Walt Disney World Guide

Disney Special Events

• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
• 8 Tips for Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party

Disney Tips

• Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique
• Bring your own food into Disney
• Disney Quest
• Eating Cheap at Disney World
• Free New Year's Eve activities on New Year's eve at Disney World
• Free Activities at and around Disney World
• How to use the Disney FAST PASS system
• Where to rent a stroller

Disney Hotels

• Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Yacht Club Resort

Hotels Near Disney

• Ritz Carlton Orlando
• Summer Bay Resort

Disney Restaurants

• Beaches and Cream
• California Grill
• Flying Fish Cafe
• Kouzzine by Cat Cora
• Ohana

Disney Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach
• Typhoon Lagoon

Magic Kingdom

• Plan your day at the Magic Kingdom
• Baby's 1st Haircut at the Magic Kingdom
• Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique
• Electrical Parade
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Wishes Firework Show
• 4th of July Fireworks

Epcot

• Flower and Garden Festival Guide
• Flower and Garden Festival
• Illuminations

Disney Studios

• Fantasmic

Animal Kingdom

• Animal Kingdom overview
• The best place to meet Winnie the Pooh, Tiger and Eeyore

Enchanted Tales with Belle at Disney World

Have you heard about the new guest experience at Disney World?

Enchanted Tales with Belle is a new attraction in Fantasyland that is best described as a guest experience, because it isn't a ride, but it's not a regular character encounter either. To be honest until I went and actually experienced it my self I didn't really "get it".

You start out in line outside of the house Belle grew up in. Then you go inside for a "tour". Someone points out random stuff in the room and if your like me, you will wonder, "Is this it?". Finally they start telling you about this special mirror given to Belle from Beast. As they explain it the mirror begins to transform into a magical doorway into Beasts castle.

Once inside you are greeted by Madam Wardrobe. She explains that we are going to surprise Belle by acting out the story of how she fell in love with the Beast. At this point about 10 guests are picked to act out different parts of the story.

Lumiere greets us in the next room and calls out to Belle. When she comes in, we surprise her with the story. My son was picked to play Beast and it was adorable. My husband got picked to play Maurice, which was hilarious, but I promised no public pictures of this.

Afterwards there was time to get photos of them with Belle. Everyone left with a bookmark from her.

 

If your child is dressed up in a Storybook Belle Costume then they will get a ton of attention from Belle and remember if you are going to have your child dress up, consider buying the costumes before going into the park. It will save you tons of money.

More Disney World Fun

• Disney World's Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom
• Flying Fish Cafe at Disney World
• Beaches and Cream Soda Shop - A Disney World Restaurant

Disney World's Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom

Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom

Tinker Bell

It's been three years since I was lucky enough to see the night time parade at the Magic Kingdom. I don't know when they changed it, but it is a completely new parade from the last one I saw the 2010 Electrical Parade. I was most surprised to see Puff the Magic Dragon.

Capt. Hook and Peter Pan

7 Dwarfs

Puff the Magic Dragon

Tribute to America

Disclosure: I attended a Traveling Mom conference at Walt Disney World and my park tickets were included.

Baby's 1st Hair Cut at Magic Kingdom - Disney World

I can't think of any place better to get Baby's 1st  Haircut than Disney World.

Getting our son's first hair cut at the barber shop in Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom was awesome.  Even though we had to stand in line for a long time it was worth it.  (Tips for the line)
To keep the kids from moving all over the place they stick stickers all over the smock and their clothes.  The kids focus on moving around or taking off the stickers.

She spent a fair amount of time with us and did not rush us at all.




When they were done they gave him little Mickey ears to wear. On the back of the Mickey ears it says 1st Haircut.  They also gave him a keepsake certificate and wrapped his hair up for me to keep.  All of this for only $14!

How to Utilize Disney FastPass System

Disney Tickets

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California Grill at Disney World's Contemporary resort

California Grill is a spectacular restaurant.  It is one of Disney World's signature restaurants near the Magic Kingdom, at the Contemporary Resort. 

I was thrilled when I found out the first night of my travelingmom.com conference would be spent dining at the California Grill.  I had always wanted to go there.  I had heard nothing but fabulous things about it for years.  I assumed eating here would be the highlight of my trip and it was.  It was even better than I had built it up to be in my mind.  The only thing I found disappointing was that I was not able eat more.

The atmosphere was bustling with energy and good times.  The views were outstanding.  You can see the firework show at the Magic Kingdom. (We watched the fireworks show from the roof of the Contemporary resort in between courses!) You can also see the Electrical Water Pageant at the Seven Seas Lagoon. 

Then came the exquisite food!  Course after course it just kept getting better.  The reception began with sushi and pizza, both incredibly fresh and delicious.  The appetizer was a Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil. Shown in this picture. 

 Every course was a surprise since we were given no menus.  With that in mind I had no idea what would be coming out for the entree.  As you can see from my picture below the entrees did not disappoint.  They were all beautifully presented and delicious. 

• Oak-fired Filet of Beef, Dauphinoise Potatoes with Smoked Bacon, Ginger-Scented Carrots, and Teriyaki Barbecue, 
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage
• Crispy Chicken and Leg Confit, Heirloom Pumpkin with Pecans, Winter Vegetables, Tangerine-Pomegranate Jus
  Dinner finished with a perfect dessert of Bananas and Caramel: Crispy Baked Phyllo Squares layered with Banana, Caramel, Mascarpone Mousse, and Caramelized Banana.

Children are more than welcome and don't forget to check the dress code before you go.


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Cinderella's Castle

Cinderella's Castle is at Disney World. Here's a picture I took of it lit up at night.

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Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique is my favorite Disney memory

Taking my daughter to the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique is my favorite Disney memory.  It was her 5th birthday and the whole experience was one none of us will ever forget.  Read about our time at the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique here. 

I share this because today I am participating in a Disney Blog hop hosted by Babes in Disneyland for the very first time.  Although my blog is about the many destinations we have been able to go to due to numerous military moves, I have tons of posts on Disney from our time stationed in Florida.  I miss being able to jump in the car and be at Disney World in just a few hours.

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Wishes Firework show at Magic Kingdom at Disney World

The fireworks at the Magic Kingdom are always spectacular. I got to watch the Wishes firework show from the Contemporary Resort's restaurant California Grill while at the Traveling Mom conference. What a view we had from the Balcony of the Contemporary Resort.

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Bring your own food into Disney World

Did you know that you are allowed to bring food into all the Disney Parks. We were unsure about this until we ask someone in the park that worked there.  Here's what you need to know about taking food into Disney.

• Soft sided coolers are allowed in Disney Parks
• Hard sided coolers are allowed in Disney water parks only
• No glass allowed
• There is a Super Wal-Mart and a Super Target near Disney World where you can get whatever you need
• All rooms at Disney have a small fringe, microwave, and coffee maker.

Here are some of the food items we've packed and taken into the Disney parks with us.

Cold Items:Grapes
Yogurt sticks
Cheese sticks
Sodas 

Juice boxes
Lunchables
Premade sandwiches
Fruit cups
Applesauce
Carrots

Room TemperatureCrackers
Fruit and nut mix
Granola bars
Bananas
Apples
Pop tarts
Fruit snacks
Cookies
Goldfish
Pretzels
Chips

Other random items

• Reusable coffee mug filled with coffee
• Drinks mixes – You can refill your water bottles all over any of these parks, but sometimes the water doesn’t taste good.  The water at the Magic Kingdom tastes especially bad.  We refill and then mix in a drink flavor packets and the problem is solved. (Any of the restaurants will give you a glass of water for free.)

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Related articles

• Gift a D23 Membership - Disney's Official Fan Club @disney23 #1DisneyFan (familytravelmagazine.com)
• Save some money on your next Disney vacation? 
• Disney Knows Details Matter #NewFantasyland (brainfoggles.com)

1st Haircut at the Magic Kingdom: 6 Tips to make the long line less painful

While at Disney World we took J to the Magic Kingdom for his 1st haircut! He did really good, it was only $14, and he received Mickey ears and a certificate! 

Here are a few tips in case you are thinking of having your child's first hair cut at Disney World. 

1. Get to the park as early as you can.  Be there when the gates open.  I mean the gates right in front of the Magic Kingdom, not the monorail. 

2. Head to the barber shop as soon as you get into the park.  It is on the left of the circle before you start walking down main street over in a corner. 

3. There will be a line and there is usually only two ladies doing hair.  If you get lucky there might be three.  They get regular breaks; you are going to be in line a while! 

4. Keep in mind your other kids can get their hair done as well.  They have a cool dude for the guys.  This consists of hair paint and sparkle confetti.  They do the same thing for girls, but they will do a pony tail or a bun with hair paint and sparkle confetti. 

5. While you are waiting in line one adult can keep the place in line while the other takes the kids to meet characters.  We were in line for so long my kids met Chip n Dale and the cows.  (I don't know their names)  We got in the line at 9:30 only 30 minutes after the park opened but the line was so long we were in it for over an hour. 
6. Do Not wait until later in the day to get this done.  They close early around 4 PM.
To keep the kids from moving all over the place they stick stickers all over the smock and their clothes.  The kids focus on moving around or taking off the stickers.

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eating CHEAP at Disney World

Eating at Disney World can be very expensive. Keep in mind you can take in food. We usually take in lots of snacks, bottled water, Gatorade and juice boxes. We also take lunchables for the kids.  You can not bring in anything that is in a glass container.  You can bring in a soft sided cooler, but not a hard sided one.  If you go to the water parks you can take in a hard sided container.

Cheap places to eat at Disney World:

Epcot - There is a place in France called Boulangerie Patisserie where you can get a ham and cheese croissant for 3.25. These are so good and large. They will even heat it up if you like!

Magic Kingdom - At Cosmic Rays you can order a double cheeseburger and an extra bun. You can make two hamburgers. You can load it with as much extras as you want at the condiments bar.  Their free condiment bar consists of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, sauteed onions, and sauteed mushrooms.

At Tortuga Tavern you can order a taco salad, burrito, or nachos and load them up at the free condiment bar. You can essentially make the meals much larger that way you order less meals.

Disney Studios - At Backlot Express you can order a double cheese burger and an extra bun kit (bun, tomato, lettuce) for less than $2 and then make two hamburgers. 


Kids Eat free in Orlando
Free Stuff to Do at Disney

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8 Ways to have a blast at Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween party!

Here are a few tips to make sure your family trip to Walt Disney World's Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween party is wonderful for the whole family.

1) Don't bother taking in bags or buckets. They have bags you can use and they are more than enough to hold your goodies and if it isn't they will just give you another bag.

2) Everyone in the family can dress up including the parents. ALL the kids will be dressed up! If you don't bring your child in costume you will end up at the store buying a $60 one by the end of the night!

3) Dress for hot weather.  Do not assume because it is evening time that you will be okay in a hot costume.  Orlando does not cool that much in the evening in October.

4) Don't be a candy regulator.  I saw several parents getting on to their child and making an issue about how much candy they were eating.  One mom told her child only 3 pieces and then that was it.  You are at Disney World and they are throwing candy at you.  Do not damper the fun by making an issue out of it.  I can tell you from watching those families it wasn't worth it. 

5) Get out there and dance!  No one knows who you are, so who cares what you look like when you dance!

6) Get there by 3:45 PM.  This way by the time you park, ride the shuttle and take the tram into the Magic Kingdom you will able to get right in.  By getting there early you insure that you will have time to ride several rides before the dance parties begin.

7) Do not miss the parade.  It is a fabulous villain parade and it can only be seen at this party.

8) Do not sit to close to the castle for the fireworks.  If you do you will not be able to see the fireworks.  The best place to sit is to the right of the castle towards Tomorrowland.

More Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Magic Kingdom Tips
How to Use Disney's FastPass system

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