Disney for the adults

Back in 1998, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Florida with one of my oldest and dearest friends as well as one of her friends. My friend happened to work at the Disney Store so she had some free park passes to use. We booked a VERY cheap off-site hotel for probable less than $50 a night...and split it three ways. We found some great airfares and we went during college Spring Break week...so sometime in March we did a great girls-only Disney trip.

It was a short trip but it was still nice. We had park hoppers so we did get a chance to visit all three parks that were open at the time: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and MGM Studios. We had a really fun meal at the 50's Prime Time Cafe where they did the "airplane" and fed my friend her food. We took a day away from Disney to visit a beach and to take in a Spring Training game with our hometown team the Baltimore Oriole's. It wasn't a long trip but it was nice.

Of course, back then you still had plenty of nightlife fun at Pleasure Island as well. We went to dance clubs and visited just about every place there. We watched Otis Day and the Nights perform outside there. It was great.

There are many other adult-only activities to be enjoyed at Walt Disney World. Just once you should try to secure a dinner at Victoria and Albert's for the experience. My husband and I did this one year and had an amazing multi-course meal.

My husband has had the opportunity to do the EPCOT DiveQuest several times and the kids and I enjoyed watching him in the tanks from inside the Living Seas there. We've rented several different boats from the marina at Disney's Contemporary Resort, from the water sprites to larger boats. One evening in November of 2007 we booked a Specialty Cruise where we were taken on a water tour which ended right in the water area of EPCOT where we had a breathtaking view of Illuminations from the boat. There's no better way to view that show than that!



Walt Disney World is really not just a place for kids.

Our Disney Coin Collection

One of our newest fun things to do at Walt Disney World is to collect pressed coins. It's a fairly inexpensive souvenir and can be a fun activity for the kids. EPCOT is an especially great park for this as you can go into any shop in the World Showcase and get a coin pressed that is specific to the country you are visiting there. Unfortunately when we purchased this nice little book originally, the pressed coins were mostly pennies. Now it seems the pressed coin machines are more often quarter press machines, which makes it more expensive, but the kids still enjoy it.

Reflections on Resorts

We have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay at several Walt Disney World Resort properties over the years during our trips there. Here is a quick summary of the places we have stayed and my thoughts about them at the time. I can say with certainty that I would definitely return to ANY of these resorts for future trips. There's just nothing quite like staying on Disney property and having the convenience of Disney transportation is a huge bonus...especially when you have a large group together.

1997 - All-Star Music - We had a King-sized bed for our stay at this resort. Since the trip was in February, we didn't spend any time at the pool there. The food court was convenient though.

1999 - Dixie Landings - This trip included Frank and myself as well as his parents and his sister and her fiancee at the time. We just loved the theming of this resort and the fact that you could take a boat ride to Downtown Disney. Lots of time at the food court....don't remember much pool time though we may have visited there one evening.

2001 & 2006 - Contemporary Resort - This was Nicolas' first trip to Walt Disney World so being close to the Magic Kingdom was important. We couldn't afford a Tower Room but the Garden Wing Room was just perfect. It was unfortunate that during this trip we ended up being in the Magic Kingdom on one of the very few days that it's ever closed - September 11, 2001. We were also travelling with the in-laws but ended up getting them a room at the Wildnerness Lodge due to lack of rooms at our resort by the time we booked, so we had the chance to visit their room there as well. Both resorts were just lovely. We loved watching the geiser at the Wilderness Lodge from their balcony. You really can't beat the convenience of walking to the Magic Kingdom. Is it any surprise we have stayed here twice?

2003 - Polynesian Resort - By far this is the one Frank talks about more than any of them simply because we were able to get a great deal on this room and upgraded to a Lagoon View which also boasted a view of the Magic Kingdom Castle. My favorite video from this trip is when Nicolas and I are sitting in the darkness of our room around 6am and watching the castle turn different colors. We loved being able to ride the monorail to get to the two big parks too.

2004 - Boardwalk Villa - This was when we discovered the joy of the Disney Vacation Club rooms...during our stay in this 2-bedroom villa. It was great to have so much space and our own kitchen...especially with two small kids (and one on the way...I was several months pregnant for this trip with number three). The pool here was great too and we even rented a surrey bike and biked around the loop from Boardwalk to the Yacht and Beach Club. It was really nice to take the back entrance and walk to Epcot as well...especially with a double-stroller!

2006 - Animal Kingdom Resort - This was a trip just for Frank and myself to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. We had a great time and ended up taking a tour of the Disney Vacation Club...we would be members by the end of the year.

2007 - Old Key West and Saratoga Springs - This was when we took advantage of our new membership in the Disney Vacation Club. We had a spacious 2-bedroom villa at Old Key West which was lovely. A few days later we moved over to a 3-bedroom Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs which was fantastic. It was nice to be able to walk to Downtown Disney.

2008 - Pop Century - The Pop Century stay was a short one with just myself, Frank and Nicolas. Frank didn't like the fact that he could open the door to our bedroom...while still laying in bed! Nicolas loved both of the pools and the food court is always great...tie-dyed cheesecake is a MUST to try!

(to be continued...I know I'm missing quite a few especially the adult-only trips and the recent trips!)

Disney Blogging done right

Ok since I'm continuing to fall behind on making this a true "daily" blog I thought it only fair to offer anyone who might be reading this a chance to get their Daily Disney info elsewhere.

Some of my favorite places to get my Disney information are as follows:

Disboards - All the Disney information you could possibly handle at once...including Disneyland. There are tons and tons of forums that cater to everybody from budget travellers to DVC Members. I love reading people's reviews of restaurants here and the trip reports posted by others as well. I even have a few trip reports here myself!

Intercot - Disney information of all kinds but not quite as much of it. This was one of my first Disney boards to visit and provides all kinds of helpful information.

Allears.Net - Another great place to find Disney information. I have used this site especially for meal planning as they have one area just devoted to all of the menus for dining on Disney property...with prices!

Mousesavers - Lots of Disney planning information. They have a great page here devoted to discount codes. We've gotten some great rental car rates by using some of their codes! Sign up for their newsletter for even better deals and discounts.

Undercover Tourist - Looking to buy some Disney tickets? You have come to the right place here. I've purchased our Disney hopper passes here in the past several times. They have some great prices!

Disney Contests and Sweepstakes - Enter a contest to try to win a Disney vacation!

Last but not least...

Disney Bloggers - New blogs every half hour here!

That should help you get your Daily Disney for sure!

Letting the kids run wild in Disney

I recently had a conversation with a fellow Disneyholic and asked a question that I know varies from parent to parent and that is: at what age did you allow your kids to run around the Disney parks without you? I'm not going to share his answer here but I was surprised. Perhaps it is because I guess it's something I haven't thought too much about quite yet. I can remember as a teenager I was allowed to run free at the local amusement park near our house during a class trip...and I was in middle school at the time.

My youngest starts middle school next year. I'm not at all ready to let him run free through the parks and honestly I don't think he'd want to go through the parks without us.

As much as I encourage my kids to be self-sufficient and independent I also know their limitations. Of course in these times where cell phones are easily available I know at least I would always have the peace of mind when I am ready to make that leap that if I needed to find any of them they would be only a phone call away. Plus I feel that if there was anyplace I would feel they were safe it actually is Walt Disney World.


For the most part, during our trips we really do all enjoy the same things. Sure there are plenty of times when the kids want to do something but we insist on something else...and it usually works out that our suggestion ends up being a big hit with them. It's funny how mom and dad can sometimes be right sometimes about what the kids will like huh?

When we do feel like the kids need a little time to left off some steam without being herded around the parks, one of our favorite places to take them has been The Boneyard at the Animal Kingdom Park. We have taken them there at all ages and it's always been a hit. There is one way in and out, so they can't escape without us knowing about it. There are tons of slides and things to climb on and explore and I'm pretty sure they would spend hours there if we allowed it. It's usually a place where we take kids that are too small for other rides like Dinosaur or Primeval Whirl since those rodes are close to here. Now that the kids are getting bigger and can ride most of these rides, we don't spend as much time here since they would much rather be doing the big rides.

Playgrounds are fun for most kids 12 and under and we always make time during every vacation to give them time on at least one to let off some steam. It is a time when parents can just sit back and relax as well so they are ready to tackle the next park!

Disney with large groups

We have been lucky enough to be able to include our extended family with us for many of our Walt Disney World vacations. This particular photo was taken during a January 2006 trip that included Dina's parents, Frank's parents and Frank's sister and her family - her husband and their son Zachary. During this trip, Zach was just over a year old, Noah was 18 months old, Noelle was 3 years old and Nicolas was 5 years old but close to six. We had some decent January weather for Florida...some chilly mornings but also some sunny afternoons.

Honestly Disney makes travel with large groups pretty easy. We did have a few meals together and I didn't have a problem securing reservations for all 12 of us. One of those meals included our traditional meal at Chef Mickey's:





We always eat at least one meal at Chef Mickey's and pose for this photo in front of the restaurant...and we always buy it. It's just one of our traditions and sharing it with more family was nice this time. It's so great to see the kids' reactions to Mickey and Minnie visiting them at the table!

Touring the parks with the younger kids was really not that challenging. Sure there were rides that they could not ride but we either took advantage of Disney's Child Swap or one person (usually me) stayed behind with the kids while the others did the riding of the ride. There was also time for the little kids to pose for photos:


Overall we didn't find it a challenge to visit the parks with our larger group. This upcoming June trip we hope to have all of this family back with us again for our trip...and maybe even a few extra people that were not there for the January 2006 trip. We are looking forward to it!

Perhaps I should rename this weekly

You wouldn't think it would be that difficult for me to come up with a daily topic here...and I probably have enough topics for years...and yet I'm struggling to update this even weekly.

So I've said plenty of about Walt Disney World but what about other Disney parks? I can tell you that I have managed to visit Disneyland TWICE in my life, but don't have a great memory about the trips. My first trip was with my parents back in the mid-1980s and my second trip was in 1996 with my husband. I have yet to visit since Calfornia Adventure opened there. My husband has family in Calfornia and ended up there for a memorial service in September of 2010. While visiting with family, his cousin decided to go to Disneyland and my husband and his sister went along with her. He snapped some of these photos at my request. I am really hoping to take the kids to visit this park once they are a little bit older. If we go I want them to be able to experience everything there so it may be a few more years.

Test Blog from the phone

Now when I go on trips to Walt Disney World I can post updates right here! Look for lots of Direct from Disney posts in June of 2011!

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.


Walt Disney World does not discriminate about who can experience the fun at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party, so for those adults who miss being able to trick-or-treat without getting some really odd looks, this is the place for you! You don't even have to have a costume....just bring your treat bag and line up with everybody else at the designated areas and the kind Magic Kingdom Cast Members will gladly deposit some sugary goodness into the bag for you to enjoy.

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!

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.

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!

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!)

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!