A look at the magic Walt brought into the World!

Free Dining is Back!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Mouse Host

If you were planning a trip to Walt Disney World for September, I have great news for you! If you weren’t planning a trip this might just be the incentive you need. If you book a Magic Your Way package for an arrival date from 9/2/13 – 9/25/13 you will receive free dining for each night of your stay! You will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan if staying at a Value resort and the regular Dining Plan if staying at a Moderate or Deluxe resort. This offer requires a minimum 3-night stay and you must book by 7/31/13.

Posted in Food, Special Offers, Vacation tips | Tagged deluxe resort, free dining, Magical Your Way, moderate resort, value resort | Leave a comment

I’m Craving a Fresh Fruit and Nutella Waffle

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mouse Host

Waffle’s aren’t just for breakfast or making ice cream cones out of! They also make a nice warm, soft bed for some fresh fruit and Nutella to rest on in their last moments before I devour them! Don’t hurry to quickly through Liberty Square to get the the Hall of Presidents otherwise you will miss Sleepy Hollow Refreshments!

You will find this snack stand as you first enter Liberty Square from the hub. It is located on the parade route which gives you a great excuse to stake out a spot early for a parade! Have everyone in your party claim territory along the parade route (on the hub or in Liberty Square) and then you run and get yourself a snack! I guess you could get them something too.

A snack credit may be used on a number of items on the menu but I would not spend a snack credit here. There are too many other snacks more worth of the Dining Plan credit! However, Sleepy Hollow is home to one of the best uses of the snack credit when it comes to monetary value, the funnel cake, at $5.69. As good as the funnel cake may be I urge you to try one of the waffle items. It is a more unique snack and don’t think you should waste a credit on something like that but that’s a whole post in itself. I can personally attest for the Fresh Fruit and Nutella Waffle! It is a winner! It goes for $6.29 and is easily sharable! I am also intrigued with the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich and the Ham, Prosciutto and Swiss Waffle Sandwich! They are on my to-do list and are $6.99.

Posted in Food, Magic Kingdom, Snacks | Tagged Disney Dining Plan, Hall of Presidents, Liberty Square, Magic Kingdom, parade, Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, snacks, Walt Disney World | 1 Comment

Monsters Take Over the Monorail

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Mouse Host

It seems that Disney is promoting upcoming movies more and more in its Parks. A few that had a pretty substantial presence in the Parks were Alice in Wonderland, Brave, Tron, Wreck it Ralph, and the latest, Oz the Great and Powerful. The new film in town is Monsters University set to release June 21, 2013. There is already merchandise, special meet and greets, parades, a giant monster (Sulley) projected on Spaceship Earth, and last but not least the beloved monorail wraps.

Some are critical of Disney wrapping their precious monorails in “advertisements” but I enjoy seeing these special monorails. Some of the wraps we have seen in the past are: the Tronorail (Tron) and the Avengerail (The Avengers). The new wraps showing up are known as the Iron Manorail (Iron Man 3) and the Monsterail (Monsters University). The Monsterail isn’t as elaborate as the other wraps we have seen in the past but that does not at all reflect the hype of the upcoming release of the prequel to Monsters Inc.! Disney seems to be letting Monsters take over their parks. Disney is going all out to promote Monsters University not only in their parks but also online. They have created an elaborate website completely dedicated not just to this film but the idea of this film. As I have said before and will continue to preach, Disney is all about selling the story whether it is on film, in the parks, and now even online! You see the same attention to detail in this site as you would in the parks, meaning there is almost more story than you could possibly pick up on. You could probably spend hours looking through this site much like you may have done when looking for colleges for yourself or a family member. Interested in Monsters University? Visit the website at: http://monstersuniversity.com/edu

Posted in EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, WDW News | Tagged Disney Parks Blog, Iron Man 3, monorail, Monsters University, Spaceship Earth, The Avengers, Tron | 2 Comments

The Best All-Nighter You Could Ever Pull

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Mouse Host

The chances are if you attended college then you have experienced what some students dread and some may even claim to be essential or inevitable. Yes I am talking about the “all nighter!” These usually follow your realization that you did not budget enough time between the day you found out about the test/assignment and the day it was due. Either that or you are one of those people who claim they do their best work under pressure.

Well students and former students, the all-nighter is back! Don’t start reaching for the Xanax just yet! This all-nighter is brought to you by Walt Disney Parks so of course that means it is waaaayyyyyy better because we know when it comes to Disney and theme parks, Disney does everything better! If you pull off this all-nighter it would definitely top all of your friends’ all-nighter stories!

In honor of the very much anticipated film “Monsters University” three Disney Parks will stay open for 24 hours! We saw Disney do something very similar in celebration of leap year in 2012 called “One More Disney Day” where Magic Kingdom and Disneyland remained open for 24 hours. This time Disney adds Disney’s California Adventure to the lineup for May 24. The fun begins at 6 a.m. and the loopiness, dozing, and hallucinations end a mere 24 hours later.

The announcement was made by everyone’s favorite one-eyed Disney character Sulley in his biggest appearance ever, literally! The announcement was made via a projection on Epcot’s Spaceship Earth, much like the projection shows we see on Cinderella’s Castle. Check out the announcement in the video below. You can also take a peek at how they pulled it off on the Disney Parks Blog. It’s pretty cool!

If you are going to partake in Disney’s all-nighter, don’t worry, no studying is needed. That does not mean you do not have to prepare! I suggest an overabundance of sleep leading up to May 24th and head to the park packing energy drinks or make numerous stops at Starbucks throughout the day! I guarantee this could be the most memorable and fun all-nighter you have ever pulled!

Posted in EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, WDW News | Tagged Disney Parks, Disneyland, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Monsters University, projection show, Spaceship Earth | 2 Comments

Today Disney’s Animal Kingdom Celebrates 15 Years on Earth Day

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Mouse Host

“I have learned from the animal world, and what everyone will learn who studies it is, a renewed sense of kinship with the earth and all its inhabitants.” -Walt Disney

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Definitely not a zoo and not your average theme park. It is Disney edutainment at its finest! The dedication to conservation, education, entertainment, and detail here make this place one of a kind! I can’t believe it is 15 years old today! They grow up so fast! Here are some photos in honor of Earth Day and the 15 year anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Enjoy!

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Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom | Tagged Animal Kingdom, conservation, education, edutainment, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World | 2 Comments

Pass the Pixie Dust Please

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Mouse Host

There is a term widely used within the Disney social arena to describe the magic that is associated with the Disney brand. It can be used to describe a special experience or to send best wishes someone’s way. The term is derived from the 1953 Disney classic, Peter Pan. It is that sparkly golden stuff that streams out of everyone’s favorite pixie, Tinker Bell. Yes, I am writing about pixie dust…

Magical things happen whenever there is pixie dust being sprinkled about…At Walt Disney World pixie dust was part of the construction process and continues not only in the ongoing construction and refurbishments but also in the Cast Members who are always ready to put on the show!

Unfortunately you experience some guests at Walt Disney World who do not care about anyone around them and will do whatever they want even if it may effect a small child who may be visiting for the first time. I hate to see this but not everyone is like this. I think the Walt Disney environment can sometimes bring out the best in people. Something about being around all that pixies dust puts me in a good mood! Even sitting here blogging and listening to IllumiNations sound track puts me in a fantastic mood! I know the effect Walt Disney World can have on a young child or even a grownup. That is why I like to look for ways that I could possibly “plus” someone’s experience at Walt Disney World.

I have been on the receiving end of another guest spreading pixie dust and I haven’t forgotten it despite it happening during a trip over 10 years ago. One of the reasons for this blog is the hope that I might help someone have a more memorable Walt Disney World experience. I like to keep this mindset while I am in the World as well. Yes, I want to do everything I can to make my trip more memorable and special but part of that can be doing something to spread a little pixie dust in someone else’s trip. Tinker Bell doesn’t have to have all the fun!

Here are some suggestions on how you can play pixie and not only create magic for others but they could possibly end up being some of your fondest memories as well!

Give a fastpass away. One of my favorite things to do is eaves drop onfamilies while waiting in the queues. I love to hear what they are saying about their experience, especially the little ones! Sometimes you may overhear families mention skipping Toy Story Mania because the wait is 2 hours and there are no fastpasses left. If you were smart you ran to the back of the park, nabbed some fastpasses and then rode it. As much as you may want a rematch with someone or to see if you can beat your old score, think about how you could change someone’s day or even vacation by pulling those coveted passes out and handing them over.

Give up the spot you had staked for over an hour for a parade, Wishes, or IllumiNations. I am short so most 8 year olds have no trouble seeing over me. Again, sometimes if you eaves drop (it’s no creepier than people watching) you may find out those assembling around the ground you claimed may not have ever experienced the show before. The night time shows are some of my favorite experiences in all of Walt Disney World so I know the impact they can have which is why I want people to have the best possible experience of these shows, especially if its their first time. I would give up my prime spot to anyone who is watching for the first time, whether they are a child or adult. In fact, some of my favorite people watching times is during these shows. I love to watch the expressions on their faces! This is priceless for first timers or for little ones!

Just be friendly. For the most part people are happy to be there and generally there is a heightened sense camaraderie among Walt Disney World guests. Strike up a conversation with others on the buses going to and from the parks. I love to look for people with “1st Visist!” buttons on! I love to hear what their experience has been like so far and offer them tips that might help them on their magic journey! It is especially fun to ask little ones wearing the buttons coming back from the parks how their day went and what they enjoyed the most!

Give a meal away. If you have ever been on the dining plan you know how much food Disney tries to force down you! You may find yourself with credits left over at the end of your stay and you can’t possibly take another bite. Instead of going home with unused credits, find someone and ask them if they would like a free meal.

Give a balloon away. For many kids some of the simplest things can make their day. One of these simple things that seem to fascinate the little ones are the Mickey ear balloons. It may cost you $10 but it can be priceless for some kids.

These are just a few suggestions I thought of and have picked up from other fans in the WDW community. Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments below on how you can spread pixie dust as you tour the World and I encourage you to keep your eyes and ear open for other ways to make someone’s day or even vacation more magical while visiting Walt Disney World!

Posted in Hidden Treasure, Vacation tips | Tagged Disney Dining Plan, fastpasses, Illuminations, Mickey ear balloons, pixie dust, Toy Story Mania, Walt Disney World, Wishes | 2 Comments

November Trip Report

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Mouse Host

Sorry I have been away so long! I have to say I did miss blogging! In the time I was gone I have helped 2 people plan their Disney trips and I have 2 more lined up not counting my own. I am going to try my best to remember some of the details of my November trip. I can’t remember the exact order of everything we did but I am just going to recount everything I can in no certain order. I apologize ahead of time for the length. Here we goooooooo!

This trip was just my me and my mom which was awesome! It was great to get to spend some quality time with just her! Last fall I went on a hunting trip with just my dad so I was glad my mom joined me this time. This was the fewest amount of people I have ever been with too which makes deciding what to do easier. Plus my mom was a real team player and would do whatever I wanted to do.

This was my first time staying at All Star Music. After staying at All Star Movies and Music I feel like our room in Movies was a little nicer than Music. Other than that I don’t prefer one over the other. My next stay in an All Star Resort will be Sports because I feel like it has a slight advantage over the others. It is the first stop when dropping off guests at night. Our room at Music was in the furthest building which seemed like miles after spending around 16 hours in the park. Yes, because it was a short trip we had to take advantage of the extra magic hours even if that meant wondering around in Magic Kingdom at 3am!

We did manage to nab free dining on this trip so we ate like cabbages and kings! You may recall that I have an annual pass and that annual pass holders cannot get free dining so in order to have Disney pick up both of our food bills I had to buy a 2-day pass to get free dining during our entire stay. Since I did not use the pass at all it does not expire and is currently sitting in my drawer at home. Sometime down the road I when I do not have an annual pass and am planning a trip I will have a 2-day base ticket that I can just add days to.

Let’s talk about food! Of course we ate a ridiculous amount of food and still didn’t even use all of our credits. I won’t go into detail about every place we ate especially because I have already written about some and will do more extensive posts on others but I will highlight some. First off, I help Disney World reduce its number of cupcakes by about 3 or 4 which is always a good thing. I have yet to have a cupcake that disappointed me.

We were needing food one night during extra magic hours in Magic Kingdom and after regular park hours the food selection is a limited so we settled with Pinocchio’s Village Haus. It turned out to be a great experience! For one, we were just in time for Wishes so we ate outside and caught a unique view of the show! I was not impressed with the selection overall but I was pleasantly surprised by the Caprese Flatbread! It wasn’t as big of a portion as most counter service credits will get you but I would make a point to go back there and use a credit or pay out of pocket for it again. I would also like to try the BBQ chicken flatbread as well. I tried a vegetable flatbread at Electric Umbrella in Epcot but did not like it as much. I think it was good quality. I just wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce that was on it. Both faltbreads are a great option for the vegetarian guest.

Last but not least at all in my book was Tangerine Cafe at the Morocco pavilion in Epcot. This is my new favorite counter service restaurant! One of the best bang for your buck I have experience so far when it comes to quality and quantity. I ordered the Mediterranean Tabouleh Wraps which comes with hummus, a couscous salad, and a lentil salad and finished it off with baklava for dessert! Win, win, win……WIN!!!

We did get to do 2 attractions that recently went through refurbs. One was the Country Bear Jamboree. Everything did look renewed and great and most guests wouldn’t notice the few changes made to the show. The other refubed attraction was Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. They brought back the original show which I appreciated for nostalgia reasons but overall I realized how dated and unappealing the attraction could appear. This topic will probably require its own post so I will move on.

Mom and I made it a point to see some of the street shows in World Showcase. I highly recommend planning time to see some of these. Walt Disney World refers to what many might call “rides” as attractions. I think this is important because everything else that isn’t a “ride” is also called an attraction. Walt Disney World is all about the attractions and I think the “attractions” are all around from “rides” to street shows, to restaurants. All that to say, treat the streetmosphere acts as attractions and put them on your schedule just like you would Space Mountain.

I think mom and I had the most fun in Hollywood Studios which makes sense as this park has a special place in my heart for some reason. One day we were able to ride Toy Story Mania 3 times which is a difficult task to do while still getting other things done. We did the mad dash to the back at rope drop and got fastpasses and then rode it. Later that day we were headed to Tower of Terror and a bell hop (cast member) carrying a suitcase walked by us right outside of the gates and apparently said hello to mom. I think she responded but he didn’t hear her because he whipped back around and started following us and said it was rude not to say hello. She then told him she did and he apologized and asked us if we liked Toy Story Mania. Of course we said yes and that we had ridden it twice already. He then came in closer and lowered his voice while reaching into his long burgundy coat and pulled out 2 fastpasses that could be used on any attraction that day and he told us to go ride it again. These are the kind of the surprises that makes Disney Parks so magical and unlike any other theme park you will visit!

Mom really enjoyed Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Roller Coaster so we did those quite a few times as well. We used the single rider line for Rockin’ Roller Coaster which is the way to go with smaller parties unless you want to purchase the photo at the end. The other highlight of Hollywood Studios was the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. This display will blow your mind and give you chills. The snowfall might help contribute to the chills a little but it is definitely worth planning a trip around! I recommend stopping by Writer’s Stop on the corner to pick up a coffee and a carrot cake cookie before checking out the light show. Coffee and carrot cake cookies always make everything better right?

We did attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We missed the first parade and were eating at Pecos Bills when the second came through so unfortunately I don’t have any photos of the parade. I guess that just means I will have to go to another party sometime. The party was a pretty cool experience. The free cookies and hot cocoa was awesome, especially the hot cocoa after getting soaked on Splash Mountain! Seeing it snow on Main Street was a cool experience as well. Cinderella’s Castle was covered with Christmas lights and was absolutely beautiful and picturesque. You cannot take a bad photo of it. Try! I dare you! It even looks cool if you take a blurry picture, which I was trying to do at one point.

One of the other magical moments for me was getting to check out part of the Fantasyland expansion before it officially opened. We made several trips by the entrance that was blocked by shrubs and guarded constantly by Cast Members to see if they were going to offer a sneak peak. I heard rumors that sometimes they open it during the Christmas parties so we made sure to wonder back there during the festivities and sure enough the shrubs were gone and the path was clear! I had to keep myself from running as I felt like a child a Christmas day!

We stopped in Gaston’s Tavern because I just had to try Lefou’s Brew. I can understand how some would not like it because of the seemingly odd combination of flavors but I absolutely loved it and it is a must do for me now! I loved the feel of Gaston’s Tavern and the area surrounding it! I particularly am a fan of Disney dedicating such a large area to what I think is one of the greatest animated Disney films.

We also did Enchanted Tales with Belle which is more geared towards families with small children but I recommend that everyone experience it whether you have children or not. If it will make you feel better maybe you can adopt some while waiting in the queue. I suggest trying it out not only because it shows you another facet of Disney Park entertainment but also because it has some of the best special effects and animatronics in all of Walt Disney World. It may not only be the best but probably the closest you can get to any animatronic in Walt Disney World.

We also rode Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. It was your classic Disney dark ride using omnimover vehicles. The attraction was good but I mainly was impressed with the way the Imagineers set the scene for the attraction as you approach it and throughout the queue. Also by adding Eric’s castle Magic Kingdom now has as many castles as it does mountains. The queue also has an element of interactivity which is great for an attraction like this that will most likely be more popular for the little ones.

Well, I could keep going but this is way too long as it is! Hope you enjoyed reading about our mother-son trip! Check out my Facebook page Mouse Host for more photos of this and other trips! Thanks for reading!

Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Food, Magic Kingdom, Snacks, Trip Report | Tagged All Star Movies Resort, All Star Music Resort, All Star Sports Resort, Animal Kingdom, annual pass, cast member, Christmas, Cinderella's Castle, Country Bear Jamboree, dark ride, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Magical Express, Electric Umbrella, Enchanted tales with Belle, Epcot, extra magic hours, fastpasses, free dining, Gaston's Tavern, Lefou's Brew, Magic Kingdom, Main Street, Mickey's Very Merry Christams Party, Morocco, omnimover, Pinocchio's Village Haus, Splash Mountain, streetmosphere, Tangerine Cafe, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, vacation, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room | Leave a comment

From Hallow to Holly

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Mouse Host

I got to experience both the Halloween and Christmas decorations this year! It would be pretty amazing to be there for Halloween decorations one night and Christmas the next…

Posted in Magic Kingdom | Tagged Christmas, decorations, Halloween, Magic Kingdom | 2 Comments

November Pretrip Report

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Mouse Host

I am looking forward to my upcoming trip because I get to spend four days in the most magical place on earth with my mom! One of the great things about Walt Disney World is that there is so much to experience you cannot possibly ever experience it all so every trip holds the potential for a new unique experience. Even if you do not try something new or do something different, if you are with someone different it can be a whole new experience. Even though I was just there a month ago and I will do many of the same things this trip, I look forward to creating new memories doing those things with my mom next to me!

We both will be flying and arriving around the same time so we will ride the Magical Express to WDW together to our resort, All Star Music. We probably won’t arrive at our resort until 11:30 or 12:00 at night so I am not sure we will head out to Downtown Disney this night. We may just opt to hit the hay early and rest up for a busy four days.

Our “magic journeys” (reference to WDW history) will begin in Hollywood Studios. I am going to skip the American Idol Experience this time because it eats up so much of my time. Hollywood Studios has morning extra magic hours so I hope to take advantage of that and do the Toy Story Manic sprint to get fastpasses and ride as many times as we can before the wait gets too long. I am thinking ABC Commissary and Backlot Express for our meals. We scored free dining for this trip so we have one snack credit and two counter service credits for each night we stay in the World! This weekend will be the first weekend of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights which I have never seen and is one of the things I am looking forward to most! There are two showings of Fantasmic! so we are going to hit the second one because apparently more people go to the first show.

The Studios close at 8pm and Magic Kingdom has evening extra magic hours until 3am and of course we have park hoppers so we are going to take advantage of that. The crowd level at Magic Kingdom is 9.5 and last trip we hopped to MK on a night like that and it was chaos the first couple of hours so we might go check out the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, or ride the monorail around and explore some of the resorts for a couple of hours and let the riff raff clear out before heading to Magic Kingdom.

Day two we head to the Epcot, home of the Food and Wine Festival! That’s right, it will still be going on! You can bet some of my snack credits will be used at those kiosks and I might even have to break out my wallet as well because I probably will run out of snack credits! Our first destination will of course be Soarin and then we will head over to the Chase Lounge in the old Wonders of Life pavilion to pick up wristbands for preferred viewing of IllumiNations. I just found out about this a couple weeks ago. Of course it was after our last trip. I would like to eat at the Tangerine Cafe for sure but I think we might just wing it for our other meal. There are so many great options in Epcot you can’t go wrong. Epcot closes at 9pm and Magic Kingdom has extra magic hours until 1am so we have the option to go back there or we can sail over to the Boardwalk or take a bus to Downtown Disney.

Day three Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will begin at 7pm in Magic Kingdom! The crowd level is predicted to be a 1.1 which is hard to beat! If it is indeed a 1.1 we should be able to do quite a bit and I am hoping between this day and the previous nights during extra magic hours that we can accomplish enough to not feel rush. I would love to be able to take it slow, explore, take it all in and maybe do some serious drooling in the gift shops.

This night we will be attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I am really looking forward to seeing the Magic Kingdom decked out in all its Christmas splendor and watching Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade. Cinderella’s Castle was covered with hundreds of thousands lights when we were there in October which you could only see when you were close to the castle but this trip we will get to see them at work!

Magic Kingdom closes at midnight the night of the party and there won’t be any other parks still open so if we are still really energized from the free hot cocoa and cookies and the party we may head to Downtown Disney.

Our last day we will head to Animal Kingdom with a predicted crowd level of 1.9 we should be able to accomplish quite a bit before it closes at 5pm. I am thinking Flame Tree Barbeque for lunch this time and wait until we get to Epcot to eat dinner. We could then hop over to Epcot which closes at 9pm. My mom’s flight leaves early afternoon so we could sleep in and still do some exploring the next day before we begin our sad journey on Disney’s Magical Express.

Despite it being a fairly short trip I think there is potential to experience quite a bit between the decent crowd levels and there just being two of us. I think the weather (temperature at least) should be perfect and I look forward to stuffing my face full of wonderful food thanks to the free dining!

Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Food, Magic Kingdom, Trip Report | Tagged All Star Music, Animal Kingdom, Chase Lounge, Downtown Disney, Epcot, Fantasmic!, Food and Wine Festival, Hollywood Studios, Illuminations, Magic Kingdom, Magical Express, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, vacation, Walt Disney World, Wonders of Life | 2 Comments

A Whole New World…Every Trip: My WDW “Firsts”

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Mouse Host

Even the most seasoned WDW veteran can experience firsts at Walt Disney World. I don’t consider myself a seasoned WDW veteran…yet, but I have been more times than I can remember because we grew up going pretty regularly as kids. Each trip I take I make it a point to try new things if I can just so I can come back an tell you about it. Everything I do is for you…research, as Lou Mongello calls it!

I am going to steal an idea from a fellow Disney blogger and mention all the firsts I experienced on my last trip but to repay her I am going to add a link to her page so you can go visit her site at Fairytale Journeys by Nicole. Be sure to tell her hello and that Mouse Host sent you!

First time staying at All Star Movies.

First time attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

First time eating at Yak & Yeti (counter service), Columbia Harbour House, Pizza Planet, Paradiso 37, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, and House of Blues.

First Nutella waffle from Sleepy Hollow and cupcake from Starring Rolls.

First time seeing Festival of the Lion King

First time taking boat from Hollywood Studios to Epcot.

First time doing Animation Academy

First time doing pressed pennies.

First time seeing part of Fantasyland expansion.

First time at Food and Wine Festival

First annual pass.

Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Food, Snacks, Trip Report | Tagged All Star Movies, Animal Kingdom, Animation Academy, annual pass, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, Columbia Harbour House, Disney's Boardwalk, Epcot, Fantasyland expansion, Festival of the Lion King, Food and Wine Festival, Hollywood Studios, House of Blues, Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Paradiso 37, Pizza Planet, pressed pennies, Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, Starring Rolls, vacation, Walt Disney World, Yak & Yeti | 3 Comments

Dine Like Cabbages and Kings…for FREE!

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Mouse Host

So in my previous post about the Disney Dining Plan I stated I would never pay for the dining plan yet I have used it once before and plan to use it again in November. I know the anticipation has been killing you so I will explain…

Throughout the year, Disney will offer the dining plan for free for the duration of your stay on select dates. As much as I would like to believe Disney does this out of the kindness of the their generous little hearts, we all know there is more to it than that. The free dining plan is only offered to those staying on Disney property. That’s right, the free dining offer is just a way to get you to spend money on Disney hotels rather than hotels throughout Orlando (who knew there were hotels off Disney property?). Now as you know I am a huge supporter of staying on property anyway so the free dining offer is a bonus that doesn’t cost me any more money than I would already be paying. To be honest, you are not going to spend that much more by staying on site than off. Plus the benefits you receive are totally worth the extra money but that is a post for another day!

If you read my post about the Disney Dining Plan you will know that there are multiple plans so which plan do they offer for free? When staying at a value resort you will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan when staying at a moderate or deluxe resorts or villas.

The free dining is only offered for select dates and your check in date must be one of these select dates. If your check in date does in fact line up with one of the available dates then you will receive free dining the entire length of your stay even if your check in date is the last day it is offered. If your check in date happens to be before they are offering the free dining and the length of your stay will carry you into the free dining period there is a way you can finagle your way into get a few free meals.

If your check in day is the day before the offer, then you would not be eligible for the free food…UNLESS… after your first night you check out and then check back in the next day. I know, sounds shady but it has been done. It get’s a little tricky because you do have to book them as to separate packages from what I understand.

My advice is to plan to check in during one of the available dates. If you are somewhat flexible on the dates your are traveling to Walt Disney World then you can end up saving quite a bit of money and eat like kings and queens (or princes and princesses) while you’re there. The offers are usually for the slower season and usually appear two to three months before the available dates. You can check out historical Walt Disney World discounts one MouseSavers.com.

Tips for getting your hands on such an offer:

Pin codes: These are codes handed out to a specific person or household that can only be used if the person who it is addressed to is in the party. These codes are sent via the mail and email to those who have registered an account on Disney’s website. What triggers these mailings is pure speculation because some people will get them, others will not or they may receive them at different times. Some believe frequent visits on the Walt Disney World website can increase the odds or receiving one of these coveted codes. A code arrived in my email the day I had planned to book our trip for May 2011 and I have received at least four codes in the mail and two via email since then.

Disney Visa: Sometimes free dining is offered to Disney Visa cardholders before it is offered to the general public. This can be advantageous if you need a little more time to plan your trip but if you are not a cardholder I wouldn’t worry about missing out on the offer since it is offered during the off season. I am a Disney Visa holder (go figure) and plan to review some of the offers out there.

Historic dates for free dining: Planning your trip around dates when the free dining was offered in the past is a win-win! Because it is offered in the slow season rates are cheaper, smaller crowds, and its usually cooler during that time of year! Here is a link to historic discount offers at WDW

Upgrading: If you receive the Quick Service Dining Plan while staying at a value resort you can pay the difference to upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan. We did this on our May 2011 trip and it was a great investment! My budget would not allow me to eat at as many table service restaurants as we did that trip!

Whenever I suggest to people they should take a trip to Walt Disney World (and I do suggest a lot) most usually say, “It is too expensive!” Where it can be more expensive than going camping or to your local amusement park, if you play your cards right you can experience a lot at a great price. Free dining beats packing your lunch or paying out of pocket and may just be worth planning your trip around.

Posted in Food, Vacation tips | Tagged deluxe hotels, Disney Dining Plan, free dining, hotels, moderate resort, Quick Service Dining Plan, theme park, vacation, value resort, Walt Disney World | 2 Comments

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm Ltd.

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Mouse Host

“The Force is strong with this one!” If you haven’t heard, the hottest news in the Disney community as of late is no longer the Fantasyland expansion…what Fantasyland expansion?

Today The Walt Disney Company announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. That’s right, as in George Lucas, as in Star Wars, as in Indian Jones! George Lucas stated had been thinking about retiring in the last four years but before he could he had to make sure that his company was going to have a good home and immediately thought of Disney whom he had worked with quite a bit in the past. He is leaving his company in the hands of Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, who will become the President of the company.

All I can say is, “I have a good feeling about this!” See what I just did there? It was a Star Wars joke for those who didn’t. Lucas has confirmed himself that he and Kennedy were already working on episodes 7, 8, and 9 of Star Wars and that there would be more to come. Besides what this exciting news means for future films, me and every other WDW geek can’t help but let our imaginations run wild as to what this will mean for the parks. Lucas’ creations have been part of our Walt Disney World experiences for quite some time from Captain EO in Epcot to the now annual Star Wars Weekend but can we expect more. My guess is yes and I hope that I am right. In my opinion, the Lucasfilm franchise has always been a great fit with The Walt Disney Company and I look forward to what the future holds!

Posted in Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, WDW News | Tagged Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Star Tours | Leave a comment

October 2012 Trip Report

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Mouse Host

We started our vacation with a trip to Sea World. This was the first time I have ever been to Sea World. We got pretty lucky because crowds were not bad at all. We could have ridden both roller coasters multiple times if we wanted. We did hit those first thing to avoid crowds. Sea world is more about the shows than attractions. I thought all the shows were very good. I especially enjoyed the pet show. I have to admit I was questioning taking the time to see this show when I first read the description on the park map. The whale and dolphin shows were incredible as well. It is amazing what animals can be taught!

We left Sea World early afternoon and then headed to Walt Disney World and once we checked in and settled into our room we headed to Downtown Disney. We decided to drive to avoid having to catch the bus there and back but since it was a Saturday night the parking lot was crowded and it took a little while to find a parking place. Our first priority was food since we didn’t really eat anything at Sea World. We tried Planet Hollywood but the wait was going to be over an hour so we moved on and decided on Paradiso 37. The food seemed to be pretty good but we all were starving so it is possible that they handed us cardboard pictures of food and we didn’t notice.

Our tour of the parks began at Animal Kingdom. Before we got started I had to upgrade my ticket to an annual pass! Then we headed straight to Kilimanjaro Safari with hopes that the wildlife would be more active. Most of them seemed pretty active but the lions were lounging like they were last time. I did notice they took the poachers storyline out of the attraction.

We made sure to take time to watch the Tam Tam drummers and got to see DiVine as well. I was upfront when the Tam Tam drummers began so I could get good photos of course and I just happened to be pulled in to help with a dance. Speaking of participating, I was also selected to go on stage in the Flights of Wonder show to photo an owl flying from the back of the theater to the stage (right by my head).

I did learn a valuable lesson at Animal Kingdom this day…pack a change of clothes for Kali River Rapids. I was the chosen one on our voyage! There was not a dry spot on me! I also heard they started offering complimentary lockers right by Kali River Rapids that you can use for 2 hours.

This trip I did more shopping and exploring in Animal Kingdom but still didn’t have enough time. I could spend all day in this park and not see one show or ride one ride. There is so much detail in this park that it is an attraction in itself! It is a photographers playground! I am convinced that this is not a one day park.

We ate at Yak & Yeti counter service for lunch. Good food and a large enough portion to share, although we didn’t. I suggest sharing an entree and ordering egg rolls.

We decided to hit up the extra magic hours in Magic Kingdom and leave Animal Kingdom a little early. Everyone else headed back to the hotel to freshen up a bit. I had already taken a bath on Kali River Rapids so I went on to Magic Kingdom.

The lighting was great when I arrived at Magic Kingdom so I took time to explore Main Street USA a little and get some photos before meeting back up with everyone. I actually explored Magic Kingdom and took photos for a couple of hours and only rode one ride in the whole time before meetingback up with everyone. The crowd level at MK was 8.5 this day so it was pretty crowded for awhile and a little difficult to get around especially with a wheelchair which my aunt had to have because she injured her leg the week before. We managed to ride a few rides and catch the Main Street Electrical Parade this night. It was my intention to stay until close (3am) but the long drive and the early mornings proved to be too much. It was really dead but so were we. I think we made it to about 2am. I’m thinking a nap after Animal Kingdom would have been ideal. It would let crowds die down and we could rest up to utilize the early morning hours in MK. Lesson learned!

Day two at Walt Disney World was dedicated completely to Magic Kingdom which was supposed to be a 1.1 crowd level. It wasn’t real crowded but I would have said it was more like a 4. We made our way back to the resort around 4 to start get into costume for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The party was a great unique experience! It was fun to see the costumes of all the guests and see how guests and cast members react to everyone’s costume. I absolutely loved the Boo To You Parade and HalloWishes. I will save more detail about the party for another post.

My next day began with an audition and the American Idol Experience. I planned on trying a different song this time but I didn’t practice as much soI sang Drops of Jupiter as one of my audition songs and ended up making iton the show. The audition judges chose Drops of Jupiter as my song for the show and although I did not win I had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with my competition.

While I was auditioning I sent everyone else to get Toy Story Mania fastpasses for later…and later they were. They got the fastpasses at 10:30am and the return time was 4:50. Of course we hit up Writer’s Stop for a carrot cake cookie and Starring Rolls for a cupcake! I ate at Pizza Planet for the first time which was pretty good but I do love most pizza.

We took time to stop and watch some of the streetmosphere on Sunset Blvd and I ended up being part of one of the street shows! We barely got a seat for Fantasmic! that night because we tried to squeeze one last ride on the Rockin’ Roller Coaster…can you blame us? After Fatansmic! we jumped over to check out the Boardwalk. It was a perfect night to be out on the Boardwalk and it wasn’t crowded at all. We ate at Big River Grill and Brewing Works. I suggest the meatloaf!

Our next day we went back for another dose of Hollywood Studios to hit a few other shows and attractions we missed the day before and to try and improve our score on Toy Story Mania! About halfway through the day we boarded one of the Friendship boats and headed to Epcot.

This was my first experience of the Food and Wine Festival. I love cooking, fine dining, and trying new foods so I was excited to be there during the festival. Although we did not attend any demonstrations this trip it was good to see everything that is going on and now I have decided to someday take a trip primarily for the festival and to budget to do some of the demonstrations.

Between the four of us we tried quite a few of the kiosks but did not come close to hitting them all. Good thing the festival will still be going on during my next trip…and we will be on the counter service dining plan! I will wait for another post to go into more detail about the festival.

Epcot had evening extra magic hours this night until midnight so we spent most of the time exploring the World Showcase pavilions, which I highly recommend even if you have to go back to the resort to take a nap to do it. Not only do you pretty much have the place to yourself but there is just something about exploring the pavilions at night.

Our last day in the parks we headed back to Epcot which was predicted to be a 3 out of 10. I would say that it was at most a 3! We took advantage of the small crowds to hit more of the attractions and to try more food! We watched IllumiNations the night before so decided to head out a little early to eat and do a little shopping in Downtown Disney. We ate at The House of Blues which was alright. I would say the primary allure of this place would be the live music but there was no show this night.

Although we did not even come close to doing everything, this trip did have quite a few firsts for me but I will save those for another post since this one is already ginormous! We all had a blast and if you want to check out some of the photos check out my new Facebook page Mouse Host. Wanting to plan a trip to Sea World as well? Check out there site here!

Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Food, Magic Kingdom, Trip Report | Tagged All Star Movies, American Idol Experience, Animal Kingdom, Boo To You Parade, Disney's Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, Epcot, Fantasmic!, Fastpass, Food and Wine Festival, HalloWishes, Hollywood Studios, Illuminations, Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, photography, Sea World, Toy Story Mania, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 3 Comments

You can get a lot of snacks for $20

Posted on October 16, 2012 by kshbrower

[by guest blogger, kshbrower]

When running the numbers for our next trip to the World, I figured that it will only cost us $20 total to add another day to our park tickets (it’s so low because we opted out of the park hopper). It seems like a no brainer to go ahead and get tickets for the day of our arrival. Even if it’s only a partial day in the parks, it doesn’t cost that much.

Then, I started looking into some things you can do outside the parks. My attention was especially drawn to Fort Wilderness. When we went to Disney World as young kids, we always stayed at Fort Wilderness, so I want my kids to have some experiences there too, even if we’re not brave enough to stay there yet. (The kiddos will be 16 months and almost 3 when we go.) The more I looked, the more I believed we could have an awesome day of family fun there and save our $20 for some of the “must have” snacks in the parks.

The next time you head to the World, consider using your arrival day to do some exploring outside of the parks. Fort Wilderness works for us because our children are younger, but there are so many other things out there to do no matter what age the people in your group are. I encourage you to use that search engine, hit the forums and plan an arrival day for your family that they’ll never forget!

Here are my thoughts for my family’s adventure in the Wilderness:

Late lunch at Roaring Fork at the Wilderness Lodge? (depending on when we arrive)

Free tour of Wilderness Lodge, including 12 foot geyser

Walk nature trail to Fort Wilderness (there is also a separate exercise trail)

Explore the Tri-Circle-D Ranch, with Main Street horses and petting zoo

Pony Ride, $5 per child, 10a-5p

Butterfly Garden at Outpost

Dinner at Trail’s End buffet

Chip n’ Dale Campfire, 8pm (We’ll probably bring our own Smores kit, but you can buy one there as well.)

Outdoor Movie 8:40pm (following campfire)

Water Pageant at 9:45pm (Maybe. Or we may try to watch it at the Polynesian on a different night with Dole Whips from Captain Cook’s.)

Other things to do at Fort Wilderness include: Cane pole or casting rod fishing, horseback trail ride, carriage ride, hayride, wagon ride, archery experience, the Hoop-dee-doo Revue and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. These all cost some amount of money, but offer you experiences you just can’t get in the parks!

When all is said and done, we’ll be saving $15. Just to give you an idea, that’s 3 Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches, 4-5 Dole Whips and almost 5 Mickey ice cream bars! That’s not even mentioning all the bakeries on my list that I’m hoping to hit!!

And best of all, we’ll be getting a priceless chance to make some new and special memories that will last a lifetime!

Posted in Food, Hidden Treasure, Snacks, Vacation tips | Tagged butterfly garden, Chip n' Dale campfire, Dole Whip, Fort Wilderness, park hopper, petting zoo, pony rides, Roaring Fork, snacks, Trails End, travel, Tri-Circle-D Ranch, vacation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World, water pageant, Wilderness Lodge | Leave a comment

Happy 30th Anniversary Epcot!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Mouse Host

30 years ago today Walt Disney World opened the park that was and was not a dream of Walt’s. The concept of an Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow had long been a dream of Walt’s and is one of the reason why so much land was purchased in Florida after numerous scouting trips had been done. The Epcot Center that was created and still exists today was not exactly what Walt had in mind but his inspiration, attention, and detail were not left out when it was constructed.

Many Disney fans have made a pilgrimage to WDW to celebrate today. There are numerous special events and merchandise to celebrate the Epcot we have today and commemorate the Epcot of the past. Check out more of the action on the Disney Parks Blog.

Posted in EPCOT | Tagged Anniversary, Disney Parks Blog, Epcot, travel, vacation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World | 2 Comments

Single Digit Dance!!!

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Mouse Host

I can’t believe I am single digits! I remember when it was around 200! I have a countdown widget in the shape of Mickey on the main screen of my phone to remind me each day that my trip is getting closer and closer! Single digits means I should be receiving our check-in package from my travel agent soon which is like…or better than getting a package in the mail around your birthday or Christmas!

Time to start serious packing. I have been making lists and gather things already but can’t wait until the last minute in case I need to get something…like more Disney shirts from the Disney Store. Plus, I need to get a few other things for my costume for Mickey’s Not So Scare Halloween Party.

I am excited about our trip and that we will be leaving in 9 days but it really hasn’t sunk in yet. I am excited but not WDW excited. There is a difference between excitement and WDW excitement, at least for me there is. For instance, last time we went we left from Missouri and it was a good 17 hour drive (with a toddler) and I could have driven the whole way without stopping for a hotel because I was so excited. We had planned on driving as long as we could or as long as my nephew would let us and then we would get a hotel. We figured we could make it about halfway. Well, we drove until we were only 45 minutes away from WDW! Maybe the true excitement will sink in when I get our check-in package in the mail.

Posted in Trip Report | Tagged countdown, packing, travel, trip report, vacation, Walt Disney World | 4 Comments

October Pretrip Report

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Mouse Host

As I have said before, Walt Disney World should not be taken lightly. It is not your average theme park. If you really want to get the most out of your vacation, I suggest doing your homework..or have someone else do it (like me!). When it comes to WDW planning, I love doing homework. I love planning my trips and other people’s trips if they’ll let me. I always keep my ears open at work for anyone that is planning to head to the World. So far I have only been able to offer tips (whether he wanted them or not) to one person who was planning a trip but I have only been there 8 months so that’s not bad.

Well, I am turning in my homework for my October trip…

The Crew

The other lucky participants are my aunt and a couple that are friends of mine and my aunt. We hope to head south around 1:30 if I can get off early on Friday. We are driving from east Tennessee so it will take us a good 11 hours. We plan to stay off site Friday night or Saturday morning rather…

Resort

Last trip we stayed at Pop Century so this time I wanted to experience a different resort so we will be staying at All Star Movies. We check in October 6th and check out on the 12th. We all have 5-day park hoppers because of the way we will be touring which I will explain. Because I am going again in November and April, I will be upgrading to an annual pass upon check in which means I will probably plan at least one more trip before it expires next October!

Schedule

That’s right, I already have our week scheduled out. I used touringplans.com to check park hours and crowd levels and then created a spreadsheet to help me plan out the schedule for each day. We bought park-hopper tickets because there are quite a few days that have extra magic hours (EMH) and I plan on taking advantage of that. EMH are offered to guests staying on site which will allow them entrance into some parks an hour before off-site guests or allow them to stay 3 hours after official closing. Don’t worry, there’s a more in depth post coming on EMH…

Saturday

Once we recover from the drive, we are heading to Sea World. I don’t think I have ever been and if I have, I don’t remember. As much as I pretend WDW is the only attraction located in Orlando I am pretty excited about Sea World because of my love for animals and the water! I am also a fan of thrill rides and look forward to riding Kraken and Manta! My love for photography also has me looking forward to the potential photo ops with all the animals Sea World.

Unfortunately, Sea World doesn’t allow you to bring in food or drink so we will have to eat in the park and I hear the food does not compare to WDW….what?…that’s what I heard for real! So it looks like we will be doing breakfast before the park and then Captain Pete’s or Mango Joe’s once inside the park. They appeared to be the only counter service options according to the website. We will most likely stick to counter service meals the duration of our stay in order to save money. We might even share a few meals. I couldn’t find any menus showing prices so not sure how much we will have to drop but we will manage even if we have to split and then eat outside the park after we leave.

After leaving Sea World we then will also leave the real world and “…today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy!”

Sunday

Some may find it hard to believe but we will not begin our magic journey with Magic Kingdom. This is because MK is a park to avoid this day because it has evening extra magic hour so it will be more crowded than the others. We shall begin our touring in Disney’s Animal Kingdom which opens at 9:00. My plan is to be at rope drop every morning but that is the beauty of staying on property. If everyone else wants to sleep in they can just meet me in the parks because you never have to drive once on Disney property. I would like to eat at Yak and Yeti but we may also hit up Flame Tree Barbeque as well.

The park closes at 6…the animals have an early bed time…but I don’t so we will put our park-hoppers to good use and head to the Magic Kingdom which will be open until 1:00 AM and of course I plan to stay until they kick me out! There’s nothing like walking down an almost empty Main Street USA at night but again…another post for another day. After getting kicked out it is off to the resort for a little nap until the parks open again…

Monday

Monday Magic Kingdom the crowd level prediction is of 1.2 out of 10! There are no evening extra magic hours offered for any of the parks so it is MK all day! Plus we have a party to go to! It is October so that means Disney is celebrating Halloween! We will be attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! An admission ticket purchase is required to attend. I will save the details of the party for a post after I return. Official closing time for MK that day is 7:00 PM and the party lasts until midnight!

Possible dining locations will be Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe, Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe , and Columbia Harbour House. Probably will stop by Main Street Bakery and a Dole Whip is without question on the to-do list…at least once!

Tuesday

I know it might sound crazy but we will start Tuesday off in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I know your asking, “Why are you going back to AK when you haven’t hit all the other parks yet. Hear me out…it’s all about the big picture. Tentatively, we will hit AK for rope drop and spend a little more time roaming the park and hitting some attractions again and after we are satisfied that we are done with AK we will head over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS). Who knows, we may decide we don’t need to go back to AK period but I decided to schedule at least another half a day for the park. This park is more about exploring and taking in the surrounds rather than bouncing from attraction to attraction so I want to give us time to hit all the attractions and to just take our time and explore. Plus,it would be good to hit the Kilimanjaro Safari again first thing in the morning because the animals are more active in the morning.

Depending on wait times when we arrive at DHS we may just stick to exploring and shows since we will be arriving in the afternoon. I plan to see Fantasmic! this night that way when we go back to DHS we can hit up some headlining attractions while the majority of people are watching Fantasmic! at the end of the night.

After Fantasmic! we might head to Disney’s Boardwalk or Downtown Disney for a little night life!

Wednesday

During our stay Disney’s Hollywood Studios is predicted to have the smallest crowds on Wednesday so we will begin our day there. Last trip I auditioned and made it on one of the American Idol Experience shows at DHS and had a blast so I plan on trying out again. Before I head to the audition studio I figure we will sprint to the back of the park to ride and grab fastpasses for Toy Story Mania. The rest of the day’s plan will depend on if I will be performing in an American Idol show but things (or food rather…) that are on the to-do list are cupcakes from Starring Roles and carrot cake cookies from Writer’s Stop. I am thinking of ABC Commissary and Backlot Express for lunch and dinner options.

Many people begin to head to 1500-seat Hollywood Hills Amphitheater up to an hour and a half before Fantasmic! to ensure they get good seats. I am hoping the displacement of around 1500 people will allow us nearly free reign of the park! We will see…

DHS closes at 8pm this day but guess what…Epcot has evening extra magic hours and is open until 12! So guess where we…or at least I will be going. Depending on how our day goes at DHS we might even head to Epcot earlier than 8 but we will see because DHS is my favorite park. I know I am bizarre but it is true. Maybe I will attempt to explain why in a another post. Hopefully we can make it to Epcot in time to catch IllumiNations.

Thursday

It may be a dangerous game to wait until the last day of our trip for a full day at Epcot but I am hoping by taking crowd level predictions for the entire week into consideration my strategic plan for touring will prove successful. is about the big picture. I spent a lot of time developing my game plan and even discussed it with my sister who is also a big WDW fan and frequent contributor to the blog.

We will begin our tour in Future World because World Showcase does not open until 11am. Our first stop will be Soarin which I would say is the most popular Epcot attraction. We may fastpass this attraction or Mission Space. I would like to explore World Showcase a little more this trip. I hope to check out more of the shops and shows at each pavilion.

The most difficult decision for this day and possibly the entire trip will be where to eat. I would like to eat at Tangierine Cafe or Somerfest for meals and would love to get snacks from every pavilion but know it is not possible. Plus Food and Wine Festival will be going on so there be tons of other snack options available in World Showcase so we will see what happens!

Friday

This will be a sad sad day but there are ways to cure the blues that come when you enter the real world again. The best cure for these blues is to start planning your next trip. Well, you know that I have already planned and booked my next trip so as we drive away I will be saying, “See you soon!”

Posted in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Food, Magic Kingdom, Trip Report | Tagged All Star Movies, American Idol Experience, Animal Kingdom, annual pass, carrot cake cookies, Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Rays, counter service, crowd levels, cupcakes, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Dole Whip, Epcot, extra magic hours, Fantasmic!, food, Illuminations, Magic Kingdom, park-hopper tickets, Pecos Bills, planning, Pop Century Resort, resort, Sea World, Soarin, Starring Rolls, touringplans.com, Toy Story Mania, travel, vacation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World, Writer's Stop | 3 Comments

Paintbrushes Extinct?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Mouse Host

So…do you remember my post about Tom Sawyer’s Island and the paintbrushes that the cast members would hide most mornings for guests to find and return for fastpasses? Well it appears those pesky Walt Disney World cast members have hid those paintbrushes pretty well this time. Rumor has it that they have finally put an end to the scavenger hunt.

I think it is a shame to do away with it because it doesn’t take anytime to do and it is a great and free way to plus your vacation especially if you have little ones. I saw tons of kids running around looking for the coveted paint brushes while I was frantically running back and forth across the island trying to get my hands on one before them!…yeah, I should be ashamed.

I have heard of people stealing the paintbrushes which is a shame and I can see Disney putting and end to it because of that but is a shame either way. Plus I think it was a great way to get people on to the island who may not go otherwise.

I will see what I can do to find out if this is rumor or fact on my next trip. Just remember, if you want to look for the paintbrushes, ask a cast member if they hid them that morning before you do laps around the island just to find out they hid them behind a locked door on the dock.

Posted in Hidden Treasure, Magic Kingdom | Tagged cast member, Magic Kingdom, paintbrush, rumor, scavenger hunt, Tom Sawyer's Island, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 2 Comments

Trivia time!

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Mouse Host

I passed this truck on the way to work this morning. What is its significance to Walt Disney World?

Posted in WDW trivia | 3 Comments

Kingdom Camera Rentals

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Mouse Host

Two of my favorite things are Walt Disney World and photography. Getting to do both at the same time is a WIN-WIN for me! I had a great time taking photos on my last trip which was my first trip in about 10 years and my first trip as an adult. I think I got a lot of great shots for my first time in WDW as an amateur photographer.

I often think of shots or see photos others have taken that I wish I had but there is just not enough time in one trip…or two…or three. Every part of Walt Disney World is so picturesque that there are endless photo ops. Because WDW is so picturesque it is so easy to get great photos no matter what level of photographer you are. In fact, the color of the sidewalk was chosen because Kodak advised Disney that it looks better in photos. The uniqueness of WDW also offers the opportunity for photographers to capture things they might not be able to capture otherwise. WDW offers a vast array of subjects which will allow you to test your skills and experiment with different types of photography. Here are just a few: culinary, wildlife, fireworks, sports, landscape, architectural, macro, night time, portraits.

This post came about because of a camera rental company I stumbled upon while browsing through one of my favorite Disney blogs…Disney Tourist Blog. I love this blog because I enjoying looking at the great shots he gets but also because he offers technical advice specific to photography at WDW.

The Disney Photography Blog has partnered with this camera rental company called Kingdom Camera Rentals. This company will rent camera equipment to you while you are visiting WDW. This is a great service for anyone visiting WDW and is interested in getting into photography. You can browse and order equipment on their website and they will meet you at your resort with your equipment and come back to pick it up when you are done!

Since my camera equipment is very limited at this point I may have to try renting a few lenses from this company on one of my upcoming trips.

Posted in Vacation tips | Tagged arts, camera equipment, disney photography, Disney Tourist Blog, Kingdom Camera Rentals, photography, rental, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 3 Comments

Country Bear Jamboree Refurb

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Mouse Host

Zeke, Zeb, Ted, Fred, and a bear named Tennessee…and Baby Oscar

Country Bear Jamboree, one of the opening day attractions at Walt Disney World will be going down for refurbishment from late August to mid October. Is it just a maintenance refurb or will the show be changed? If the show is changed it would not be the first time as the show has been changed in the past to become the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown in February 1986 and a special Christmas show during the holiday from 1984 to 2006.

Big Al

The show, originally conceived to be an attraction for the Mineral King Ski Lodge in California became affectionately known as “Walt’s last laugh” because of the nice chuckle Walt got after seeing some drawings Marc Davis had been working on for the project. Legend has it that after this visit with Marc Davis, Walt said good-bye to Davis on his way out of his office, which was rare for Walt. A few days later Walt passed away from cancer.

Henry and his coon-skinned friend Sammy

I believe the show and especially the characters are entertaining enough to remain in WDW indefinitely and I don’t ever see the bears getting evicted because of the connection that Walt had to them. However, Walt did not ever see the actual production so I I wouldn’t be surprised to see it change despite the opinions of so many die-hard WDW fans.

It appears the bears will be on vacation the same time I will be so I will miss them in October but I will report on any changes after my trip in November!

Posted in Magic Kingdom, Refurbs, shows, WDW History | Tagged christmas show, Country Bear Jamboree, Magic Kingdom, Marc Davis, Mineral King, music, shows, theme park, travel, vacation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World | 3 Comments

Annie Leibovitz

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Mouse Host

Former Rolling Stones magazine photographer Annie Leibovitz was hired by the Walt Disney Company in 2007 to portray a few famous people as famous Disney characters. I stumbled across her one day during one of my Disney geek internet surfing ventures. As a huge fan of Disney and photography I enjoyed her artistic take on these beloved characters and found the casting for the characters very interesting. Here is some of her work. What do you think?

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Annie Leibovitz, celebrities, movies, photography, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 1 Comment

iphone Cases

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Mouse Host

My desire to save money trumps my desire to be on the up and up when it comes to my possessions. I will get by with what I have to save money so I can spend that money on Walt Disney World trips!

I am a fan of having the best possible phone I can that I don’t have to pay for. This means I am an Android owner. It has been a great phone for the price and I can complain but I have never been one who has to have the latest and greatest. I have never had a great desire to jump on the iphone bandwagon not because I am against them but because of the price. I know they are capable of so much more than my Android but I am not one who relies on my phone for everything. I use it to talk, text, Facebook, check on my blog, and check the St. Louis Cardinals score and it does just fine for all of those tasks.

You may call me crazy and you may be right to do so but the one thing that has made me want an iphone more than anything is for the sweet Disney cases! Unfortunately they are not available for my petty Android.

Here are some of my favorites…

Check out these cases and more at Disneystore.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged iphone cases, theme park, Walt Disney World | 1 Comment

Disney Dining Plan

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Mouse Host

If you don’t know already, you will soon find out as you continue reading (which I hope you do), that I am a huge proponent for dining in Walt Disney World and encourage everyone to do so as much as your wallet or credit limit will allow. Just kidding on the credit limit thing. I am also in favor of being financially savvy so budget to allow yourself to eat in the World a few times during your trips.

I like seeing all those zeros!

Now for those of you who have been financially savvy enough to save so much that your piggy bank looks as though it is about to give birth to little piglets…(see what I did there?) you might be interested in the Disney Dining Plan. You pay up front for the plan as part of the Magic Your Way Package and you receive credits for meals and snacks according to how many nights you stay.

“What do get in this dining plan?” you ask? Be patient and I will tell you. I know I said “plan” but there are actually a few “plans.” So what you get in the plan depends on which plan you get. Okay, I am starting to confuse myself so let’s move on to the plans.

Quick Service Dining Plan:

2 counter service meals, 1 snack, 1 resort refillable mug

Here comes dessert!

Dining Plan:

1 table service, 1 counter service meal, 1 snack, 1 resort refillable mug

Deluxe Dining Plan:

3 meals (counter or table), 2 snacks, 1 resort refillable mug

Premium Dining Plan:

3 meals (counter or table), 2 snacks, 1 resort refillable mug

Also includes numerous recreation activities, admission to Cirque du Soleil show, La Nouba, and Disney Children’s Activity Centers and also select Theme Park Tours.

Platinum Dining Plan:

3 meals (counter or table), 2 snacks, 1 resort refillable mug

The Platinum offers everything the Premium Plan does and adds Disney’s PhotoPass Photo CD, Fireworks cruises during Wishes and IllumiNations. Reserved seating at Fantasmic!, and Spa Treatment

Cracker Jacks made a great snack during Fantasmic! later than night.

Alright, there are the facts. Now for what you are really looking for…my opinion. The Disney Dining Plans are convenient and do offer a great deal of food (and experiences for the higher end plans) for the price. Before I answer your question as to whether I would ever purchase one of the plans let me say this, we did use the Dining Plan on our last trip and my mom and I will be using the Quick Service Plan in November which I am excited about but no, I would never pay for one of the plans (foreshadowing a future post).

Legendary Dole Whip! Worth skipping dessert for!

For one, my piggy bank is far from giving birth and I would rather use the money I would spend on the plans on some other experience. The plans will provide you with a lot of food. More than I need but if it is there I will eat it. Let me tell you, I ate a lot of food when we were on the plan last time. Sometimes I was too full for dessert or didn’t care for the dessert they offered (only at counter service) but because it was on the plan, I got it. If I was to pay out of pocket, I would order water (to save $ and because I am not dependent on soda) and I wouldn’t always order desserts especially at quick service restaurants. In fact, I would pass up dessert at a quick service almost every time and spend that money on a snack elsewhere in the parks because there are so many great snack options.

You could even split a side or a whole meal with someone else in your party for a few meals without going hungry which will allow you to experience many more restaurants on your trip without slaughtering your little piggy bank. I am all for experiencing as much as possible without going broke or into debt!

*A few notes about the credits:

Snacks on Dining Plan

Look for this image on menus for eligible snacks
Each meal consists of entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage.
The amount of credits are based on the night stay but multiple credits can be used in one day until the total for the say is depleted.
Some table service restaurants on the dining plan will take 2 off your credits (character dining, dinner shows, upscale signature restaurants)
Gratuities are not included so budget to tip!

Posted in Food, Snacks, Vacation tips | Tagged budget, Dole Whip, Fantasmic!, food, Illuminations, La Nouba, recreation, restaurants, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World, Wishes | 4 Comments

Main Street Bakery

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Mouse Host

It might be possible for you to walk down Main Street without stopping by the Main Street Bakery but it’s nearly impossible to walk past the bakery without smelling the comforting and very welcoming smell of freshly baked pastries. It is hard to miss this snack stop partly every guest visiting the Magic Kingdom walks but it unless they spend all day in the square or use the train to enter and leave the park…but let’s be honest, no one does that! Nor should they!

It’s popularity can be attributed not only to its convenient location but also to the scent that is piped into the street. Yes, the sweet aroma that takes you over as you make your way towards Cinderella’s castle is not actually the smell of pastries sold inside. It is those pesky Imagineers at work again. Now whether you want to believe Disney does this to “sell the story” or to sell more bake goods is up to you. Some people see this and other similar tactics Disney uses as devious but it does not bother me. I think it is interesting and in fact, you can find other artificial scents elsewhere in WDW, one of which you can also find on Main Street.

The Main Street Bakery is a great place for those who aren’t looking to spend a lot of time and money. The portions are fairly generous for prices around $3. It is a great option for those who might have skipped breakfast at their resort and don’t come to the parks packing. It also serves as a great snack location as you settle into position for the classic view of Wishes.

Grade:

Posted in Food, Magic Kingdom, Restaurant Review, Snacks | Tagged bakery, fireworks, food, Magic Kingdom, Main Street Bakery, restaurants, theme park, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 4 Comments

Fireworks Snob

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Mouse Host

IllumiNations from Japan

The two most popular activities for Americans on the 4th of July are cookouts and fireworks. I must say that I am a fan of both, however, it is rare for me to venture out to see fireworks…unless I am roaming those 30,000 magical acres in central Florida.

I have realized over the years that at the end of every fireworks display, I think (or say), “Disney does it way better!” Now I realize that no other place may have the finances or resources Disney does and I do not fault them for that. Usually I don’t even say that the show was bad. I just cannot help but be partial to what I grew up on.

Wishes from Main Street

Everyone has something that they grew up on or first experienced that will always be better than anything somewhat similar that should follow. It may be your mom’s lasagna or music from your era. I am admitting that I most definitely have a bias when it comes to fireworks…however (there it is! You knew it was coming!), if I were able to set my bias aside and remain completely objective I would still argue that Disney’s firework displays are superior to almost any other.

One advantage Walt Disney World has over any other location is the backdrop for a fireworks show. I think you will have a difficult time finding a more picturesque horizon to view fireworks. Between the numerous vantage points for IllumiNations in World Showcase and viewing Wishes behind one of the most recognized, most photographed buildings in the world, I’d say Walt Disney World has the advantage when it comes to location!

As with everything else Disney does, they take it step further. They don’t just shoot up a bunch of mortars that light up the sky and make a big boom. They tell a story. The visually stunning display combined with inspiring music, and a gripping narration have been know to produce a few tears with some guests (I’ve heard). Where else will you see a fireworks show that can bring a tear to your eye? Debate over!

You’ll even find a few pyrotechnics in other shows throughout the parks

Disney should have it right though, considering they produce multiple shows a night nearly every day out of the year. This schedule lands the Walt Disney World as the second largest purchaser of explosives in the United States, next to the U.S. military.

Posted in EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, shows | Tagged 4th of july, cookout, fireworks, theme park, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 3 Comments

WDW Bucket List: DiveQuest

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Mouse Host

Ask anyone what’s on their bucket list and the majority of people will have no difficulty rattling off at least five things they want to experience before they die. Ask me what’s on my bucket list and the only difficulty I will have is naming something that doesn’t have to do with Disney…well at least naming more things that don’t have to do with Disney. With that being said, this may be the first in an ongoing series where I cover things that are on my WDW bucket list and hopefully one day I will be able to review each item on my bucket list after experiencing them for myself.

The reason I have been slacking a little lately on the blog is because I have been pursuing one of my bucket list items. The one I have been tackling lately could be found on my non-Disney bucket list but consequently will allow me to experience one of my WDW bucket list items.

After spending two weekends in a classroom and pool, followed by one weekend in a quarry, I am now scuba certified! I have always loved the water and have wanted to scuba dive for as long as I can remember. Now that I am certified, of all the places there are to scuba dive, the only one that is a “must do” for me at this point is the 5.7-million-gallon saltwater tank in Epcot. You might be asking, “How do you plan on doing that? Are you planning on working there someday?” Well, as a matter of fact, I do plan on working there someday but I don’t have to be a Cast Member to dive the waters of the Living Seas.

DiveQuest offers scuba certified guests the opportunity to experience the Living Seas from the other side of the 6 inch “glass” (actually acrylic). This unique experience cost $175 and 3 hours out of your day but in my opinion, would absolutely be worth it! I have had my share of being “on stage” at WDW and all of those instances have been free but I would have easily paid for the opportunities I have had to experience WDW in a way most do not get to. I will not hesitate to shell out (see what I did there?….”shell” out!) $175 for this experience!

As a DiveQuest participant, you become part of the show for those admiring the 6,000 creatures who call the second largest saltwater aquarium in the world their home. Guests dining in the Coral Reef Restaurant will watch you with envy and you may watch them with envy as you swim right up to their table an observe their appetizing entree. Guests wandering the Living Seas pavilion can also view the show through any one of the 56 windows measuring 8 ft by 24 ft, weighing in at about 9,000 lbs each.

For a WDW nerd like myself, it’s like Christmas morning anytime I can get a look at the behind-the-scenes at Walt Disney World! I am just so intrigued at how Disney does the things they do. DiveQuest, of course, offers participants a back-stage look at the Living Seas Pavilion and what it takes to run such an elaborate man-made environment that supports over 60 different aquatic species.

I have read numerous accounts of guests who have experienced DiveQuest and they all have mentioned that the Cast Members instruct participants that when they enter the water they are now “on stage” and to act accordingly. As entertaining as it is for those diving in Disney’s aquarium, they have also volunteered to be part of the show and have now become part of the entertainment for everyone else. How many times have you been enjoying a nice sea food dinner and a scuba diver swims right up to your table? That would make for and interesting meal right?… Remember that Disney is all about the show. When Disney allows guests to be part of the show they want to be sure that those not participating are also entertained.

I think it would be even more of a magical experience for me if I have someone else there to experience it with me, not necessarily in the water but on the other side of the glass. I think it would be cool to swim up to the glass and to see my family on the other side. We have a family vacation to the World in the works for next summer. As of now it is going to be my mom and dad, my sister and brother-in-law, and my niece and nephew. I think it will be a unique experience for them to them as well.

Posted in EPCOT, Hidden Treasure, WDW Bucket List | Tagged aquarium, bucket list, cast member, Living Seas, saltwater tank, scuba diving, travel, vacation, Walt Disney World | 2 Comments

A look at the magic Walt brought into the World!

Free Dining is Back!

I’m Craving a Fresh Fruit and Nutella Waffle

Monsters Take Over the Monorail

The Best All-Nighter You Could Ever Pull

Today Disney’s Animal Kingdom Celebrates 15 Years on Earth Day

Pass the Pixie Dust Please

November Trip Report

From Hallow to Holly

November Pretrip Report

A Whole New World…Every Trip: My WDW “Firsts”

Dine Like Cabbages and Kings…for FREE!

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm Ltd.

October 2012 Trip Report

You can get a lot of snacks for $20

Happy 30th Anniversary Epcot!

Single Digit Dance!!!

October Pretrip Report

The Crew

Schedule

Paintbrushes Extinct?

Trivia time!

Kingdom Camera Rentals

Country Bear Jamboree Refurb

Annie Leibovitz

iphone Cases

Disney Dining Plan

Main Street Bakery

Fireworks Snob

WDW Bucket List: DiveQuest

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