T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Inside The “Fantasy”

I just got back from a cruise – and it was an amazing time! My husband and I sailed to Key West FL and Cozumel Mexico and got to snorkel, shop, and enjoy the sun and warm weather.

Our vacation was not a Disney Cruise, but it DID get me to thinking – if I love cruises and Disney so much, why haven’t I combined those two and seriously considered booking a Disney Cruise for us?

So, I did some research on Disney’s newest ship, the Disney Fantasy, and here is what I found:

 
It’s breathtaking, even from the outside!

A beautiful grand atrium where you are greeted by none other than Minnie herself

Nautical themed staterooms with that touch of “Mouse” décor

Lots of dining and entertainment options, both for families with kids and adults too

A huge pool complete with Mickey design and a water slide

 

Disney Cruises can take you to places like Alaska, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Europe and more! Check it out here to see where they can take you

There are few things better than sipping a fruity drink while sunbathing on the deck of a cruise ship – if you haven’t experienced this, I suggest you get on it, pronto!

TGIF!

“Cruise” Away To Your Own Private Island With Disney

Two weeks from today, my husband and I head off on a much needed vacation. Where are we headed? The answer may surprise you, because it’s not Disney – we are actually headed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise that will take us to Key West, FL and Cozumel Mexico while we enjoy the sun, tall fruity drinks, snorkeling, delicious cuisine, and much more! We are VERY excited about this trip, and have been looking forward to it for quite some time now!

Cruises are a great way to get away and see some new places and experience new things, and one of the best things about them is that they are usually pretty reasonably priced – so it really makes for a perfect vacation!

Now I know I have mentioned the Disney Cruise Line before, and there are plenty of reasons why you could choose to set sail with Disney, and one of the best ones in my personal opinion is Disney’s Castaway Cay – Disney’s privately owned island getaway in the Bahamas. Guests embarking on Disney’s Bahamas and Caribbean bound cruise ships will get a chance to spend a day here – among the clear water, white sand, and palm trees

 

You can snorkel, swim, sunbathe, enjoy an “adults only” beach, get a massage, shop for souvenirs, and enjoy some delicious BBQ food while spending the day on Castaway Cay

This private island is just one of the perks of taking a cruise with Disney – Click Here to check out the Disney Cruise Line and to see if it’s right for you!

2012 – A BIG Year For Disney!

I was browsing the Disney Parks Blog and came across this interesting post, talking about the Top 5 Entertainment Changes At the Disney Parks in 2012.

So what was Disney up to in 2012? Well here are a few things that kept them pretty busy….

1. Launch of the Disney Fantasy – The Disney Cruise Line added another majestic ship to it’s fleet, full of family friendly fun entertainment options!

2. Disneyland Paris Celebrates 20 Amazing Years – And what better way to celebrate than with a new parade and fireworks show! Disney often changes up their parades and nighttime shows, which always keeps guests coming back for more! I hope to someday make it to this Park, maybe as a 10th anniversary celebration? Mickey plus the most romantic city in the world definitely sounds like a winner to me!

3. Disney California Adventure Gets an Overhaul – This California Themed Park got a facelift this year, plus they added Cars Land, dedicated to the Disney Pixar movies. I am planning a trip to Disneyland in 2014, and can’t WAIT to see all the new entertainment options available, plus there is nothing quite like visiting Disneyland (since it IS the Park where it all started!)

4. Unveiling of the New Fantasyland – Walt Disney World went through some major changes, adding a whole new Fantasyland which includes new restaurant, ride, and entertainment options. including a circus themed area where you can take a ride with Dumbo, and the addition of the Beast’s Castle and “Be Our Guest” restaurant. I was lucky enough to visit Disney in April, and I was able to experience parts of the New Fantasyland, including the new Dumbo ride, and I really love what they have done and can’t wait to see the finished product next year!

5. New Faces To Meet and Greet – One thing is for sure, everyone loves characters, no matter how old you are, meeting your favorite Disney character is always a thrill. 2012 saw the addition of a new Disney movie, Brave, as well as a new leading lady, Merida who visits the Parks to interact with guests. Tinkerbell’s sister Periwinkle, and Ralph and Vanellope from “Wreck it Ralph” also made their Park debut this year

Disney is always looking for new and interesting ways to entertain and entrance us, and I can’t wait to see what Disney has in store for us for 2013 – new restaturants? Characters? A Carsland in Walt Disney World? So many possibilities, so little time!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Delicious Disney Makes A Drool-Worthy Christmas Present

Merry (slightly belated) Christmas to all! Hope yours was full of food, family, friends, laughter and love – I know mine was! And I hope Santa brought you what you wanted – I must have been good, because I received some great gifts, including this “Delicious Disney” cookbook!

I know I have mentioned Disney cookbooks before – I love them and think they are a great way to combine my loves of cooking/baking/food and Disney, and this particular cookbook had been on my wish list for a while, so I am excited to finally get to take a look at it!

There are a lot of great recipes in it,

From meat and fish/main dishes,

To breakfast favorites like this Tonga Toast (AKA fried/stuffed french toast heaven!)

What’s great about the recipes is each one tells you where you can find it at the Parks, so when you make it you can imagine you are sitting at that Disney restaurant and enjoying a great WDW vacation (something that I personally imagine almost every day!)

TGIF!

Bringing Disney Home – And Into The Kitchen!

There is always a bit of a letdown once your Disney vacation is over – but there are ways to help cure this depression! One of them would be to check out some of the awesome stuff they have online at the Disney Store, or you can always watch a Disney movie, or look back at all your trip photos.

Another thing you can do is to get in the kitchen! That’s right, get cooking – Disney style, with some authentic Park and Resort recipes from these cookbooks:

Chef Mickey: Treasures From The Vault And Delicious New Favorites: includes fun facts and drool-inducing photos, it details exactly where each recipe was served, and includes a wide variety of recipes, from cocktails to salads and desserts!

Delicious Disney Cookbook: This book’s photos are also amazing, and this book also includes an assortment of recipes from the Parks and the Disney Cruise line. This book’s recipes are a little more creative and some are more labor intensive, and it’s a great gift for any disney food lover! There are also “Dessert” and “For Kids” versions

The above two books can be found online at the Disney Store website, but if you go on Amazon.com, you can find a large assortment of other books, ones that are no longer in publication, and some of them are pretty cool – definitely for the vintage Disney lover!

I have this “Cooking with Mickey Around Our World” book, it’s old school pictures are a trip and remind me of the WDW I remember from my childhood!

Personally, I have the Chef Mickey book, and I love it, it’s got some really interesting recipes and facts, and it’s a great way to cure the “I just left Disney blues”!

Ditch the Monday Blues – Plan a Disney Cruise!

Are you sitting at work, daydreaming about your next vacation? I know I do that every day! And if you haven’t decided where your next vacation will take you, one suggestion I have is to look into taking a Disney Cruise

Disney has been working on expanding its Cruising capabilities and has grown to 3 cruise ships (they are adding a 4th as of next month!), and as of 2012 is departing from new ports in Texas and NYC, as well as adding iteneraries that include Hawaii and Alaska. Of course they also cruise to some of the more traditional spots, including the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Europe and Canada/New England. Crusing really is a great way to see new places, and try new things – like foods you have never tried before, or activities like snorkeling or parasailing, plus the great thing is a lot of things are included in the price you pay for the room – food/meals (including endless buffets of yummy goodies!), entertainment, on ship activities, room service….its great to not have to worry about paying for every little thing on a vacation!

Worried about being an adult trapped on a ‘Disney’ cruise ship full of kids and noise when all you want to do is relax? Fear not! While Disney may have gotten into the cruising business back in 1999 to create a ‘family’ experience, they didn’t forget about the adult travelers! There are plenty of activities and areas that are “kids only” that really do a great job of entertaining and occupying the children on board, so much so that you don’t even hear or see them that much while on board (which can feel strange, its like…where did the kids go? but can also allow you to relax and really enjoy the benefits of the ship and the cruise even more!). Check out Disney’s information on Cruising for Adults and see why it would be a perfect vacation for you

Personally, my favorite thing about the Disney Cruises is the ability to package it with a Walt Disney World vacation – you can choose to add days at the Parks onto you Cruise vacation, which really combines my two favorite vacations – cruising and WDW – into one amazing experience!

Check out more info Here and you can even sign up to receive a vacation information kit including a DVD about the Disney Cruise Line Here

Confused about cruising? Disney makes it easy with online information dedicated specifically to First Time Cruisers