T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – New Land Means New FOOD!

I recently wrote about the newest expansion opening this week at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Pandora: The World Of Avatar – an immersive land that includes new rides and attractions, and it of course also includes new FOOD (which, if I’m being honest, is about 75% the reason I would even go anywhere ever – is for the food)

Check out what Pandora has to offer for your palette:

“Pods” – Steamed buns filled with either a cheeseburger mixture or vegetable curry, and served with root veggie chips and a veggie slaw. At breakfast time you can get them filled with eggs, bacon and spinach!

“Build Your Own” Bowls start with a base of quinoa, potato hash, rice, or kale salad, and then topped with a protein – beef, chicken, fish, or tofu, and the sauce of your choice – onion chimichurri, black bean vinaigrette, or herb dressing

This amazingly beautiful dessert is a blueberry cream cheese mousse topped with passionfruit curd

I am a big fan of boba – the little gelatin like balls found in bubble tea – so I will definitely want to try one of these new frozen drinks!

I can’t wait to see and do everything that Pandora has to offer – and I am especially looking forward to all the TASTES it will have to share, too!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Spotlight On “Be Our Guest”

As you probably already know, last weekend the new Beauty And The Beast Live Action movie was released in theaters. I was lucky enough to get to go see it, and I loved it – the characters were amazing – especially the beast! The movie will bring about a whole new generation of Beauty And The Beast lovers – and Disney World is more than prepared for that! When they re-designed Fantasyland, they included a restaurant themed after the movie called “Be Our Guest” – and it is basically like walking into the movie! Check it out:

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a French-themed menu, featuring items like Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich), Tuna Nicoise Salad, and of course – “The Grey Stuff” is offered on the dessert menu (try your hand at making your own Grey Stuff At Home!)

While it is labeled as a “Quick Service” Restaurant, I would recommend making a reservation if you’re planning to head here – as the lines can be insane, and it will only get busier with the release of the new movie! I can’t wait to try it out next time I’m in WDW!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Sweet Treats Await You At Disney Springs!

Disney World has been undergoing a TON of changes lately, and one of the bigger ones is the transition of the former Downtown Disney Area to the new Disney Springs – where you will now find even MORE entertainment, shopping, and dining options than ever before! One thing you will find PLENTY of in Disney Springs is desserts – check out these decadent ways to get your sugar rush on:

        

There are few things more satisfying on a hot Orlando day than a freshly scooped cone of shaved ice, and the Florida Snow Company Stand serves up just that – in a variety of sweet flavors to mix and match into your perfectly sweet, refreshing treat!

A stop at the Ghiradelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop is a MUST on any trip to Disney Springs – and even if you didn’t plan on going there, the smell of chocolate and freshly baked waffle cones is bound to lure you right in! Personally I always go for the Gold Rush Sundae – with hot fudge and peanut butter sauces made in house, but they have a ton of different options to pick from, and you can also pick up some packaged candy to take home with you too

One of the newest additions to the Disney Springs Dessert lineup is Sprinkles Cupcakes – The freshly baked gourmet cupcakes that are insanely popular on the west coast have made their way to Orlando!

And should you happen to be visiting outside of their normal hours, you can grab a late night cupcake from their Cupcake ATM – that’s right – a machine that distributes cupcakes!

And to round out our Disney Springs Dessert Tour – a stop at Vivoli il Gelato, where you can savor hand crafted Gelati, Sorbetti, espresso drinks and much more. Doesn’t get much more authentically Italian than this!

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go get something to satisfy MY sweet tooth – as I am now SUPER hungry and drooling from thinking about all these amazing treats – TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Adding Some Extra “Magic” To Your Magic Bands

Have you been to Disney World recently? If so, you probably have had a chance to try out their new Magic Band system – and if not, let me give you a quick rundown on what you’re missing out on: the Magic Band is essentially a bracelet that contains and electronic chip, which acts as your park ticket, your method of payment at the Parks for souvenirs/food etc, your WDW Resort room key, and it even stores your Fastpass/Dining Reservation information too. Pretty cool for a little bracelet, right? The design of the band itself is pretty basic – so of course people have come up with plenty of ways to personalize their Magic Bands:

     

There are plenty of accessories available for sale at the Disney Parks

….And then there’s the “after-market” Magic Band Accessories – many of which are available through sites like Etsy

Or if you’re the crafty type, you can always decorate it yourself

For those who like a little sparkle in their lives, check out this easy Magic Band Glitter DIY

Personally I like to keep it simple – a little Muppet charm and I’m good to go!

TGIF!

My Top 5 WDW Money Saving Tips

As much as I love Walt Disney World, I am the first to admit – it is NOT a cheap place to visit – Resort room, park tickets, food, souvenirs, transportation, incidentals…it all adds up QUICK. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help lessen the financial burden that comes with planning a WDW vacation. Check out my top WDW money saving tips:

Sharing Is Caring: WDW has some seriously amazing food – they serve up every style of cuisine you can imagine, and it’s all delicious. Much of it is also very LARGE – their portions tend to be big, and this can be a big plus for you budget-conscious travelers. Many meals are so large that they can be easily shared by two children or even two adults. Check out some sharable meal/snack options here

Stay at a Value Resort: Walt Disney World has a TON of hotels on property, and all offer amazing service and helpful staff, but some are definitely fancier (ie – more expensive!) than others. There are Deluxe, Moderate, and Value level Resorts – with corresponding price levels as well. If you’re on a budget, the Value Resorts are the way to go for you and your family. They are all great places to stay (I should know, as I have stayed at all 5!), and while the rooms are pretty standard (nothing fancy, no frills), they are quite a bit cheaper than the other WDW Resorts, so if cost is your bottom line, the Value Resorts are worth checking out
*Bonus – staying on property will also help save on transportation costs – as Resort guests get complimentary shuttles to/from the Orlando airport via Disney’s Magical Express, and they are also able to utilize all on-site transportation options (boats/monorails/buses) free of cost as well

Plan Ahead: Anything you can do in advance will help you in the long run – researching restaurants (including costs, menus, etc), making lists of things to bring, checking out which rides/shows/foods your family might like, and just overall knowing the lay of the land will help avoid impulse purchases and unnecessary spending (buying a $4 bottle of water when there’s a bathroom/water fountain right around the corner, for example…)

Set A Budget: Use that research and those “planning ahead” skills to come up with rough estimates for costs of: airfare/gas, rental car, food, drinks, hotel, park tickets, and incidentals. Set a souvenir budget for your kids, and one for yourself too – and then make sure you stick to it – no matter HOW much they beg for “just ONE MORE PIN!”, or that giant balloon/stuffed animal/hoodie – trust me, your wallet will thank you – as souvenirs are pretty expensive at WDW, and the cost of just “one more thing” per person adds up QUICKLY

Pack Smart: In addition to making a list FAR in advance of items to pack, I suggest you start packing way in advance too. A few weeks before my trip I will print out my packing list (yes, I type it – don’t judge), and set my suitcase out with items I know I won’t need again before my trip. I also have some “must pack” items – ponchos, sunscreen, park-friendly snacks (trail mix, granola bars, etc – another big money saver!), a water bottle, and comfortable sneakers
Packing Tip – I wear all my “bulkiest” items when flying to save precious suitcase space: sneakers, jeans, and a hoodie are all a part of my standard travel attire, which leaves me more room for other necessities in my bags

Hopefully you can use some (or all!) of the above advice to help you save money on what can otherwise turn into a VERY costly Walt Disney World Trip – and even though I try and save money whenever possible and am all about budgeting, I know that a Disney vacation is worth every penny in the end – the fun you’ll have and the memories you’ll make are items you can’t put a price tag on

My Top 5 Tips For Saving Time At WDW

Walt Disney World is a busy place – there are hardly ever any non-busy times at the Parks anymore, which means you can expect to wait for everything from bathrooms to rides and everything in between, too. No one wants to stand around in lines all day, so I suggest you use my top WDW time saving tips to help avoid some of that waiting:

Use The Fastpass+ option: Disney allows you to essentially “Reserve” your spot on 3 rides each day – you pick a time online (you can do this up to 60 days before your trip!), and the information is stored on your Magic Band. You then go to the ride at the designated time, scan your magic band, and go through the (MUCH SHORTER) fastpass line and are on your favorite ride in no time! No 3 hour wait times for you (yes, wait times for rides can get that long – and trust me, it’s not pretty) – this can be a MAJOR time saver for sure!

Make An Itinerary: I know some people hate planning out their days and want to just go with the flow while on vacation – and that will work sometimes at Disney, but I find that it’s good to have even just a basic “what Parks you want to go to which days” type of plan – that way you can plan fastpasses and meals around what park you will be at, and you can avoid having to spend time traveling to another park to try and get there in time for your dining reservation….been there, done that – and that’s why I make an itinerary now!

Hook Up Your Credit Card To Your Magic Band: Magic Bands are amazing – the tiny chip in this bracelet holds the key to your room, your dining reservations, your park tickets, your fastpasses, and your payment information if you want – and trust me, you DO want! Pay for drinks, snacks, souvenirs, meals with just a wave of your wrist! Plus that way you don’t even really need to carry around your credit cards with you when you head to the Parks – win, win!

Make ADR’s: ADR stands for Advance Dining Reservation – which means you can book what table service meals you want to eat at before your trip (180 days before, to be exact!), and when you arrive at the restaurant at the reservation time, you’re put on the list for the next available table for your party. Disney is so crowded these days that walking up to a sit down restaurant and expecting to get a table is near impossible – so I HIGHLY recommend you make some ADR’s before your trip, or else you might end up waiting a LONG time to eat, or waste time trying to find another less busy place to eat

Eat at “Off” Times: Avoid the noon hour and the 5-6pm hours for lunch and dinner – as pretty much ALL Disney dining spots are SUPER crowded at this time, and you’ll end up waiting in long lines for food, and might have to fight someone for an available table too – not worth it, in my opinion. Have a late breakfast, so that you can wait to eat lunch until after 1pm, you’ll save time this way for sure!

Basically – I recommend you plan ahead – and use the ALL the technology Disney has to offer – Magic bands, fastpasses, ADR’s, their mobile app, pre-trip booking via computer – use them, and you will for sure save time and frustration on your next Disney Trip