As you count down the days until vacation, the excitement grows, as does the anxiety, as you begin to think about all you’ll be leaving behind. This is especially true if you’re a first time Disney traveler, and it can become quite stressful. Allow me to offer some suggestions and solutions for some of those potential problems:
There is a great family attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and that is Toy Story Midway Mania! Wildly popular since its opening, it is still the ride to make a mad dash to upon park opening as the wait can often climb to an hour and a half and Fastpasses are usually completely gone by noon.
What’s red, orange, yellow, green, and loved by kids all over? Well, Itzakadoozie!
This cold and refreshing treat is one of the snack offerings at the Disney parks and resorts. An Itzakadoozie is a 10-inch long popsicle with different flavors intermixed. Despite the fact that it is not chocolate, which I won’t hold against it, it is a great snack for kids and adults alike. All the kids seem to really like them, and I enjoy them myself; mainly because I cannot get them at home.
These treats are part of the Disney Dining Plan Snack List, and are sold at almost all the ice cream carts at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I have not seen them at the Animal Kingdom Park, however. At Epcot, you can also find them at Princess Storybook (Norway), the Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons (The Land). They are sold at the ice cream cart at Downtown Disney (which is where this picture was taken), as well as many of the Disney resorts. At Blizzard Beach you can find them at the Warming Hut, Frostbite Freddies, and Expeditions.
In preparation for our trip, Susan and I have been making some very important notes about things we want to do and see – and eat – at Walt Disney World. One of our favorite meals can be found right at our resort. This gem at the Riverside Mill Food Court at the Port Orleans Riverside is called the Create-Your-Own-Pasta Bar.
What’s not to love? Disney and pasta – they had us at hello!
At a price of just under $11, the Create-Your-Own-Pasta Bar is offered daily from 11:00 a.m. to midnight. On one of my previous trips, we drove for 17 hours straight and arrived at the resort at 8:30 p.m. We were all starving, so we decided to check in and then go on over to the Riverside Mill food court to eat dinner. I grabbed a tray, looked around at the signs that listed the available entrees, saw the word “pasta” and I was all over it. The cast member pulled out a bowl-shaped container and asked me what all I wanted in my pasta. There was an extensive list of ingredients from which to choose:
photo via http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/5488834928/
Many folks (including myself) have found Disney’s “Let the Memories Begin” promotion this year to be a touching way to celebrate something that we all….Disney veteran or first-timer….associate with a Disney vacation: the opportunity to create special, lasting memories with those we love. Few things are more precious…or priceless….than these moments we share with family and friends on a Disney vacation.
I bring this up because, I am getting ready to leave for vacation next week, and while I wish I could say that we were going to be traveling to Walt Disney World, I am still excited nonetheless to have a chance to unwind at the beach for an entire week. Now, those of you who have been regular readers of The Affordable Mouse for a while, know that when I go on vacation, I like to bring you guys back a souvenir or two as giveaways. 🙂 And as I talked about this with our wonderful writers, we thought it might be fun to tie my vacation giveaway for you into some fun and games as well, all celebrating what Disney does best…create memories.