Tag Archives: WDW

Fantasyland’s Big Top Souvenirs

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If you’ve yet to visit the new Fantasyland expansion, make a plan to stop by Storybook Circus and visit one of the best-themes, coolest shops in the Magic Kingdom.  Today’s installment of Saturday’s With Nick gives us a terrific idea about what can be found under the Big Top!

Fantasyland’s Big Top Souvenirs

By: Nick

Ladies and Gentlemen, please direct your attention to the Storybook Circus portion of the New Fantasyland expansion, to discover the most stupendous, the most terrific, the most fantastic new shopping experience in all of Walt Disney World: Big Top Souvenirs!

That may have sounded like hyperbole, up there, but this really is a fantastic place, with a circus tent atmosphere located in the new Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom next to Pete’s Silly Sideshow.

 

The fun starts before you even get inside the store. On one of the days we visited, 2 Cast Members were out front, and they were pin trading in a new and novel way.

The pins were presented on popcorn themed cushions! Love it!
 
The circus atmosphere continues throughout your shopping or dinning experience.

I did say dining, as there is a snack section and a beverage section. I didn’t have any of the goodies this trip, but will be sure to the next time I go to the circus.

It’s great to see one of my all time favorite characters, Humphrey the Bear, represented. Not familiar with Humphry? Please check out some posts about him here.

There are circus cars all around the store, serving different purposes, such as this embroidery station.

Checkout locations.
They have all sorts of merchandise, from your basic Walt Disney World and Mickey Mouse tees…
… to special items, such as these hats, mugs and plates featuring Dumbo.
So come one, come all, to the newest and best store in all of Fantasyland: Big Top Souvenirs!
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Walt Disney World’s Park Hopper – Yes or No?

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RM-Liberty-Belle-Frontierland-VeiwI love the Friday Five and today is no exception.  I’m providing five reasons to choose (and pay extra for) Disney World’s park-hopper ticket add-on.  Don’t fret though, next Friday I’ll give you five reasons NOT to purchase that option.  Why must I be so contrary?  Well, because I totally understand there are three factors that strongly influence park ticket selection:  The life stage you’re in (for lack of a better way to describe that), your touring style, and where/how you like to enjoy meals.  At Disney World, extra expense often equates to more options and the park-hopper ticket option is the perfect example.

Walt Disney World’s Park Hopper – Five reasons to say YES!

1.  You want to start early and stay late!  Yeah!  You’re speaking my language.  Here’s what we do:  Rope-drop (arrive before the park opens) for EMH (Extra Magic Hour), if possible.  Hit the headliners early then slow it down, wander around taking in the sights, sounds, and smells.  Eat a leisurely lunch and the HOP to the park where we’ve booked FastPasses for the afternoon and evening.  The post lunch hop means you can catch a cat nap on the bus or monorail during the hop – seriously, this is a solid plan!RM-WDW-Entrance

2. You want to book ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) 180 days in advance and not have those choices dictate the park you’ll visit on any given day.  I may want to eat in Epcot’s Le Cellier and I’m okay with scheduling that meal 6 months before I’m going to eat it, but I do NOT want said dinner to completely control my activities for that particular day.  I should be able to spend my time anywhere I want to and then HOP to Epcot for my steak supper!RM-Epcot-Waterway

3. You want choices!  Not an obsessive planner?  Free-styling more your idea of fun?  Book those FastPasses first thing in the morning and then boom, baby!  The rest of the day is your oyster.  Start one day at Animal Kingdom to ride Kilimanjaro Safari early while it’s still relatively cool.  Then check out the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek before hitting Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.  Now you’re free to leave and visit a different park.  You can hop BACK to Animal Kingdom on the afternoon of a different day to see shows like Flights of Wonder, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo-The Musical, and It’s Tough to be a Bug (3D Movie).  Animal Kingdom is absolutely a full-day park, but you can split it into two half-days easily with the park-hopper option.RM-Asia-Sign-Animal-Kingdom

4.  You don’t want to spend all your time in the parks, but when you’re there you want what you want.  Ah, the luxury of time and the ability to enjoy Walt Disney World at your leisure.  If you have a week or longer or are (or planning to be) a frequent visitor, you don’t necessarily have to feel rushed, pressured, and meticulously planned.  You can start the day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Eat lunch in Epcot’s World Showcase.  Spend the afternoon napping or swimming at your resort pool.  Grab a bite to eat in the Magic Kingdom and enjoy Wishes before calling it a day.RM-Cinderella-Castle

5. You love a challenge!  Four parks in one day?  We’ve done it and with a park-hopper ticket, you can too!  We decided on our last day of vacation a few years back that we would each pick an attraction we HAD to visit one last time before we went home.  To do that, we had to visit each park – it was challenging, super fun, and created some really great memories of our last vacation day.  We were too busy to be sad.

Are you pro-park-hopping?  What’s your favorite reason for adding this option?

 

Disney Drinking – Rose & Crown’s Scotch Flight

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RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Landscape2Back in 2014…When my husband, Raymond, and I were planning our 25th anniversary trip to Walt Disney World, mainly to enjoy Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, we had a nearly unobtainable to-try list.  We armed ourselves with lists of foods we wanted to try and dining experiences we’d reserved – mostly, we were going for the limited, special offerings only found during Food & Wine.  Except for one.

Thanks to my friends on the Mighty Men of Mouse Podcast (great, unique show for Disney World fans) I’d heard about an incredible deal and fantastic treat offered as part of the regular menu at the Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot’s United Kingdom pavilion.  It’s the Single Malt Scotch flight – an incredible experience for a relatively great price ($18 as of 1/15).  We are huge fans of single malt scotch and our absolute, hands-down favorite is Lagavulin.  When we heard the flight’s line-up, (Glenkinchie, Oban, Lagavulin) we knew we could not pass up the chance to give it a try.RM-Rose&Crown-Bar

First of all, we love the atmosphere in the Rose & Crown at any time, but during Food & Wine, the place is hopping!  And in a great way.  We were making our way around the World Showcase, having started with the first food booths closest to the Canada pavilion.  We were pacing ourselves, moving with purpose and knocking a bunch of dishes off our must-eat list.  Then – I said, “There’s the Rose & Crown – we’ve got to do the Scotch Flight!”.  We were grinning like crazy as we practically ran through the door.RM-Rose&Crown-Bar-Menu

We were able to step right up to the bar even though there was a big crowd of some pretty happy Epcot guests already there.  We didn’t have to wait long to place our order, but had enough time to strike up conversations with the Texans on our right and the friendly young couple on our left.  When the bar tender asked what he could bring us, we explained the draw was the scotch flight and the Lagavulin, in particular.  Like any well-trained bar tender during Food & Wine, he offered to bring us glasses of ice water to keep us hydrated.  Within a couple of minutes, the scotch flights arrived.RM-Rose&Crown-Scotch-Flight2

We took our time with our samples.  Sipping, savoring, we moved from left to right.  Each scotch had its own personality.  The Glenkinchie was the lightest in color and flavor and very smooth.  The Oban seemed richer, with a smokier aroma and taste, it had more complex layers of flavor to me than the Glenkinchie, but if you’ve ever fallen in love with Lagavulin, you’ll understand why it was our favorite part of this experience.  It’s not for everyone.  Lagavulin has a very strong aroma (or nose, if you prefer) and the smell and flavor of peat smoke (with subtle hints of many other flavors) is what we love about it.RM-Rose&Crown-Scotch-Flight

We stayed in the Rose & Crown for close to an hour chatting with our bar-mates and slowly sipping our scotch.  Yes, this stop did slow us down in our pursuit of the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Food & Wine Festival that day.  But we didn’t mind one bit.

Have you tried a beverage flight at Walt Disney World?  What was it and would you recommend it to us for our next visit?

 

Disney What If – Snacks and Attractions

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RM-Jalapeno-Cheese-PretzelIt’s been a long time since we’ve had an exciting round of What-if Wednesday!  It’s the game where we use our imagination to answer Disney-specific “What-if” questions.  This installment’s question came about innocently enough.  I was (big surprise!) thinking about food.  Then, as usual, my thoughts strayed to Disney food.  I began craving the Jalapeno Cheese Pretzel I like so much in Animal Kingdom.  Once I started daydreaming about Animal Kingdom, I thought of my favorite ride, Expedition Everest.  In my mind I was in Animal Kingdom, eating the pretzel, riding EE!  BOOM!  WHAT IF, we were actually allowed to enjoy our favorite rides/attractions while enjoying our favorite Disney snacks?!?  I threw the question out to you on Facebook and Twitter and WOW!  Big response – It’s good to know I’m not alone in my Disney food and ride daydreaming.  Lots of you weighed in and some of you were incredibly creative!

Without furter ado, here are your answers!  (Note:  If you’re new to the game, I make up the rules and give the points and pick a winner based on nothing that matters in a completely senseless, random process.  So if you didn’t win this time, be sure to play again soon!)

What if you could enjoy a Disney snack while on your favorite Disney attraction?  name the snack/ride combo you’d choose:

Let’s start with Twitter!

The first answer was from @EpcotAKL who suggested A Dole Whip and Spaceship Earth and then politely inquired about my favorite combo.  I felt pretty pitiful admitting to the pretzel on EE after this creative answer that combined a classic Magic Kingdom snack with an Epcot attraction.

As one would imagine, the Dole Whip was a popular choice!RM-Dole-Whip

@distinctlydis thought a classic Dole Whip in the Tiki Room sounded nice. – For a bunch of people this would be Disney park snack/attraction nirvana.  For me…dang it, I just wish I could like a Dole Whip and fit in with the rest of the kids on the playground!

@Chad_Reno13 piped up with “Carrot Cake Cookie on Splash Mountain” YES!  This was the type of creative answer I was hoping for!  Logistical improbability aside, the famous Carrot Cake Cookie from the Writer’s Stop in the Studios combined with a ride through the briar patch. Zip-a-Dee–Doo–Dah!!!

@MSimbaspride wanted “Tasty popcorn on Tower of Terror”  Let’s think about this for a minute – while the elevator is going down and the popcorn rises out of its container, you could make a game of trying to catch a couple of bites before…well….I can tell this needs more consideration, but FUN thinking there, Michele!

@ModernMouseJosh had a simple, but classic wish with, “I’d eat a churro while riding the Jungle Cruise.”  I was down right flabbergasted that this was our only churro-lover to answer!RM-Churro

@theWDWblog voted for a margarita from @cavadeltequila & Tower of Terror, but worried, “I’d better chug it down quickly” – and also added “for a food option I’m going with a carrot cake cookie from the Writer’s Stop too.”

@CT_Mickey_Man wished for “Fish ‘n Chips with a Bass on Ellen’s Energy Adventure” and I could not argue with the brilliance of that plan!!!  After noshing on Yorkshire County’s best dish, I’d need a nap and would conveniently already be in one of my favorite siesta locations in Epcot.

Now, my friend @GeekinOnWDW had to suggest “Kitchen Sink on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster” – which, of course would be a very tragic disaster indeed, but oh, so funny to imagine!

@DLRpodcast would be happy with a “Citrus Swirl on Splash Mountain, just would have to finish it before the drop!”  I say what fun is that?  Live dangerously!

@brandongradelle was another tequila fan and suggested “@cavadeltequila dole whip on the peoplemover” – this was well-played to me.  Double parks, spiked yet refreshing snack choice (if you like a Dole Whip, that is) on a crazy chill ride.  I really liked this idea!

If @RLShack could score a sarsaparilla, he’d be drinkin’ it on the Carousel of Progress!  Points for choosing what I consider to be the most underappreciated attraction in the World!

@whitetimothyd would be going for a BIG snack! “a Maelstrom margarita with chips and queso from @cavadeltequila on Carousel of Progress”.  This kicks @RLShack’s plan up a notch and I love the addition of the new tribute-to-Maelstrom cocktail.RM-Liberty-Belle-Haunted-Mansion-View

@EPCOT_Prime would be going for a meal!  Admittedly taking some liberties with the concept, the plan would be,  “Prime Rib from Le Cellier whilst riding Haunted Mansion”…which begs the question:  Who wouldn’t want to do that?!?

@smurflufe agreed with @brandongradelle, commenting “Pour me one. That sounds relaxing.  Or a Dole Whip in the Tiki Room”.

@NickWayMania actually went for partial-healthiness! “caramel & apples on the Peoplemover”.

PeopleMover

Drying off on the PeopleMover after getting soaked on Splash

@Xaan was the final Twitter contributor with another vote for “Dole Whip + Peoplemover”

Over on Facebook, the comments were just as creative!

Laura L. jumped right on in with the popular Dole Whip, but was the first person who wanted to enjoy it on It’s a Small World!RM-It's-a-small-world1

Heather B. thought a Mickey ice cream sandwich on Haunted Mansion would provide chills and chills!!!  Heather’s clever like that!

Walt Express’s Amanda wanted “Peter Pan’s Flight and a funnel cake (kind of messy, but oh well)” – Sounds pretty good to me!

Kendra F. wanted a pretzel on It’s a Small World, which would certainly bring two great classics together.  I’d give everyone on It’s a Small World a pretzel if I could – it would keep them from singing along.  Or using flash photography.

AND THE WINNER IS:  @whitetimothyd!!!  I cannot think of anything I’d enjoy more while watching the years pass in the Carousel or Progress than snacking away on a Maelstrom margarita and chips and queso from @cavadeltequila.  Congratulations, Tim!

Watch Facebook and Twitter for the next chance to play What-if Wednesday!!!