Author: Nancy

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of January 3, 2011

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Greetings Disney friends and Happy New Year to all! Hope you all have gotten a great start to 2011! We had a wonderful time celebrating at Disney World last week, and since we’ve been back, I have especially enjoyed reading Disney blogs as a way to help get over my “post Disney trip depression”….  🙂 Here are a few of my favorites for this week:

Chip and Co starts us off with a great post about the many types of Disney World transportation. We especially love the monorail, it is almost like a park ride itself: Half the fun is how you get there. One of the fun things we noticed last week is discussed in this post: H2O to ‘Oh Wow!’: Custodial Cast Members Wow Guests With Water. Those of you who, like me, have grown children, will especially appreciate this post from our friend Brenda: Some Adjustment Required. Lastly, DeAnna gently reminds us to be grateful to be able to stand in lines: The ‘Long’ Line and The ‘Other’ Line

We noticed some fun new burgers when we visited last week, and AJ at the Disney Food Blog has a review: New “Designer” Burgers at Disney World. (We actually tried the one at Rosies at Hollywood Studios, and it was delicious!)

Disney Driven Life has some helpful dining information as well, with a review of  CINDERELLA’S ROYAL TABLE and then Kristen from Cooking with Mickey shares some GENERAL DISNEY DINING PLAN TIPS

Kelly from the Disney Guru discusses one of my new favorite (and hidden!) places at Disney World: Get your afternoon pick me up at Writer’s Stop (It’s where you get the Carrot Cake Cookie!) She also has a great idea for this past Money Saver Monday!! The Disney Treasure Box.

Alright friends, that’s it for this week! Next week, our blog post round-up will move to the weekend, to make room for some special articles from some new Disney friends! Have a magical day!

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of December 27, 2010

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2010 may be coming to a close, but I wouldn’t dream of letting you end this year…and start the next one….without sharing a few favorite Disney blog posts that I came across before we left for Disney World. So raise your glass of champagne in toast to the coming of a New Year….and to our favorite Disney bloggers as well. 🙂

Chip and Company starts us off this week with a great article by Ken: Oldies But Goodies – The Ride Designed With Us In Mind!! and then offers some interesting news about how Disney Tackles Major Theme Park Problem: Lines

Studios Central always shares interesting tips related to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and this week, 2 articles especially caught my eye. One of my favorite things to do there is The Animation Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios . And then if you are wondering what will be new and fun at DHS next year, well they’ve got that too! What’s coming in 2011 to Hollywood Studios

Disney Driven Life discusses a common question for parents who are planning a Disney trip: WHAT’S THE BEST AGE FOR A CHILD’S FIRST WDW VISIT?

DisZine shared some news that just made me smile: Chilean Miners Are Going to Disney World! (And I can’t think of anyone who deserves some pixie dust more!)

Disney Food Blog talks about one of the most popular dinner shows at Disney World in this  Guest Review: Spirit of Aloha Luau Dinner Show

Disney Guru always has great tips for Money Saver Monday!! This week, Kelly talked about how you can Get Your Free Souvenir

Chris at Everything Walt Disney World reviewed one of my favorite Disney shows: Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. (If you didn’t already know….she says it’s great for little boys too!)

Growing Up Disney has a great series this week that is must reading if you…or someone you know…is pregnant and planning a Disney trip: Minnie Moms: Pregnant at WDW, Part 1 and Minnie Moms: Pregnant at WDW, Part 2

Alright Friends, that’s it for this week….and this year! Have a wonderful, safe, healthy, and magical New Year! 🙂

Wordless Wednesday: Ready or not Disney World, Here We Come!!

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This picture pretty much says it all…… 🙂

We leave for Disney World tomorrow morning! I will be sharing some of the highlights on our Facebook page over the next few days, so if you want to follow along to see what it’s like to celebrate the New Year at Walt Disney World…then be sure to stop by to see how things are going! And I will, of course, share some trip reports with you after we get back!

Hope you have a wonderful and magical New Year! See ya real soon!

Our Evolving Disney World Vacation…and Learning to Adjust

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I am a planner by nature….and I love planning a Disney World vacation more than just about anything.

So planning a Disney trip 7-12 months in advance provides plenty to think about prior to the trip, and for the most part, this is a good thing. For example, having the chance to pour over menus, researching various accommodation options, finding fun, new, interesting things to see and do…. all make the time spent while waiting to leave fun…and it goes faster that way too.

The downside of this is when things change. Sometimes they change in minor ways that simply involve changing things like an advanced dining reservation time. On the other hand, sometimes a lot of things end up changing…and changing plans make us planners…well….a little uncomfortable.

Unless you learn, as I am learning on this trip, to just go with the flow. 🙂

Back in May I started documenting my vacation planning for our New Years trip to Walt Disney World. Since that time, there have been a few minor changes to our trip. We have changed:

  1. The number of people going
  2. Where we are staying for all 4 nights (this has changed several times)
  3. Where we are eating (this has changed several times as well)

And we haven’t left yet.

But it’s all good, because it has been a great lesson in flexibility for me. 🙂 I am adjusting as we go, learning to be ok with change, and trying to focus on what really matters: spending a few days with my family in a happy, carefree place.

So, here is what I know about our trip at this moment, 3 days before we leave:

  1. Our flight leaves (weather permitting…yes I worry about this in December) at 6:15 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30
  2. We are now staying the first two nights at Yacht Club. A big surprise and a long story about how this occurred…but we are quite pleased to be within walking distance of Epcot for New Year’s Eve.
  3. We will eat at San Angel Inn our first night and then see the final Candlelight Processional.
  4. New Year’s Eve will be at Epcot (day and evening) and we are eating at Chefs de France.
  5. We are starting New Year’s Day with a big breakfast at Cape May Café
  6. Dinner that evening is at ‘Ohana and then we will visit Magic Kingdom for the last night of Holiday Wishes.
  7. We move to Saratoga Springs for the last 2 nights of our stay on Jan. 1
  8. Dinner our last night is currently at the Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs and then we’ll visit Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
  9. And our flight leaves for home at 6 p.m. on January 3.

This is, of course, all subject to change….which at this point, I am fully expecting it to. 🙂

Beyond this, we will see how things go, which usually works best during this very busy season anyway.

As to my preparations for leaving, seeing that we depart in 3 days? Well, we had that little Holiday over the weekend, so there is a lot left for me to do this week. But I have done our online check-in, ordered our Dining Plans, and cancelled our papers and mail. And I have our DME luggage tags, and Park Hopper passes in hand, so that’s kind of important.

So with daily checks of the weather forecast, we’re in the homestretch and planning for packing has begun. It’s definitely been a “different” kind of trip for me so far…..and to be honest, the planning changes have been kind of fun!

(But shhhhhhh don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to lose my membership in Planners Anonymous! 🙂 )

Want to follow along on our trip? I’ll be posting periodic updates and pictures on our Facebook Page.