In just over a week, one of the coolest parts of the Disney Christmas Season will begin: the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. If you have a visit to Walt Disney World planned in the next few months, you have GOT to put this on your Must-Do list! Here’s a preview of what you can expect to see (but trust me on this: photos and videos do NOT do this justice at all….): Read more
What to Do at Disney World
Thrifty Thursday: Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2012
Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: six words that are sweet, delicious music to every Disney foodie’s ears.
Walking around the World Showcase, sipping and snacking, is a great way to spend an afternoon (or two … or three) during Food and Wine, but it’s not exactly the most cost-effective way to get your Disney dining done.
But never fear! I’ve been to the Food and Wine Festival, and I’ve got you covered. Here are my top five picks for the thriftiest treats at this year’s festival:
1. Pumpkin Mousse from Hops and Barley (American Adventure)
Not only is this the cheapest eat on my list at $1.50, it’s also my all-time favorite Food and Wine snack. Yes, it’s small, but there are four or five good bites here, and every one of them is delicious. It’s got cool, creamy pudding, chewy craisins and a little bit of crunch from the oat crumble topping. Perfect, delicious and thrifty.
Magical Mouse Schoolhouse: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort
One of the things that I have always loved about Walt Disney World is how easily you can “learn” there: while the parks, resorts, and even restaurants offer tons of ways to be entertained, what may be one of Disney’s best kept secrets is that there are a seemingly limitless number of ways to learn as well. What’s that you say? Learning can be fun???
This is actually the premise for one of my favorite websites – Magical Mouse Schoolhouse – which is devoted to the idea that you can “learn while you play at Walt Disney World”. The brainchild of Jodi Whisenhunt, Magical Mouse Schoolhouse was developed to be a resource for homeschooling families. As Jodi writes, “children and their parents can think outside the textbook and stretch the walls of the home classroom with Walt Disney entertainment”.
Based the success of her website, Jodi has now authored an entire book filled with ideas on how to use the Walt Disney World resort to make learning fun for kids of all ages: Magical Mouse Schoolhouse: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort. Read more
Impressions of the New Fantasyland Dress Rehearsal: Part Two
Editor: My friend, Lisa Battista, author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers recently was at Walt Disney World, and had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the new Fantasyland expansion. On Friday, she shared Part One of her experiences. Today she provides more details! 🙂
My family was in Walt Disney World when the New Fantasyland was in dress rehearsal. We rushed over and sure enough it was still open when we arrived late in the afternoon. Read more
Impressions of the New Fantasyland Dress Rehearsal
Editor: My friend, Lisa Battista, author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers recently was at Walt Disney World, and had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the new Fantasyland expansion. Today she shares Part One of her experiences. Be sure to check back on Monday for Part Two.
Friday was going as planned. It was my family’s last day in the theme parks and we spent the morning at Epcot before returning for a relaxing afternoon of packing, baths for the kids, and my preschooler’s nap – or so we thought. I logged onto Facebook and everything changed in an instant. The New Fantasyland was soft opening! Baths could wait and packing could be done in the wee hours. My mom and I hopped a bus with my first-grader to the Magic Kingdom while my husband stayed back with my sleeping son. Read more