We started reserving character meals years ago when my children were small. To keep costs down, we only incorporated one or two into our trips. One of the best things about receiving the free dining promotion for the past couple of years has been the opportunity to dine at many more character meals. I wanted to share a pictorial review of one of our favorites — Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner in the 1900 Park Fare. Read more
What to Do at Disney World
Ask Amy: Disney Travel Tips For Busy Seasons

Most travel guides will advise you to save money and time by visiting Walt Disney World in value seasons – times in which lines are lighter and crowds less dense. But sometimes school schedules, business obligations and life events prohibit such luxury. You may have to travel during peak, holiday or summer seasons or not visit Disney at all. We wouldn’t want that, would we?
So let’s make Pink Parrot Lemonade out of lemons and get the most out of the busy season. Read more
Planning a Disney Vacation: Don’t Take My World for It
Editor’s note: I’m on vacation this week, so in my absence I am sharing with you a post that I wrote a while back…with some advice that is, I think, always worth repeating! Enjoy!! ~ Nancy
Chances are you may have noticed that those of us who are travel agents and members of the Disney blogging community tend to preach one thing when it comes to Disney vacations: PLAN! 🙂
Chances are also that you may have noticed that there are quite a few of us “out there” talking about planning Disney vacations. In fact, if you have found this blog, I’m pretty sure you have found other Disney blogs too, in addition to some Disney-oriented message boards, Disney podcasts and assorted other Disney information sites. And that doesn’t even count the many Disney books and magazines out there as well.
Under the Sea at Disney’s Newest Resort
For the past couple of months, I’ve talked about staying at the Boardwalk, a Disney Deluxe Resort. This month we are taking a trip to the newest Disney resort, the Art of Animation. Art of Animation (AofA) is a value resort, but trust me this not your typical resort. The resort is located across the bridge from Pop Century. As you pull up to AofA, you are welcomed by a large, colorful sign that helps to promote the playful atmosphere of the resort.
The lobby is decorated by sketches from Disney animated movies on the wa
lls and as the chande
lier. We stayed at the resort within the first month of opening last year so the check-in process was a bit hectic to say the least, which gave us plenty of time to look at everything.
The “food court,” Landscape of Flavors, is phenomenal. We could have easily eaten every
meal here without repeating a dish. We grabbed our first dinner from the make your own pasta bar the day we arrived, so we could fuel up before hitting Epcot. I loved the cupcakes for dessert; they made a great breakfast for the next morning. 🙂
Art of Animation has some unique decorations to keep you entertained as you walk the campus to get to the main building where the bus stop, food court, gift shop, etc are located.
There are 4 areas- Lion King, Little Mermaid, Cars, and Finding Nemo. The Nemo section, fittingly, has the property’s
largest pool called The Big Blue Pool. One thing I liked is that you had to use your Key to the World card to access the pool areas.
Many of the rooms are family style suites with the ability to sleep a larger family of 6. There are standard rooms in the Little Mermaid
section which sleep 4. My husband enjoyed our stay in the Little Mermaid section.
I’ve noticed that prices seem to be a little higher for AofA than other value resorts, but in my opinion it is totally worth it! Can’t wait to stay here again.
Have a Magical Day!
Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple and STRESS FREE! And for a limited time only, receive a FREE Disney gift card for qualifying Disney vacation packages! Ask for details!
Adrienne is originally from the Chicago area but lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She went to Disneyland when she was 7, which started her love of Disney. She even named one of her dogs after her favorite princess, Aurora. She and her husband celebrated their honeymoon at Walt Disney World in 2007 and have returned for every anniversary. They have stayed at variety of resorts on property and traveled with friends and family. Adrienne and her husband bought into DVC in May 2011 and rewarded themselves with their first fall trip for some of the special events. Adrienne and her husband consider WDW their “second home” and have become the go-to people for any Disney related questions and advice from friends, families, and acquaintances.
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Thrifty Thursday: Free Fun with Hidden Mickeys
This is a really fun activity to do while in Disney. You really don’t even need the “Hidden Mickey” book for this fun and FREE game, just play the old fashioned way and scope them out. We all know the classic shape of our favorite mouse…

Well…he is hidden in secret places all over the World! Seriously, look at your resort bed spread, or at the plate you get at dinner, or around you in line…they are everywhere! Read more
