel it is important to teach and show every generation that Walt Disney is more than the name on the front gate. This attraction is a two part look into Walt’s life and imagination. The first part is a walkthrough museum. You can see a recreation of Walt’s office, models of them park lands, early artifacts from films, and even some of his miniature sets. Then you go into a theater to watch a film about his life in his own words. His story of perseverance, imagination, and hard work should be shown to this and every future generation. Not only to help inspire new dreamers, but to keep Walt’s legacy alive.Street-in-DHS

So the next time you feel the strong breeze of people running by you. Don’t run with them, walk the other way and take your time to enjoy the finer points of this wonderful park.

Disney Dining – Beaches and Cream’s Kitchen Sink

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If you have a sweet tooth, this post is for you!  Today, Nick’s wife Barbie shares their experience at Beaches and Cream (located between Disney’s Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts).  Barbie, Nick and their friends conquered The Kitchen Sink – the craziest ice cream sundae in the World!!!  (See the complete Beaches and Cream Soda Shop menu here.)

Disney Dining – Beaches and Cream’s Kitchen Sink

Imagine going into a restaurant and ordering a Kitchen Sink, and you really get the kitchen sink! Despite the fact that it was freezing cold and January, that’s what my husband and I did with our friends, Kandi and John. The lights in the restaurant dimmed, you could hear the crowd hush and people started clapping and ta dah! This is what was delivered to our table!

 Here’s a listing of what this amazing dessert includes:
(thank you to disneyparks.com for this thorough breakdown) 

  • fudge topping, warmed
  • butterscotch topping, warmed
  •  peanut butter topping, warmed
  • 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
  • 1 cinnamon spice cupcake, quartered
  • 1 angel food cupcake, quartered
  • 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
  • 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
  • 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
  • 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  •  marshmallow crème
  •  strawberry topping
  •  pineapple topping
  • 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
  • 1 brownie, quartered
  • 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
  • 4 chocolate cookies (oreos-basically) with cream filling
  • 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
  • 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slice
  • 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
  • 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
  • 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries
Barbie, Kandi, John, Nick

Look at us, we didn’t know what we were getting into! We couldn’t stop laughing once we saw what this was, and it was ours! The question now, could we finish it off? It’s a long list of ingredients, too many to ponder on for any length of time…so did we finish it, and was it any good? Well, the consensus was that it was an fun and awesome dessert, that definitely needs to be shared with good friends; and yes, we absolutely were able to finish it off, and almost wound up licking the sink clean!!

Don’t get the wrong idea, we’re not done yet in this pic!

For more adventures with Barbie and Nick, follow Disney Musings on social media:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

 

Geekin’ on Disney Trip Planning

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Meeting TiggerPlease join me in welcoming back another one of my favorite Disney podcast hosts, Curtis Stone.  Curt and his daughter, Lindsay, (and a bunch of special guests) can be found (I should really say heard) weekly on the Geekin’ on WDW Podcast.  If you haven’t yet listened to an episode of this show, you really need to give it a try – it’s another great podcast to keep you going between Disney vacations.  You can also follow the Geekin’ on WDW on Facebook and you can follow Curt on Twitter.

Geekin’ On Disney Trip Planning – By Curtis Stone

I’m excited again to make a trip down to Disney World. I think I’m on number 20. I’ll have to get back to you on that. When I tell people at work that I’ll be “Out of Office” next week, they say, “What are you going to Disney?” I excitingly say “Yes” and proceed to tell them a small pre-trip report. For you guys, I’m giving you a full pre-trip and I hope you can sense my excitement once again for my trip “Home”.

Purpose

This trip has a bit of a purpose to start. My wife and I will be flying with my youngest (19) to Ft. Lauderdale. He’s attending a college level baseball training program for the next two months. I’ve never been to either coast of Florida. It will be fun to check out the baseball facilities and see the Atlantic Ocean from the deep South. We’ll just stay one night there, rent a car and drive up on Monday morning to Disney World.

Curtis on Splash MountainSecond, purpose of trip is to spend some time with our daughter Lindsay who’s been participating in the Disney College Program since February. The three of us are the total Disney Geeks of the family and we always have a great time. Smiles never leave our faces as we enjoy all aspects of the resorts and parks.

Must Do’s

I like to build a list of Must Do’s for every trip I take to the World. One of the great things about hosting a Disney World Podcast is that I get lots of great ideas from my guests and friends I’ve made. It’s amazing to me that I continually get new suggestions of things to try. Plus, Disney World has been creating new things on such a rapid pace, there will be new things since my last trip in February of this year.

The List In No Particular Order

Polynesian DVC

We bought DVC at Bay Lake Tower about 5 years ago. Love it!

RM-Polynesian-SignLove it so much, I seem to always be in a deficit when it comes to points. Our use year is June and our 2016 points become available on June 1st this year. We love the Polynesian and it was the first deluxe resort our family ever stayed at when the kids were young. We always dreamed of the day they would expand to include DVC rooms. I can’t wait for our 3 night stay in one of the new deluxe studios. I promise to do some live trip recordings for the podcast describing the entire resort. We could only get 3 nights so we’ll spend one night at Bay Lake Tower.

Hoop De Doo

Hoop-Dee-Doo-Musical-ReviewI can’t believe we’ve never attended the Hoop De Doo Revue. I’ve begged my wife and she’s never caved until this trip. We’ve had so many friends talk about this dinner show over the years. I can’t wait to check this out.

German ChallengeGermany-Pavilion-Beer

This one comes from a podcast episode where Erika Murphy suggested to me but didn’t tell me what it was. I still don’t know what it is but I have to believe it has something to do with beer. My intention is to walk up to the Beer attendant in the German Epcot pavilion and ask them to surprise me.

Scotch Flight

RM-Rose&Crown-Scotch-Flight2This one is inspired by our host blogger, Lisa. I’ve had every intention of trying this out on my last trip but was denied. It’s a big priority for my next World Showcase adventure.

After Hours at Epcot

I listed this one because we did it last year in Italy and really enjoyed it. It was a drink flight and cheese platter after Illuminations. It now appears they won’t be doing this again this year. In it’s place, we’ve booked a dessert party with drinks during Illuminations. They rope off a prime spot for viewing Illuminations and we can have a little relaxing party. Cool!

Splitsville

I keep hearing great things about the food at Splitsville. I’d like to check it out as well as take a long walk to see all the things happening at Downtown Disney.

Tonga Toast

My wife had Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe back in the day. I wished I’d tried it then. I’m thinking I can get one or two over at Captain Cooks on one of my early morning strolls through the resort for my coffee. This is one of my favorite times of the day. It will be fun and relaxing to sip my coffee and enjoy my first Tonga Toast outside on the Captain Cooks patio with all the beautiful surroundings.

Lava Pool

We received a letter from Disney explaining some of the continued construction at the resort which includes the “quiet” pool still under construction during our stay. The good news is that the main Lava pool is complete. I can’t wait to check out the new pool. I’m hoping I get some down time on this trip.

Pork Nachos

A recent guest on our podcast, David Castro, raved about the Pork Nachos at Capt Cooks at the Polynesian. Nachos and Pork separated are two of my main food groups. Putting them together intrigues me. David assures me I won’t be disappointed. He describes the spice and deliciousness so intently. Yum…

American Music Machine

The American Adventure / Epcot / Walt Disney WorldI’m a little disappointed I’ll be too late for the Flower and Garden Festival and too early for the Summer Concert Series music acts. I really love the music shows over at the American Pavilion in Epcot. Luckily, Epcot has added this new music group. I’ll get a fresh American beer and relax to the Summer breeze and cool music.

Star Wars Lounge

My daughter Lindsay recently tried out the Star Wars lounge at Hollywood Studios that is there for Star Wars weekends. It’s one of the main goals for me while I’m over there. I heard our friend Nick Maglio had some fun with friends, drinks and characters.

Mickey Pants Sundae

My wife and I were really disappointed when we were last in Disney World and the entire resort ran out of the Mickey Pants Sundae. We love ice cream and we both need to score this treat this time.

Avocado Margarita

Anyone who’s listened to a few of our podcast shows knows how much we love the Margarita stand in the Mexican pavilion of World Showcase. Simply the best in all the World and always an 11am must do for us. It’s just our thing, baby. We also like to get retrained on how to drink tequila shots in the bar inside of Mexico. It’s fun to interact with the bartenders there. I’ve had samples of the Avocado Margaritas but never a full drink. I must rectify this issue.

Yak and Yeti Quick Serve

RM-Yak-&-Yeti-Menu-BlueAlthough I’m a huge BBQ guy and the Flame Tree BBQ restaurant should be reopened, I’m excited to finally try the quick service at Yak and Yeti. I was on my way there for lunch on my last trip when we were interrupted by Lindsay to have lunch somewhere else. Denied again. I must try this one out this trip.

Trader Sam’s Grotto

Let me finish with my biggest one. We are really excited to check out this new lounge at the Polynesian. It sounds like fun with great drinks and atmosphere. Our kind of place. My intention is to copy a trick from Lisa, Dave and Nick’s recent podcast on resort loop hopping. We’ll start at Trader Sam’s for food and drinks and then do the same at Grand Floridian and Contemporary with a finish at the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian. I’ll add a cheese plate or two also.

I may come up with more but this is a pretty good start of fun stuff to explore on this upcoming trip. We’ve not booked too many restaurants or fast passes. We do have Boma one night and Hoop De Doo. I’m hoping this is a bit relaxing instead of the usual commando style we’re accustomed too. It’s a bit shorter than a full week and it’s sure to go fast. Check out our podcast in June if you’d like to hear my live trip reporting where I’ll describe my trip everyday as it happens.

If you have more suggestions, please leave them in the comments. I’m always ready to hear more advice to add more fun to my trip.