Thrifty Thursday: Pleasantly Surprised at Epcot

The Land pavilion inside Future World at Epcot is a busy place. At any given time, there is a great deal of activity inside The Land which houses The Garden Grill Restaurant, Sunshine Seasons Food Court, the Circle of Life attraction, character meet n greets, and the wildly popular attraction, Soarin’. In the back, right corner of the first floor of the pavilion, there is a lesser-known, but very impressive, attraction called Living with the Land. Lines are usually of acceptable length and due to the high capacity of this attraction, they usually move quickly.

I am not a studious person, but more of a fun-loving one. I would not forego a fun ride for an intellectual tour. For years, my family and I avoided Living with the Land because we didn’t want to miss out on fun rides in order to watch an agricultural film about growing plants. Several years ago, we went ahead and tried it. We were so pleasantly surprised at how interesting and enjoyable this ride was. It was a very nice surprise that has become a must-do on every trip now. If you have avoided this ride for the same reason, I hope you will give it a try during your next visit.

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Tuesday Disney Tips: Help with Disney Dining Questions

There are few things that brighten my day more than having someone who has never been to Walt Disney World contact me for help with their first ever trip. I get so excited for them and I really appreciate having the pleasure of helping them to plan such an important family trip.

No, I am not a travel agent nor do I have the skills of a travel agent. All I can offer is my advice from my own personal experiences and the first-hand knowledge gained from my travels to WDW this past many years. My children are always telling me I should go back to school and become a Disney travel agent but, as I tell them, I am looking forward to actually being able to stop working one day not start a whole new career from scratch. If I had known 20 years ago what I know now, that is exactly the path I would have taken.

Now, back to the reason for my post today. I was recently contacted by a very sweet lady named Andrea. She had some questions regarding her upcoming first-time Disney trip and I was very happy to help her. I thought that maybe others were having the same questions as she and so I thought I would share the advice I gave to her during our correspondence.

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Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of January 31, 2011

Happy Saturday Disney friends! It’s the Super Bowl weekend here in the US: will you be watching? Here at the Affordable Mouse House we are excited to cheer on our Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow! And speaking of Super….(you knew it was coming, didn’t you??)….I have some SUPER Disney blog posts for you this week. 🙂

So before you get the wings, nachos, and beer ready (or whatever your beverage of choice will be), relax for a few minutes and take a look at all the points scored by these great Disney bloggers:

Let’s start off with our friends at Chip and Co: Debra shared some great souvenir ideas at Downtown Disney: Create-Your-Own & Customizable Souvenirs and Gifts. Meanwhile, Ken discussed something that everyone should try to do at the parks, no matter your age…but ya gotta get there when they open…Disney’s Animal Kingdom Opening Ceremony – Kinda’ Fun (And note that each park has their own version!) Then Lisa shared why Disney never gets old, as she looked at all the things at Walt Disney World that will be new to her on their next trip (which we hope is soon Lisa!): Doesn’t Disney World Get Old?

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Escape to the Border: Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Photo courtesy of mousebuzz.com

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort offers stunning American Southwest and Mexican architecture. Named after Francisco de Coronado, the Spanish explorer that traveled Mexico and the American Southwest, Disney’s Coronado Springs resort is located very close to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

El Centro……

Upon arriving at Coronado Springs Resort the southwest theme is in full swing. From the music to the décor one truly gets the impression that they are a world away from home.  El Centro is the main building at Coronado Springs, not only will you check in here but you will also find that Panchito’s Gift Shop, Café Rix, The Pepper Market, Rix Lounge and The Maya Grill are all conveniently  located in this one building.

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Thrifty Thursday: A Sentimental Disney Journey on a Beautiful Antique Horse

People often ask me, “Are you a Disney freak?” Surprisingly, the answer is no. I tell them that I am a Walt Disney and Walt Disney World freak. I am a student of Walt Disney. Like my dad, Walt was a man who loved spending time with his family. It was during one of his traditional Saturday outings with his daughters, in fact, that he first got the idea for Disneyland. He explained it this way:

“Well, it came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy’s day with the two daughters. So we’d start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things. I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round. Sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts. I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together.”

The merry-go-round Walt referred to was actually a carousel similar to the one found in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom (pictured above). No matter how many times I visit WDW, I feel the same gentle tug at my heartstrings as I walk toward Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, formerly Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. I can’t help but reflect on Walt’s words as I stare at this antique treasure in motion. As all the little princes and princesses go around, I revel in the thought that he would have loved to have seen all that’s been created for families to spend magical moments together.

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