T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – The Most Important Meal Of The Day!

Walt Disney World has some of the BEST FOOD I have ever had the privelege of tasting – everything is prepared fresh using the best ingredients, and it really shows in the final product.

Breakfast is no exception, they really go above and beyond at the Parks and Resorts to make sure you have plenty of options to choose from so you can start your day off right and fuel up for a day at the Parks!

One of my personal fave breakfast spots is the Crystal Palace – a character breakfast spot in the Magic Kingdom featuring Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. The food is amazing here – especially “Pooh’s Breakfast Lasagna” – which is essentially a warm berry bread pudding, and they also serve anything and everything breakfast-related – my fave are the Mickey waffles!

I tried Tusker House for the first time last year, and I have to say, I was impressed! Hosted by Donald and friends (decked out in their safari gear!), this African inspired meal serves up the classics as well as unique items like their bobotie (a spiced egg based casserole which is also served at Boma!)

If you’re not in the mood for a sit down meal that early in the day, you can always grab something at your WDW Resort, like this freshly made waffle and bacon from the POP Century Resort

If the Magic Kingdom is your early morning Park of choice (it is for me!) then let your nose lead you over to the amazing smells coming from the Main Street Bakery, and grab a coffee and one of these bad boys – a warm, soft, gooey cinnamon roll

….Ok now not only do I miss Disney, but I’m starving. Breakfast time!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F Pic Of The Week – Taking A Dip At WDW

There are tons of amazing things about WDW Resort Hotels, one of them being that they all have pools. And these aren’t just regular boring old pools, they are intricitely themed pools with all the bells and whistles!

Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect when you head over to your WDW Resort Hotel Pool:

At Port Orleans French Quarter you can take a slide down a sea serpent’s tongue with King Neptune at the “Doobloon Lagoon” Pool

At the Polynesian Resort, this tropical volcano themed pool has underwater music and a water slide

At Disney’s newest Resort, The Art of Animation, check out “The Big Blue” Pool, themed after Disn’eys Finding Nemo – this pool is huge, and if you listen closely you will hear Dori talking underwater!

Stormalong Bay is the shared pool area for Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, and it’s basically a mini water park – with a shipwreck waterslide, a lazy river with innner tubes, and the pool even has a sandy bottom!

 

Oh…and as an added bonus, most of them have a bar close by

TGIF!

The Disney Dining Plan: Why I Love It

There is a LOT of work that goes into Planning a Walt Disney World vacation, and I personally love every minute of it, but then again I make lists in my sleep, so for those of you who aren’t quite as super freakishly organized as me, the planning might seem like a daunting task

The Disney Dining Plan is something that can help make your vacation planning easier, not to mention it can help it run smoothly when you actually arrive at WDW. It’s basically a way to pre-pay for some or all of your vacation meals, and I love it

WHY do I love it? Well here are just a few reasons:

Pre Pay Saves On Out Of Pocket Costs: I like that I can add the Dining Plan while I am booking my Resort and Park tickets, and that means once I am in the Parks I am spending less money because I have already prepaid for a lot of my meals, so this helps me when I am putting together my vacation budget (always a tricky thing to do!)

Restaurant Selection: Almost all the restaurants in WDW accept the Disney Dining Plan, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part all the faves and classics are dining plan eligible (click here for a full list)

Mug Included: As of 2012, each guest using the Dining Plan received a free refillable mug, which means at counter service meals at your Resort, you not only get to pick up a drink of your choice, but you can also fill your mug seperately (coffee AND juice for breakfast anyone?). Oh, and it makes an adorable souvenir too

Different Plans fit Everyone’s Tastes: The “regular” or “standard” Dining Plan includes one sit down meal, one counter service meal, and one snack per person for each night of your stay. Think that’s too much food for you, or would you rather spend time at the Parks then at a sit down restaurant? Well then try the Quick Service dining plan which replaces the sit down with another counter service meal option. Does your party have big appetites? Then you may want to consider the Deluxe dining plan, which allows for more sit down meals and makes sure your family is full and fueled up!

Makes My Life Easy: When I arrive at Walt Disney World, one of the first things I want to do is eat – not only because WDW has AMAZING food, but also because I am likely starving from traveling all day and avoiding the crappy $12 sandwiches that seem adundant at most airports. So upon arrival, I want to head to the closest counter service eatery and get my grub on – with the Dining Plan, all I have to do is pick my meal, drink, and dessert and with one easy swipe of my room key at the register I am done, no cash or credit card needed. It really is that easy, and I am grateful for one less thing I have to worry about while on vacation

 

Check out the official Dining Plan information on WDW’s website, and see if it’s right for you!

My Magic+ Lets You Plan Your Days At Disney World

Disney is always coming up with new ways to better their Guest’s experience, and their latest invention is the MyMagic+ system, which will allow Guests to pre-plan not only their meals, but also their times for various shows and multiple attractions at once, before they even get to the Parks!

This will work with the Fastpass+ system, as well as integrate with the My Disney Experience App, and all of this comes together to help you plan in advance, as well as easily change your Park plans once you arrive at Disney World

MyMagic+ comes in the form of an RFID bracelet that acts as your Disney Resort room key, room charge, and also holds your dining plan and Fastpass information

MyMagic+ hasn’t officially been rolled out, but it’s currently in the testing stages and it’s rumored that within a few months Resort Guests as well as Annual Passholders will get the chance to try it out! Read more about it on the Disney Parks Blog

So what do you think – is this a good idea that will enrich your WDW experience and allow you to use your super planning skills to their max? Or is this a system that may kill the spontenaity that comes with the vacation territory? Personally, I am on the fence, but am more than willing to give it a try!

Character Meals – Why Adults Will Love Them Too!

Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was great – good food and great characters too!

So what comes to mind when you think “Disney Character Meal?” Probably a loud, crowded room full of screaming kids, and kid cuisine like chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. I am guessing you are not picturing that this is a fun place for adults to enjoy a meal, but as an adult who loves Walt Disney World, I can assure you that Disney Character Meals can be fun for everyone, not just kids!

First of all, to me, the best thing about character meals is the FOOD – many of them are buffets, and others are served family style (meaning the menu is set and brought out to you on platters, and you can have seconds or even thirds of all the yummy dishes!). Breakfast usually includes eggs, meats, baked goods, and the always delicious Mickey Waffles, while you can expect carved meats, amazing sides and delectable desserts at lunch/dinner

My husband enjoying some amazing food and Winnie The Pooh characters at Crystal Palace!

Then there is the location of the various character meals, some are in the Theme Parks, but a lot of them are hosted in the various WDW Resorts – which gives you a chance to check out all the unique and different accomodations Disney has to offer! I like to head over to the Resorts about an hour before my scheduled character meal, so I can have a chance to walk around the Resort grounds, check out the pool and resort gift shop, and take in the atmosphere to see if it’s a place I would eventually like to stay. Or, if it’s a really nice Resort, I take this time to pretend I AM staying there, since some of them are a little too expensive to stay at, but are still great places to eat!

And I don’t care how old you are, getting to meet Mickey or Cinderella or whoever your favorite character was when you were a kid is still magical, I know my parents still love it, and my face still lights up when Minnie comes over and I get to pose with her for a picture. Getting to meet characters, and being in Walt Disney World in general, takes you back to a simpler time, where your favorite characters had adventures involving villains, and where fairy tales came true. It reminds you of how great it was to be a kid, and that, to me, is the best part about getting to go to character meals.

So consider some character meals when you are booking your Advance Dining Reservations for your next Walt Disney World trip, the food, atmosphere, and character meetings make it all worth it!