31 Days:: Disney Recreation

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Disney Recreation! Each Disney resort of course has various recreation options- running trails, pools, game rooms. Today I'll be talking about the other recreation options that are available around the World.

Source: Disneyworld.com

Disney's Golf Courses- Disney is host to 5 top-notch golf courses that you can partake in. I can't really give you much more info myself, as I'm not a golfer, but you can check out Disney's website {here} to learn all about them, fees, and more.

Mini Golf- For our younger golf enthusiasts, Disney has two mini golf courses! They're on our to-do list one of these trips :) Fantasia Gardens is themed to the classic Disney movie, Fantasia. They also have a miniature 18-hole real golf course to try out, Fantasia Fairways! The other mini golf course is Winter Summerland. It has two sets of holes, one themed to Santa's winter wonderland, and the other themed to Santa's beach getaway! You can learn more about them {here on Disney's website}.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex- if you're into sports, this is your place! Find out more {here} on the Disney website. Catch the Atlanta Braves during spring training, basketball's Old Spice Classic, national cheer and dance competitions, and more. There's also a grill onsite if you'd like to dine while you're there.

Horses- This one is near and dear to my heart :) A few of the resorts offer carriage rides (Port Orleans Riverside is one of them!) Also, located at Fort Wilderness, you can visit the Tri-Circle D Ranch, home to many of Disney's horses, including Cinderella's ponies! Take a tour of the stable, a 45-minute horseback ride, a carriage ride, or, during the holidays, a 25-minute sleigh ride! Check out more {here} on Disney's website! During one of our visits, DH and I went on a trail ride and it was great :) We caught a boat there from just outside the entrance to Magic Kingdom. There are various boats that go around the lagoon- they each fly a different color flag to designate what resorts they service. Ask a cast member which color takes you to Fort Wilderness' Tri-Circle D Ranch.

Watercraft Rentals- A variety of locations around WDW offer rentals of watercraft! From canoes to kayaks to pontoon boats and more! Check out {Disney's webpage here} to find out what rentals are available and where you can get them!

Downtown Disney
There are a variety of recreation options available at Downtown Disney- from hot air balloon rides and 5-stories of video games to Cirque du Soliel acrobatics to 24-screen movie theatres and 2-story bowling allies! Check out my {previous post about DD} to read more about the recreation/entertainment options available there :)

These are just are few of the great recreation options available around the World! Ask a cast member if you're interested in a particular form of recreation, and they will be able to help you find out if WDW offers it! Or check out {Disney's website here} to learn more about other recreation options available throughout the World.

Check back in tomorrow to get a free printable that I use to budget for Disney and start planning your budget along with me!

31 Days:: All About Disney's Boardwalk

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About the Boardwalk area! You can find out all about the shopping, dining, and Disney Vacation Clubs located in Disney's Boardwalk area {here at the Disney official website}.

working on a lunch appetizer platter at Kouzinna

The Boardwalk area is a bit of a secret area. It's not a park and it's not Downtown Disney, but it has a lot to offer and is often overlooked by the standard vacationer. We only discovered the Boardwalk when the Kouzinna restaurant went in a few years ago! There's shopping, eateries, and Disney Vacation Club resorts (Disney's timeshares) located around the Boardwalk.

You can get to the Boardwalk a few ways. You can... 

• walk from Epcot via the International Gateway, a little over half a mile, 10-15 mins
• take a water taxi from Epcot via the International Gateway
• walk from Hollywood Studios, a little under a mile, about 15-20 mins (many guests report it being faster than the water taxi)
• take a water taxi from Hollywood Studios, located to the right of the entrance to HS before you enter the park (if you're in a time crunch, get off at the Swan & Dolphin Hotel stop and walk over the bridge to the Boardwalk- the taxi captain can direct you)
• take a bus from other WDW resorts and parks

Source: Disneyworld.com

Here are some attraction highlights...

• Jellyrolls- a lively piano bar that has dueling pianos where you can request songs!
• Kouzzina by Cat Cora- one of our favorite restaurants for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! A mediterranean Greek themed menu when you can come in your Sunday best or flip flops and board shorts and you'll always feel welcomed
• ESPN Club- if you wanna catch the big game while you're in Disney, here's the place to do it while you grab a bite to eat!
• Wyland Galleries- if you're a fan of Wyland's whimsical sea life paintings (like I am!!), you can visit his gallery and admire his beautiful work!
• Beaches & Cream- located between the Beach and the Yacht Club Resorts, reminiscent of a 1950's soda shop, you can grab a quick bite to eat here as well as your favorite hand scooped ice cream, try this in the late afternoon when lines are shorter, or use the take out option
• Big River Grille & Brewing Works- a higher end restaurant, and they brew their own beers! So if you're into microbreweries, this might be a great place to add to your go-to list.
• Seashore Sweets- located next to Kouzzina, this is an old-fashioned sweets shop featuring taffy, fudge, and more, complete with Miss America pageant memorabilia 

The Boardwalk can also be a nice quiet escape if you need to get away from the crowds for a bit, and it's quite beautiful scenery, feels like you're taking a step back in time. We highly recommend it :)

Tomorrow I'll be talking about Disney Recreation- some of the other fun stuff to do around the World!

31 Days:: All About Downtown Disney

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Downtown Disney! You can find out all about the shopping and dining destination {here at the official Disney website}. We make it a point to stop here at least once every trip! So many places to shop and dine, so let's dive right in!!

Lego sculpture made entirely of Lego bricks

First off, parking here is free (yay!). Downtown Disney is separated into three areas...

• West Side- here there's dining, shopping, and entertainment
• Pleasure Island- a few eateries and shopping here, mostly under renovation these days. It used to be night clubs and dining in the evenings, but they've since removed the night clubs
• Marketplace- more eating and shopping here

There's a water ferry that shuttles between the three areas, or you can walk it (we usually do)- it's not that long, maybe 15 mins from one end to the other at a brisk walk if you don't hit traffic :) You can either walk through the attractions or you can walk along the sidewalk by the parking lot.  

Top Dining Places

• Wolfgang Puck Cafe- (West Side) this is one of our two favorites for eating at DD! They make one of my favorite Alfredo sauces here, and it's gluten-free too!! We have never been disappointed with a meal here, and the service is generally great too!
• Portobello- (West Side) wow! we only recently discovered this restaurant and we were truly blown away! Everything was ridiculously amazing and the service was top of the line! It's Italian-themed cuisine, and just... well you'll just have to try it yourself! :)
• Raglan Road- (Pleasure Island) a great little authentic Irish pub
• T-REX- (Marketplace) although I personally have not been there, my family has and they enjoyed themselves, it's like Rainforest Cafe, but all dinosaur themed (they're owned by the same company)
• Pollo Campero- (Marketplace) great place to grab a quick meal, all natural Latin themed foods
• Babycakes- (Marketplace) gluten-free cupcakes and pastries! Be still my heart :) Located in the Pollo Campero building, inside to the right
• Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop- (Marketplace) oh. my. goodness. some of the best sundaes you'll find anywhere- everything dish pretty much comes with Ghirardelli chocolates :)

trying to look scared of the broomsticks outside of Disney's Days of Christmas

Top Shopping Places

• World of Disney- (Marketplace) pretty much every gift shop in all the parks (and then some!) rolled into one giant store! If you can only go to one shopping place the whole time, I'd say this should be it!
• Disney's Days of Christmas- (Marketplace) tons of Christmas ornaments and decorations, we make a point to get something here every trip! 
• Mickey's Pantry- (Marketplace) tons of great Disney-themed kitchenwares, Disney (and other) cookbooks, magnets, glassware, Disney coffee, and the last time we were there, they had a extensive, amazing spice shop too!
• Lego Imagination Center- even if you don't plan on purchasing any of the little building bricks, check out the amazing larger-than-life sculptures they always have near the store!!

Top Entertainment Places

• DisneyQuest- (West Side) although I've never been there (not a huge "gamer" myself), this could be a must-stop for the video gaming enthusiast- five floors of gaming and interactive rides
• La Nouba- (West Side) Cirque du Soliel's show, a unique acrobatic, circus-style entertainment, truly amazing! I've not seen this particular show in person, but I've seen it on TV, and it's my favorite of their shows! Military can usually purchase discount tickets.
• AMC Dine-In Theatre- (West Side) one year, I plan on doing this!! They have a 24 screen movie theatre at DD, including a theatre where you can order food and cocktails! Sounds so neat!!
• Characters in Flight- (West Side) if you've ever wanted to take a ride in a hot air balloon (albeit, this one's tethered) here's your chance!
• Splitsville- (West Side) coming soon to DD is their very own bowling alley! This 2-story alley will include "30 lanes, two kitchens, a dramatic balcony, ample outdoor seating, billiard tables and live entertainment" according to {this AllEars article}. Sounds fun!!

If you're interested in purchasing a Disney Vacation Club (Disney's timeshare resorts), this is one of the best places to stop by a booth and learn more (there's at least 3 locations in DD).

So if you're a big shopper or eater, this should definitely be on your list of places to visit during your trip to the World! :) Tomorrow I'll be talking about Disney's Boardwalk, so I hope to see you then!

31 Days:: All About Animal Kingdom

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Animal Kingdom! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. Today will round out my comments about the parks, but tomorrow I'll continue with comments about the other Disney areas you can visit!

Expedition Everest mountain range!

Animal Kingdom is truly all about the animals, and as such, the crown jewel of the park is the Safari! There are a number of "walks" you can go on that also bring you really close to the animals. Also, the park's hours are centered around the animals, so it traditionally closes the earliest out of all the parks as the animals wind down for the day around sunset and start heading to sleep!


Top Ride Picks

• Kilimanjaro Safari- located in Africa, this is the best place to see all the animals! Board a safari caravan and head out to see all the animals freely roaming their sprawling fields and lakes and plains. Narrated by your knowledgeable driver, you get to learn great tidbits along the way!
• Expedition Everest- a high-speed thrilling coaster that runs through the mountains of Everest while trying to avoid the yeti! A must do for any coaster enthusiast :)
• Dinosaur- a bumpy thrilling adventure back in time to see the dinosaurs and bring one back for scientists to examine, while trying to out maneuver the incoming asteroid shower! I'll admit, it's a little scary (even for me!) but still one of my favorites!!
• Primeval Whirl- a fun "wild mouse" style coaster, tame enough for most any riders
• Wildlife Express Train- a relaxing train ride over to Rafiki's Planet Watch with narration about some "behind the scenes" animal tips, you'll catch glimpses of where the animals sleep at night too!
• Kali River Rapids- if you like to get wet, this is your ride! A fun and wild trip down the rapids in a huge raft (complete with seats, and an area to keep some small things semi-dry), although you may get really lucky and only get a little wet, be prepared to either wear a bathing suit under your clothes or a complete change of clothes for after the ride!

Affection Section 

Top Animal Encounters

• Kilimanjaro Safari- see above :) Best way to see the most animals!
• Pangani Forest Exploration Trail- a walking trail with paper guide maps where you can view birds, fish, gorillas, hippos and more!
• Maharajah Jungle Trek- a walking trail with paper guide maps where you can view fruit bats, birds, Komodo dragons, and tigers!
• Habitat Habit, Conservation Station & Affection Section- get up close and personal with goats for petting! Also, if you're lucky, you may get to view a surgery or other vet visit! Tons of information about conservation, animal nutrition, animal research and viewing of other small animals like monkeys and reptiles. 

Finding Nemo The Musical (please excuse the poor photo quality!)

Other Tips and Tidbits

• If you stand across the lake from Expedition Everest, you'll find a shrine to Everest. Look at the top of the shrine- it mimics the peaks of the mountain tops on Expedition Everest!
• Flights of Wonder, located in Asia, is an excellent bird show where you'll even find the main attraction flying over your head at times!
• There are some really neat tours {read about them here} that take you behind the scenes of Animal Kingdom!
• Festival of the Lion King, located in Camp Mickey Minnie, is definitely a fun, interactive show based on the Lion King movie- complete with acrobatics, sing-a-longs, huge floats with the characters, and great music!
• Another fun show is Finding Nemo- The Musical, located in DinoLand! The characters are larger than life puppets, controlled by people, including a 10+ foot tall pelican! If you've seen The Lion King on Broadway, it's similar to that... different type of puppetry than say The Muppets. It's really neat, I'd highly recommend it (and it's air conditioned- one of the few places in the park)! 
• If you get to the park just before opening, the characters come out on a jungle-themed double-decker bus, singing and dancing. Really fun!!

Well, that's all I can think of for today, but check back later in the month to learn about our favorite eateries here, and tomorrow's topic is Downtown Disney- the best place for shopping and eating!

31 Days:: All About Hollywood Studios

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Hollywood Studios! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. Today we continue on our journey where I've been sharing with you my favorite things about the parks...

the "Ear"-ful Tower (as seen on the Studio Backlot Tour)

Top Attraction Picks

• Tower of Terror- located at the end of Sunset Blvd, this is one of my all time favorite rides at the parks, I love that "stomach dropping" feeling on roller coasters, and that's pretty much all this ride is! You get dropped a number of times (each ride is a different drop sequence!), and it's set to a theme of the old TV show The Twilight Zone.
• Studio Backlot Tour- located at the end of Streets of America, this is a fun ride. You tour starts with watching an interactive special effects demonstration (if you're standing at the front of the line, you may get asked to help out!). Then you ride through different areas of movie production- old sets and props, a prop building workshop, costume design, narrated with tons of cool movie production factoids, and the ride culminates with a live special effects demonstration of "catastrophe canyon"... I don't want to give away too much, but I'd keep youngsters in the middle or to the right-hand side of the car otherwise they might get a bit wet or hot... it's fun :)
• Rock N Rollercoaster- located at the end of Sunset Blvd, this is an indoor coaster that takes you on an upside down, super fast paced thrill of a ride through the streets of the city, trying to get to an Aerosmith concert! The street lights and signs are all illuminated via black lights... I can't really describe it well, but if you like coasters, this is a fun one!! And all to an Aerosmith soundtrack! 
• The Great Movie Ride- this takes you on a leisurely tour through some of Hollywood's classic movies- from the Wizard of Oz to Casablanca to Alien. A live narrator tells factoids about the film sets you drive through. Good for most kids of all ages (little ones might get a bit startled by a mock "shoot out" and the alien dropping from the ceiling, so give them a heads up and be prepared, you might have to cover some ears/eyes at one point- hehe, I know my parents did when I was young! But I still startle easily...)
• Star Tours- this is an oldie that they recently revamped, you take a rocking, bumpy ride through scenes of the Star Wars movies. I used to like this ride a lot, a classic, but they recently redid it so the movies are 3D (I'm just not a 3D fan)
• Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set Adventure- this is super fun for the little kiddies! It's a replica of the set used to film the Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies, so little ones can "ride" an ant  and play in the forest-like grass or climb a rope "spider web"

Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular

Top Shows Picks

• Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular- a fun, loud action show that lets you in on some of the movie magic and action stunts used to make the Indiana Jones movies, really fun, especially for the older generations that actually have seen Indiana Jones (I know I grew up on them!)
• Lights, Motors, Action!- a fun, really loud action show that lets you in on some of the movie magic and action stunts used to make movies with high speed car chases! really neat and the ending is spectacular!
• Beauty and the Beast- a 25-minute Broadway-style show portraying the movie, complete with song and dance, perfect for your little princesses to watch :)
• Fantasmic- a fun, nighttime show complete with Mickey leading you through his dreams... from fun times with this friends to a huge dragon to lit up barges with his friends to water displays... another show that's a bit hard to describe, but definitely a must see if you've never been! It doesn't always show every night, so be sure to ask a cast member or pick up a Time Guide when you get to the park to find out if it's showing. 

That's about it for today, but come visit tomorrow when we'll be talking about Animal Kingdom! And check back later in the month to read about my top picks to dine at in Hollywood Studios!

31 Days:: All About Epcot

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Epcot! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. This is day two where I've been sharing about each of the Disney parks and other areas like Downtown Disney. So I'll just be sharing my thoughts about the parks :)

View from the Italy pavilion

Epcot is really the best park for adults. It's great for kids too, but this is one of DH's favorite parks because there's tons to take in as adults. The park is split into two main sections- Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is all sorts of fun technology-related and earth-related exhibits, rides, etc and the World Showcase is made up of 11 mini countries. Each country was largely created by craftsmen from that country, for example, in Morocco, tile layers came in from that country to lay thousands of little mosaic tiles by hand. Each country is pretty incredible, and includes exhibits about the country, restaurants, shopping, and some have rides, music, and other entertainment too!


Our Top Ride Picks

• Maelstrom- (in the World Showcase) a fun little boat ride through Norway folk lure, one small dip, good for pretty much any child. Get a FastPass (more about these later in the month) for this ride if you can- lines can be long.
• Grand Fiesta Tour- (in the World Showcase) a quiet little boat ride through the history of Mexico featuring the Three Caballeros, perfect for the whole family. Usually little to no wait. 
• Test Track- (in Future World- currently closed, but scheduled to re-open in late fall)  a fast-paced ride where you get to sit in a vehicle while they run it through all the safety tests performed on real vehicles- extreme weather, turning, breaking, speed, and even crash testing! It's a lot of fun, especially when they let it loose at the end to test "speed" around the test track! This ride also features a "single rider" line if your group doesn't mind being broken up- it can make the wait much much shorter. 
• Soarin- (in Future World) a fun adventure in a hang glider, soaring over scenes of California, a huge 180 degree scene surrounds you, really really cool. I'd highly recommend getting FastPasses for this because even with a FP it can take you a while to get through the line.
• Living with the Land- (in Future World) a gentle boat ride with information about how to preserve our earth, my favorite part is where you go through the working greenhouses to see how Disney grows their foods that you can eat at their restaurants, like at the Garden Grill! (I'll tell ya about that restaurant later in the month!)
• Ellen's Energy Adventure- (in Future World) a 45 minute ride (though it doesn't feel that long!) where you learn all about energy on our planet, includes video with Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, as well as animatronics that you ride through, great ride if a late afternoon thunderstorm rolls through (as is so common in Florida!)  
• Spaceship Earth- (in Future World) a classic ride through Epcot's signature "golf ball" dome! It's a leisurely ride through how technology has advanced through the ages. Perfect for the whole family. Check this out later in the day, as that's when the lines are usually shorter. 

Illuminations

Entertainment

• Illuminations- this is by far my favorite nighttime fireworks display! The soundtrack is awesome (I actually bought it in one of the stores in Hollywood Studios) and it includes laser lights, huge flame torches lit around the World Showcase Lagoon, as well as all of the countries get outlined in "Christmas lights" for the show! Don't forget the amazing LED globe that opens up... I really can't describe it well, but trust me- make time for it if you can! If you're lucky enough to get reservations before the show at United Kingdom's Rose & Crown Dining Room, they will hold your meal for you whilst you step out onto their patio to watch the show, or if you get an outdoor seat, you have the perfect seat for the show! I'll talk more about this dining establishment later in the month, so check in then for more details :)
• Off Kilter- love love love this band! You can find them performing throughout the afternoon in between Canada and the United Kingdom. They're a Celtic rock band and oh so much fun! I have a few of their CDs, which they have for sale at a little cart near their stage :)
• Matsuriza- these are the drummers found at the tall tower in the Japan pavilion in the World Showcase. You can often hear them clear across the Lagoon, but they are really neat to see and hear!

Behind the Seeds Tour

Other Things to See and Do

• Behind the Seeds Tour- SO neat! They take you behind the scenes at the Living with the Land greenhouses and tell you all about the various hydroponics, aquaponics, and other types of soilless gardening they use! You even get to taste fresh cucumbers straight from their gardens! It usually runs about $18 for adults and $14 for kids this year. Sign ups are to the left of the entrance to Soarin.
• Cool Club- situated in Future World's Innoventions area, you can taste Coca-Cola products from around the world! Fun way to cool off for free.
• Bench Tour- if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the benches as you walk, they're unique for each country
• Lamppost Tour- again, if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the lampposts as you walk, they're unique for each country
• There are some other really neat tours {read about them here} that take you behind the scenes of Epcot, including a Segway tour!
• NOTE: you don't have to wait for a tram to get to the parking lot, you can walk to most of the parking lots! Can be shorter wait time or just convenient to walk if the tram lines are long or you have a fussy little one :)

That's about it for today, but tune in later in the month to find out about all the great restaurants we love in Epcot!! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Hollywood Studios, so I hope to see you then :)

31 Days:: All About Magic Kingdom

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Magic Kingdom! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. This is the first day where I'll be sharing about each of the Disney parks and other areas like Downtown Disney. The website is really one of the best places to find out about everything in the parks, so I'll just be sharing my favorites about the parks :)

Cinderella's Castle

Magic Kingdom is DH and my favorite park, if we had to chose just one! There is just something quintessential Disney about Magic... from the oldies charm of Main Street to all of the kid-friendly rides to the signature Cinderella's Castle. I truly think it's the Happiest Place on Earth (amusement park-wise)!

Our Top Ride Picks

• Space Mountain - located in Tomorrowland, a crazy roller coaster ride where you're dodging stars and black holes in the pitch black! They recently redid this ride and I think it's even better than it used to be!
• Splash Mountain - located in Frontierland, a lazy log boat ride through the store of Brier Fox with a few small dips and the one big drop at the end! You will get wet, especially if you're in the back, and if you stand on the bridge that goes over the drop, you can get a good splashing too! During the off months, and during droughts I believe, they lower the water levels and splashing is kept to a minimum. 
• Jungle Cruise - located in Adventureland, this is perfect for the whole family. A lazy tour along the jungle river, complete with punny narration by the tour guides (hehe the narration hasn't ever really changed, but I still crack up at all the bad puns and jokes, love it!)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - located in Frontierland, my first "roller coaster" as a kid, but tame enough for most any age, a runaway train ride reminiscent of a wooden coaster but without the headache at the end!
• Walt Disney World Railroad - a lazy roll around the perimeter of the park, making stops in various lands throughout the park, truly a relaxing little ride and a great way to get away from the crowds for a bit, and the engines are to-scale working steam engines (a passion of Walt Disney)
• Tomorrowland Transit PeopleMover (formerly the WEDway PeopleMover) - another great way to escape the crowds, this highway in the sky is a leisurely ~10 MPH tour through  Tomorrowland complete with narration of factoids about the land
• Haunted Mansion - located in Liberty Square, a mild slow moving ride through a "haunted" mansion, but even this easily-startled-and-scared-overactive-immagination big kid was able to handle this ride without problem, truly suitable for most kids of any age (I might wait a bit though if they're afraid of the dark... I actually didn't ride this until our honeymoon LOL)
• Pirates of the Caribbean- located in Adventureland, this is the ride the movies were based off of, suitable for most any age, there's one small dip in the dark, but the rest is a slow boat ride through the Pirates story, a true classic ride! FYI- the line on the left is usually a little shorter!
• Liberty Square Riverboat- a leisurely steam around the Liberty Square area on a real working steam boat! Feels like you're taking a step back in time...

Main Street Electrical Parade

Entertainment

• Wishes- who doesn't love a great fireworks show?! I know I do! You can see it from most anywhere in the park. If you want to escape the crowds, I'd recommend watching from Liberty Square or a great view can be seen from the WDW Railroad station that's right as you enter the park- perfect view of Main Street all lit up for the night along with Cinderella's Castle and the fireworks!
• Main Street Electrical Parade- this is my favorite parade out of all the parks! Formerly there was the ElectroMagic Parade, but both are comprised of wire-framed floats that sparkle with thousands of LED Christmas-style lights, fiber optics, and a great soundtrack! It runs down Main Street and through Frontierland. If there's two runnings of the parade, I'd recommend catching the second one as it will be slightly less crowded, and Frontierland is generally going to be less crowded to watch from than Main Street.

Main Street illuminated at night

Other Things to See and Do

• Tours- there are a TON of behind-the-scenes tours that you can do at Magic Kingdom {read about them here}. They all have a fee, some are more than others. I really hope to see many of them one year, myself :) Check them out via the link above, they're really neat!
• Casey's Corner Pianist- throughout the day, you might find a pianist tickling the ivories of a standup piano outside of Casey's Corner on the path that lead towards the bathroom areas
• Shopping- check out the shops in the early afternoon for the least crowded shopping

That's about it for today, but tune in later in the month to find out about all the great restaurants we love at Magic!! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Epcot, so I hope to see you then :)

31 Days:: Disney Tracker

 

Hello everyone!! Thanks so much for joining me on our journey this month on how to Plan your Disney Trip in 31 days! Today's post is a bit shorter, but I think it's the perfect place to start. I'll be sharing two trackers- one horizontal and one vertical, so you can chose which best fits your likes and needs!

When I am getting all of my trip stuff in order, I like to put all of my confirmation emails, printable tickets, budget info, etc into a folder of some sort (I like the plastic ones that have a velcro closure and like 2 smaller pockets on the outside- I put my park tickets, receipts, etc in the pockets)! So if you're like me, get on out your folder/binder/planner, print out your below tracker of choice, and get ready for some Disney planning!!

Today's trackers are called "Things to Do and See in the World" ("world" being Walt Disney World)! They're just a central place so you can take notes on things you read here throughout the month. Super simple- nothing fancy really :) I made these a few trips back, and thought they might be convenient for ya'll to have! So here's a quick view of each of them, and a link where you can download them for free! If you'd like a modified version of either, to better suit your planning needs, feel free to leave a comment or email me! I'd be happy to oblige :)

 {horizontal tracker download}

{vertical tracker download}

That's all for today, folks. I'll see ya back here tomorrow for more Disney fun- we'll be chatting about the Magic Kingdom!

31 Days to Plan your Disney Trip

 

Welcome, ya'll! I hope you're ready for 31 fun-filled Days of Disney World trip planning! Today I'm sharing just a little about why I chose this topic and what you'll be seeing throughout the month! I'll be updating the Master List below with links to each day as they post :)

Overview: Why Disney World Trip Planning?
I've had the great blessing of being able to go to Disney World more times than I can count... My family had a timeshare growing up, so we went every other year. I went with the marching band twice in high school. I went with my family to their timeshare every year in college. My sole trip to the original Disney park, Disneyland, was the year I graduated college. Since DH and I have been married, we went on our honeymoon there, and every year since.

Needless to say, I've been to Disney a few times, so I wanted to share some tips and advice that I've learned throughout the years that might make your trip a little smoother and even more special! I will say that although I'll be talking mostly about Disney World, since that's my "specialty" if you will, some of the Budgeting and Eating posts could easily be applicable to Disneyland {or most any vacation!}. So whether  you're planning a trip in the next few months or you're not sure when you're going just yet, hopefully you can pick up some great tips!

Our little family is headed to Disney at the end of the year, so I'll be planning right along with you! It should be fun!! :) It will be Little E's first trip, at the ripe old age of 9 months, and DH and I will be celebrating 4 years of wedded bliss. Yay! And you're never too young to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth! So enough about me...

If you have any questions, comments, etc throughout the month, feel free to leave a comment or email me!! I can also make you custom versions of most of the printables I'll be sharing :)

Here's a rundown on what I'll be sharing this month, broken up into five Series...
{About Series} Overview of the major Disney attractions
{Budget Series} How I budget for Disney and the worksheet I use before and during the trip
{Booking Series} Buying all your tickets!
{Dining Series} How I meal plan for Disney
{Insider Info Series} Some tips I've picked up over the years
** posts below that have free printables!

31 Days to Plan your Disney Trip: Master List

1. Master List & Overview
2. Disney Tracker **
3. {About} All About Magic Kingdom
4. {About} All About Epcot 
5. {About} All About Hollywood Studios  
6. {About} All About Animal Kingdom 
7. {About} All About Downtown Disney
8. {About} All About Disney's Boardwalk
9. {About} Disney Recreation
10. {About} Beyond Disney
11. {Budget} Budget Planing Worksheet **
12. {Budget} Budgeting During the Trip
13. {Booking} Dates and Tickets
14. {Booking} Location
15. {Booking} Packing List **
16. {Booking} Transportation: Part 1- Getting There
17. {Dining} Meal Planning Trackers **
18. {Dining} Bringing your Meals **
19. {Dining} Eating at the Parks
20. {Dining} Dining at the Magic Kingdom
21. {Dining} Dining at Epcot
22. {Dining} Dining at Hollywood Studios
23. {Dining} Dining at Animal Kingdom
24. {Dining} Planning your Meals
25. {Insider Info} Transportation: Part 2- At the Parks
26. {Insider Info} Fastpasses
27. {Insider Info} Quiet Places and Babies **
28. {Insider Info} Real Coffee 
29. {Insider Info} Military
30. {Insider Info} Other Tips and Tidbits
31. {Insider Info} Disney Resources

Don't forget to check out some of the other fun 31 Day series hosted by The Nester!

Coming Oct 1st: 31 Days of Disney!

Hey ya'll!!
I'm not back just yet- still sifting through the sea of boxes, running to the storage unit, and the like. The up side to moving into a very small apartment is that I have tons of great storage and organizing ideas to share soon (along with posts about baby stuff)!

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be back blogging through the month of October! I'm joining The Nester's annual 31 Days challenge... my topic, you ask?

So stay tuned, and I can't wait to share with you how I plan for our Disney trips!! Hopefully I can pass on a useful tip or two ;) I'll be including...

• general info about each Disney World park
• tips for booking your trip
• my budget worksheet for use before and during the trip
• meal planning on vacation
• and Disney "insider" info!