disney blogs | The Memorable Journey ~ The Affordable Mouse

Be Our Guest: Disney Author/Blogger Lisa from Chip and Co.

The Affordable Mouse is on vacation this week, at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort. While I’m gone, I am featuring some of my favorite Disney bloggers, for your reading pleasure. We’ll be back next week with the usual schedule….along with a trip report, pictures, and a few surprises. 🙂 Until then, enjoy today’s Guest Blog!

Today’s Guest is Lisa Battista, author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers, and writer for Chip and Co. Lisa shares the perspective of visiting Disney World with little ones, and offers some excellent suggestions for things to keep in mind when touring the Disney theme parks with preschoolers. In today’s post, Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks, Lisa provides some ideas for that most unique challenge: trying to get naptime in while at the Disney parks:

The best laid plans… We took a family trip to Walt Disney World this spring and brought our then fifteen-month old son. He still naps (thankfully) and he’s not the type of kid who can skip some shut-eye during the day unless we want to deal with some cranky meltdowns. And we don’t. Before our trip, I tried to prepare him for sleeping in the Pack N Play and although it worked at night, he would have none of it during the day. So, with a hope and a prayer, sleeping in the stroller while we toured became our Plan B. He was so comfortable in our stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals that many days it worked – but not all. Sometimes the heat, sunshine (even with a great canopy), and sensory stimulation was a bit too much for him to drift off. I needed to improvise and find some attractions that would lull him to sleep. I could then put him in his stroller and he would continue to nap while we toured. It wasn’t my ideal plan but I needed to find a way to get my son the sleep he needed and help the rest of the family enjoy the theme parks.….

You can read the rest here: Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of August 2, 2010

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" August 7, 2010August 6, 2010disney blogs, planning a disney vacation, walt disney world 0 Comment

It’s another Saturday, so that means it’s another trip around the Disney blog world! This week’s is a little shorter than usual: my apologies but I’ve had a lot of packing to do this week for our vacation to Disney’s Hilton Head resort. Next week at The Affordable Mouse will be a little different: I have a Disney Dining post for you on Monday, and hope to have a new Wordless Wednesday post from Hilton Head. 🙂 The rest of the week will be featuring a few of my favorite Disney bloggers as special guests.

For now though, sit back, relax with your beverage of choice, and enjoy reading this week’s Disney Fun From Around the World!

Our friends at Chip and Co always have so much great information, I don’t know how they do it. This week, I especially enjoyed Disney World Quick Tips – How to avoid lines as well as this one from Ken: Oldies But Goodies – Seniors And The Walt Disney World Attractions. If you will be traveling to Disney with grandparents…or if you are one yourself…be sure to read this great post!

I really loved reading this post from the Disney Parks Blog: We Asked, You Told Us: The Attraction That Makes You Feel Most Like a Kid Again. It got me to thinking about what makes ME feel most like a kid at Disney…I’m thinking Peter Pan’s Flight. What about you?

Lot’s of food news at Disney World this week, and of course AJ from the Disney Food Blog is on it! The new pizzeria at Epcot opened officially, and she has pictures: First Look! Epcot Via Napoli Pictures. And this one was important to me personally, as I have been WAITING along with many other folks, to book the 2010 Candlelight Processional and Dinner Packages. AJ has an information page set up on her blog with the latest information about this. If you’re planning to visit during the holidays, the Candlelight Processional is a MUST-SEE!

Resourceful Mommy has some excellent suggestions if you have little ones: Scared at Disney?

And finally, in case you missed it earlier in the week, here is my post at Chip and Co: Getting Around Walt Disney World 🙂

Have a magical weekend and see ya real soon!

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of July 26, 2010

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" July 31, 2010August 2, 2010disney blogs, Disney Vacation Planning, walt disney world 0 Comment

Happy weekend! Time to take a tour of some of the best, most fun, most interesting…and well, my personal favorite…..Disney blog posts over the past week. LOTS to choose from this week, so grab your beverage of choice, put your feet up, and do the next best thing to being AT Disney World….reading about it! 🙂

Starting off this week, was the most recent edition of the Disney Blog Carnival that we were pleased to participate in again. This is always a great way to meet new Disney bloggers: there are some very talented folks writing out there who aren’t well known yet…but this is a way to find some new favorites, so be sure to stop by to say Hi!

AJ over at the Disney Food Blog continues adding to my “must eat” list for our next Disney trip: “The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!” Entrees

Amanda at the Disney College Blog has some excellent thoughts on how she is Allocating Money on a Disney Trip

The Disney Driven Life offered a great perspective this week on MILITARY DISCOUNTS AT DISNEY. This is something that I personally did not know a lot about, but was so happy to learn about. If you are in the military (or know someone who is), be sure to read this for some important information for ways to save at Disney World.

Thrifty and Thriving shared a FANTASTIC idea for ways to really cut your Disney budget. This is a *must read*: Disney on a Budget: We are creating our own FREE Disney Dining Plan!

Zannaland discussed one of my personal favorite things to do at Epcot: A Surprise in Every Shell – Pick A Pearl in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion

Ken from Chip and Co. provided another in his Oldies But Goodies series: “Best Of” Restaurants For Seniors At Walt Disney World, and then Chip offered some important Disneyworld Quick Tips – How to keep a spring in your step (something that I personally learned, many years ago, the hard way…)

And lastly, my article from Chip and Co. this week discussed A Disney World Vacation with Teens and Young Adults

Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did! Have a magical weekend!!

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of July 19, 2010

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" July 24, 2010July 23, 2010disney blogs, planning a disney vacation, walt disney world 0 Comment

I always love doing this post each week, as I get to share some really fun and interesting thoughts from fellow Disney bloggers. Each week I tell you how hard it is to choose: there are soooo many truly talented folks out in Disney “blog-land”! Some posts are fascinating, some are funny, from some I learn something new, and at times I get choked up reading others. Kind of like experiencing Disney itself, isn’t it? 🙂

In any event, here are my favs for this past week!

Loved this post from Traveling Mamas: 10 “beyond the basics” things to pack for a family road trip (Great ideas here!)

We’re now in hurricane season. If you are visiting Disney World between now and November, be sure to read this from The Disney Blog: Hurricanes and Walt Disney World

Always love reading the Disney Food Blog each week! AJ shares the yummiest things! This week, she had a lot of information about this year’s Food and Wine Festival. If you will be there for Food and Wine, be sure to read the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Guide

Speaking of food, the Disney Parks Blog shared a new food item that looks delicious: Belly Up to the (Meatball) Bar at Downtown Disney

Bruce at A WORLD VIEW – Enjoying Walt Disney World had a great article for those of you who are grandparents: Mid-Week Special: Take the Grandkids to Walt Disney World, by Cara Goldsbury (This may be the single biggest reason I look forward to having grandchildren!)

Speaking of grandparents, Chip and Co. has a new writer that is blogging about Disney World for Seniors. Ken had a great article this past week: Oldies But Goodies – “Best Of” Resorts For Seniors At Walt Disney World. Of course there are always so many great posts at Chip and Co.! They now have a great series called We want to hear from you – Disney Reviews by You! where you can write your own reviews for just about anything at Disney World. Here’s your chance to share your favorite Disney ride, resort or restaurant. Don’t be shy! 🙂

And of course, I have to include my post at Chip and Co.: Five Fun (and Free) Things to do at Disney World.

Happy reading everyone! Have a magical weekend and stay cool!

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of July 12, 2010

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" July 17, 2010July 17, 2010disney blogs, planning a disney world vacation, walt disney world 0 Comment

The “world” of Disney bloggers had, as usual, some great articles that I found to be interesting, fun, and very helpful. Following are some of my favorites, that will hopefully be the same for all of you! So grab your beverage of choice, put your feet up, and enjoy reading some Disney fun from around the World!

The Disney Driven Life always provides an interesting Disney perspective. This week they started a series on the many senses of the Magic Kingdom: WALT DISNEY PICTURES PRESENTS: CINDERELLA CASTLE

The folks over at Studios Central provided some helpful information if you are planning on catching a meal at Hollywood Studios with their Free Dining Guide to Hollywood Studio.

Resourceful Mommy shared some New Disney Favorites

Thrifty and Thriving offered some great ideas for an affordable Disney vacation in Disney on a Budget: Few Money Saving Tips for Inside the Parks

Always one of my favorites each week, The Disney Food Blog introduced me to a dessert I have not personally tried, but have heard a lot about: “You Won’t Believe This Snack!”: Carrot Cake Cookie (This is definitely going on my “Food To Do” list. 🙂 )

Over at Chip and Co this week, I especially enjoyed these two great posts: Chris gave us This Mom’s Disney Rules. (this is brilliant by the way, be sure to read it!), and Ken, a new writer there is starting an informative series: Oldies But Goodies – Seniors At Walt Disney World

And finally, I was clearly thinking food this week on my posts at Chip and Co. with 4 Quick Tips for Saving Money on Food at Disney World and Food and Wine Festival Strategies for Saving Money and Your Waistline.

And there you go! Hope you have a magical weekend! 🙂