Monday, September 13, 2010
Taking a chance on the California Grill
I have perfected the art of the Advance Dining Reservation at Walt Disney World and we never leave home without having many of our dining reservations in place. One of the places I have been known to book, and then cancel, in the past was the California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort. There were many trips where we'd have a reservation here, I'd take a peek at the menu, and then change my mind. I'm not an adventurous eater at all...in fact I've always been quite picky. It is not above me at all to walk out of a restaurant after looking at a menu...much to my husband's dismay. So when I finally decided to take a chance on the California Grill in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary while in Walt Disney World it was a big deal.So in October of 2008 we finally kept a dining reservation at the California Grill. Once glance at
the menu and I decided to give this flatbread a try. I LOVED it though when I read the description it didn't sound like something I would like all that much. I took a chance though...and I could not get enough!
My husband was a big sushi fan so he ordered this dish...and I decided to have my first try at sushi. I didn't eat a lot but it wasn't bad. I have since become a huge sushi fan too.
You just can't beat this view! We were seated at a table right next to the window, which of course added to the experience. I can't remember our waiter's name but I do remember he was great. I can recall also trying the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli...another thing I would have never ordered in the past because...well goat cheese? As it turned out, I LOVED this one as well and in fact I have since found a copycat recipe and have made something very similar to it at home many times...and even my kids now beg for me to make it for them!Our main course selections were beef of some kind, which were okay but they didn't compare to the previous selections and I could so go back and just have their appetizers and first course items as a meal.
After dinner, we walked outside to the patio area to watch wishes as they piped in the music there and it was truly a magical experience. We knew we would have to return again.
Needless to say, when we returned to Walt Disney World in May of 2009 with our entire family (the kids and my in-laws) we were sure to make a reservation. We weren't sure how the kids would do there, but our kids are usually very good in restaurants. I must say the wait staff that time went out of their way to keep the kids happy as well as the adults! It was another excellent experience...and I ended up trying OSTRICH of all things at that meal...and found it also fantastic. I guess you could say the California Grill has helped bring me out of my picky eating shell quite a bit by now. Therefore it should come as no surprise that this is one of our must-do reservations for each and every trip now!
Halloween with Mickey
We have been fortunate enough to make a few trips to Walt Disney World during the fall season. I think if I had to pick a favorite time to go to Walt Disney World, it would probably be October but I might be a bit biased since I think we've been there more times in October than during any other month.Our wedding anniversary just happens to be in October, so we've been lucky enough to make a few adult-only trips out to Walt Disney World to celebrate. One of the coolest experiences during October is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This is a ticketed event meaning that you have to purchase an additional ticket to go to this party...you can't just be there with a regular ticket or annual pass and be able to stay for the extra fun. The tickets do entitle you to spend the evening at the Magic Kingdom which is something that is rare during October since the parks tend to close early during that time of year. Experiencing the Magic Kingdom at night is a whole new experience.
The special Halloween parade is also fun to watch. There's just something about seeing some living dead characters that look like they are right out of the Haunted Mansion in a parade and seeing the villains get more than their fair share of parade time as well. Even the fireworks spectacular in the evening is particularly entertaining.
In addition to trick-or-treating, there are many other events throughout the park during the course of the evening, like special dance parties where there are usual surprise guest characters out on the dance floor! If you and your kids can hang out late at night, you also have the added bonus of very light crowds as it gets later in the evening and you can ride many rides over and over with little to no wait.
Mickey's Halloween event is something that you should definitely try to experience at least once!
Monday, September 6, 2010
What makes you a Disneyholic?
How do you know you are addicted to Disney? When you find yourself sitting on a curb outside of a tire shop,
waiting for your tires on your vehicle to be replaced, and you spot this sight across the parking lot. All you can think about is the tree at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
waiting for your tires on your vehicle to be replaced, and you spot this sight across the parking lot. All you can think about is the tree at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Solo driving to Disney, Pop Century Resort and Star Wars Weekend Fun - PART 2
Ok, so as I mentioned in Part 1, we left EPCOT and headed to the airport to pick up my husband AKA Nicolas' daddy as he was flying into town to join us on the trip. It was a quick drive to the airport, we waited in the cell phone lot until he called (which was crazy crowded and his flight was late) and then picked him up and came back to our hotel room.
We then headed back to EPCOT for a little while that evening. Since Frank also had a season pass there was no extra cost there. We enjoyed a little more of the park, I think we even had dinner there but I can't recall for sure, then headed back to the hotel.
That night Nicolas wanted to experience the much larger Hippy Dippy Pool at our resort. This time Frank and I joined him. This pool was much louder and crazier than the pool closer to our room. It was packed solid even close to 9pm that night. Nicolas still had a great time there.
The next morning was our planned day of the Stars Wars Weekend event at Hollywood Studios. We could not wait to surprise Nicolas with this. We drove to the park and took the tram to the front entrance, while I carefully made sure Nicolas could NOT see the Stormtroopers that I knew from reading would be atop the front gates. When we walked up and he saw the large poster advertising the Star Wars Weekend he finally really GOT it and he was so excited. Not long after that he spotted the Stormtroopers and he was even more thrilled. It was so cool to walk down the street in the park and see them perched high above. While this day did involve hitting some of the main rides at Hollywood Studios, for the most part it was all about Nicolas and the Star Wars events there.
We did ride Toy Story Mania with him for the first time and he LOVED that. I think we got at least two rides out of it that day. There were many long lines for photos and autographs with Star Wars Characters, there was lots of stopping in the streets to greet Stormtroopers and other Star Wars Characters and even though I'm not a big Star Wars fan I couldn't help but enjoy it. Nicolas got photos with Darth Vader and Chewbacca among others, we browsed the large Star Wars Merchandise shop and we secured a great spot early to watch the Star Wars Parade.
It was definitely hot but it was a great day overall. Dinner that night was at the 50s Prime Time Cafe which was another fun event that even Nicolas got into. We really could not have asked for a better trip for him.
We did head back to our hotel earlier in the evening than I would have liked, but with the heat I knew everybody just needed a break. There was more pool time for a little bit and dessert from the food court - Tie-Dyed CHEESECAKE! The next morning we would pack ourselves back into the car and make the 9+ hour drive back to my parents house.
I have to say if you have any friends and family that are even REMOTELY Star Wars fans, attending just one day of the Star Wars Weekends events at Walt Disney World would be totally worth it. I'd love to try to go back someday myself and take some of our friends and family!
We then headed back to EPCOT for a little while that evening. Since Frank also had a season pass there was no extra cost there. We enjoyed a little more of the park, I think we even had dinner there but I can't recall for sure, then headed back to the hotel.
That night Nicolas wanted to experience the much larger Hippy Dippy Pool at our resort. This time Frank and I joined him. This pool was much louder and crazier than the pool closer to our room. It was packed solid even close to 9pm that night. Nicolas still had a great time there.
The next morning was our planned day of the Stars Wars Weekend event at Hollywood Studios. We could not wait to surprise Nicolas with this. We drove to the park and took the tram to the front entrance, while I carefully made sure Nicolas could NOT see the Stormtroopers that I knew from reading would be atop the front gates. When we walked up and he saw the large poster advertising the Star Wars Weekend he finally really GOT it and he was so excited. Not long after that he spotted the Stormtroopers and he was even more thrilled. It was so cool to walk down the street in the park and see them perched high above. While this day did involve hitting some of the main rides at Hollywood Studios, for the most part it was all about Nicolas and the Star Wars events there.
We did ride Toy Story Mania with him for the first time and he LOVED that. I think we got at least two rides out of it that day. There were many long lines for photos and autographs with Star Wars Characters, there was lots of stopping in the streets to greet Stormtroopers and other Star Wars Characters and even though I'm not a big Star Wars fan I couldn't help but enjoy it. Nicolas got photos with Darth Vader and Chewbacca among others, we browsed the large Star Wars Merchandise shop and we secured a great spot early to watch the Star Wars Parade.It was definitely hot but it was a great day overall. Dinner that night was at the 50s Prime Time Cafe which was another fun event that even Nicolas got into. We really could not have asked for a better trip for him.
We did head back to our hotel earlier in the evening than I would have liked, but with the heat I knew everybody just needed a break. There was more pool time for a little bit and dessert from the food court - Tie-Dyed CHEESECAKE! The next morning we would pack ourselves back into the car and make the 9+ hour drive back to my parents house.
I have to say if you have any friends and family that are even REMOTELY Star Wars fans, attending just one day of the Star Wars Weekends events at Walt Disney World would be totally worth it. I'd love to try to go back someday myself and take some of our friends and family!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Solo driving to Disney, Pop Century Resort and Star Wars Weekend Fun - PART 1
Back in June of 2008 I completed my very first somewhat solo drive to Walt Disney World with my then 8-year-old son Nicolas. I have never done a trip report from that experience, but I'll try to summarize it here now.
After a few years of struggling through elementary school, Nicolas was on par for a very good school year as a 2nd grader. We (ok mostly me with my husband's blessing) decided to reward him and what better way to reward a child who is a Star Wars fan than with a trip to Walt Disney World for Star Wars Weekend!
I began the trip by driving to my parents' home in North Carolina, about an 8-hour drive from our home in Maryland. It was me and the three kids as my husband had to work and could not afford the time off. I spent a day or two there with them, then I left the two youngest kids with my parents and packed my oldest son into the car for what I would only tell him was a surprise.
He refused to get into the car.
Nicolas was not up for another long car ride (shouldn't have mentioned that) and he didn't want to leave. I refused to give in and tell him where we were going other than it was a special surprise. I finally forced him into the car with much protest...and called up my husband in TEARS about the whole thing.
Not the best way to start out a fun trip.
At some point I mentioned to Nicolas that our final destination was somewhere in Florida and gave him a map to help navigate. This helped a little bit and eventually he was in a little bit better spirits. About 6 hours or so later or so we crossed into Florida...and not too long later we were in a torrential downpour which lasted a good 45 minutes! I have driven in some hard rain in my life...for quick spurts but this was CRAZY! We trudged onward determined to get to our destination though.
When we arrived in the Kissimmee area and pulled into a gas station nearby Nicolas noticed the Walt Disney World front gates. I had been hopeful that he would not notice the big billboards advertising Star Wars Weekends but as I recall he did at one point mention something about seeing Star Wars stuff on signs but I passed it off. After filling up the tank we crossed into the Walt Disney World Resort area and Nicolas' excitement was obvious! He could not BELIEVE we were at Walt Disney World! Nine hours or so after hitting the road we pulled into the driveway for the Pop Century Resort and entered the building for check-in and Nicolas was over-the-moon thrilled and thanking me a million times!
He still had no idea what else was in store for him...he was in Walt Disney World and that was enough for him. He had mom all to himself (rare in our house of five) and we would get to do some fun stuff together. We checked into our room in the 50s section and he saw the bowling pin pool and LOVED it. He couldn't wait to try it out later.
After settling into the room I called a friend of mine from high school...she lives in the area but I hadn't seen her since my 1990 high school graduation. We met her and her daughter, who is just a little younger than Nicolas, for dinner at Downtown Disney. She introduced us to the Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant...and it was GREAT! Nicolas and her daughter got along well and we had a chance to catch up which was such fun. It was like we had never lost touch at all and she's now become somebody I talk to quite regularly and see more often too.
That evening I let Nicolas have some time in the pool at the resort, which he loved. It was so nice that I didn't have to get into the pool, but could just watch him safely from the side as he enjoyed an evening swim.
The next day was our solo Epcot adventure. I had a season pass and bought a 2-day ticket for Nicolas for our trip. One day for Epcot and one day for Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Weekend. It was such fun exploring Epcot with just Nicolas
and spending time doing many things we had never done before, such as Innoventions. We even got in line for the special Disney Visa character photo which I had never done before...and it was so cool to have a photo with so many characters at once!
As dinnertime approached, I informed Nicolas we had another trip to make...but this one was much shorter. We drove out to the airport to pick up my husband so Nicolas would now get to spend time with both Mommy and Daddy at Walt Disney World!
(coming up next...Star Wars Weekend fun!)
After a few years of struggling through elementary school, Nicolas was on par for a very good school year as a 2nd grader. We (ok mostly me with my husband's blessing) decided to reward him and what better way to reward a child who is a Star Wars fan than with a trip to Walt Disney World for Star Wars Weekend!
I began the trip by driving to my parents' home in North Carolina, about an 8-hour drive from our home in Maryland. It was me and the three kids as my husband had to work and could not afford the time off. I spent a day or two there with them, then I left the two youngest kids with my parents and packed my oldest son into the car for what I would only tell him was a surprise.
He refused to get into the car.
Nicolas was not up for another long car ride (shouldn't have mentioned that) and he didn't want to leave. I refused to give in and tell him where we were going other than it was a special surprise. I finally forced him into the car with much protest...and called up my husband in TEARS about the whole thing.
Not the best way to start out a fun trip.
At some point I mentioned to Nicolas that our final destination was somewhere in Florida and gave him a map to help navigate. This helped a little bit and eventually he was in a little bit better spirits. About 6 hours or so later or so we crossed into Florida...and not too long later we were in a torrential downpour which lasted a good 45 minutes! I have driven in some hard rain in my life...for quick spurts but this was CRAZY! We trudged onward determined to get to our destination though.
When we arrived in the Kissimmee area and pulled into a gas station nearby Nicolas noticed the Walt Disney World front gates. I had been hopeful that he would not notice the big billboards advertising Star Wars Weekends but as I recall he did at one point mention something about seeing Star Wars stuff on signs but I passed it off. After filling up the tank we crossed into the Walt Disney World Resort area and Nicolas' excitement was obvious! He could not BELIEVE we were at Walt Disney World! Nine hours or so after hitting the road we pulled into the driveway for the Pop Century Resort and entered the building for check-in and Nicolas was over-the-moon thrilled and thanking me a million times!
He still had no idea what else was in store for him...he was in Walt Disney World and that was enough for him. He had mom all to himself (rare in our house of five) and we would get to do some fun stuff together. We checked into our room in the 50s section and he saw the bowling pin pool and LOVED it. He couldn't wait to try it out later.
After settling into the room I called a friend of mine from high school...she lives in the area but I hadn't seen her since my 1990 high school graduation. We met her and her daughter, who is just a little younger than Nicolas, for dinner at Downtown Disney. She introduced us to the Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant...and it was GREAT! Nicolas and her daughter got along well and we had a chance to catch up which was such fun. It was like we had never lost touch at all and she's now become somebody I talk to quite regularly and see more often too.
That evening I let Nicolas have some time in the pool at the resort, which he loved. It was so nice that I didn't have to get into the pool, but could just watch him safely from the side as he enjoyed an evening swim.
The next day was our solo Epcot adventure. I had a season pass and bought a 2-day ticket for Nicolas for our trip. One day for Epcot and one day for Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Weekend. It was such fun exploring Epcot with just Nicolas
and spending time doing many things we had never done before, such as Innoventions. We even got in line for the special Disney Visa character photo which I had never done before...and it was so cool to have a photo with so many characters at once!As dinnertime approached, I informed Nicolas we had another trip to make...but this one was much shorter. We drove out to the airport to pick up my husband so Nicolas would now get to spend time with both Mommy and Daddy at Walt Disney World!
(coming up next...Star Wars Weekend fun!)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Blog Revival
So as I am starting to plan out our NEXT Disney trip in June of 2011 I have decided to try to breathe some new life into this old blog. When we last left here, I was updating you on our May 2009 trip...which was just FAB-U-LOUS. We returned from that trip and went back seven months later for another trip, also great. I think it's probably about time I update that and then just try to post more regularly here since it's the one thing I LOVE to talk about...Disney!
I promise to not take another long leave of absence. I'm going to be back very soon to post all about our December trip next!
I promise to not take another long leave of absence. I'm going to be back very soon to post all about our December trip next!
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About Me
- DisneyDina
- These are the confessions of a full-time working mom of 3 kids trying to balance home life and work life. I'm a Disneyholic and am thinking about when I'll get to visit Disney again at least once a month.
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