Category Archives: Food

Planning Your 1st Visit Part 4: Planning Your Day or Hey, These Lines Sure are Long?

Let’s start by deciding what park you want to visit each day of your trip. You would want to consult touringplans.com ($12 subscription for a year but well worth it) again for each park’s crowd level for the given day; they even suggest a certain park for the day. Although one of the positives of staying at a Disney resort are the extra Magic Hours at a particular park each day, those parks tend to have larger numbers on their appointed day and may be best to avoid.

Now gather those dining reservations and the event schedule available at: EVENTS

Begin building an itinerary (samples to follow). RELAX!! You do not have to go by it step by step, but it will help you ensure you do all of the things you want (which you won’t but good try!).
Remember: Start off planning for two days at Magic Kingdom, and one day for each of the other parks. For each extra day you have add them in this order: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios. Example: Seven Night Stay – 2 at Magic Kingdom, 2 Epcot, 2 Disney Studios, 1 Animal Kingdom. Another option is to spend your last extra day park hopping to do your favorites once again.

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Disney’s Swan and Dolphin’s 3rd Annual Food and Wine Classic

FOOD AND WINE CLASSIC

If you have not yet heard, guests visiting Walt Disney World now have a wonderful opportunity to sample another classic Food and Wine Festival. In addition to EPCOT’s annual festival, the World renowned Swan and Dolphin hotel here at Disney also offers guests a chance to sample World-class cuisine, wines and attend hour long beverage seminars, taught by the Swan and Dolphin’s expert  food and beverage managers. In addition, guests can meet and greet with world-renown celebrity chefs in a beautiful outdoor setting.

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Planning the First Time Visit Part 3: Dining at Disney and Disney Dining Plan or To Eat or Not to Eat

Christopher Robin and his little sister sit at the table for the hundred acre wood feast eagerly awaiting for Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore to join them. Once they arrive, with Pooh laughing, Tigger bouncing, and Eeyore pondering, the smiles are as large as the pot roast and the hugs as sweet as the banana pudding. Only, this isn’t Christopher Robin this giggling brood is your family playing along with Pooh and Pals at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Only with the magic of Disney.

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Now it’s time…to say goodbye…to foods that are fatty

 [To all fans of the Mickey Mouse Club, I apologize for parodying the lyrics of the closing song!]

A few weeks ago, The Walt Disney Company took a bold stand on a growing problem that’s plaguing our country: childhood obesity.  For being the first major media outlet to create standards for advertisers of food products, Disney received waves of praise, as well as criticism.

If you haven’t heard about this yet, click here for a link to Disney’s official press release.

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Dream #8 – Life is a Journey

With a website address that contains TheEnemyIsGood, a lot of people ask Connie M. which enemy is that? Connie laughs and points out how her blog started with a typo, she meant to nab “The Enemy is Food.” But with her new blog formally titled “Life is a Journey” in place, Connie was ready to blog, and embrace what she loved.

“The blog originally was started as a way for me to make a food diary but I gave up that idea when I realized that I am a sensory person and loved the sight, smell and taste of food. So…instead of trying to lose weight by dieting, I embraced my love of food but developed a new respect for it,” Connie said. “Slowly, I began to write less and less about food and now only occasionally include a photo of something I am enjoying on one of my little exploratory trips around Southern California. Or Disneyland!”

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Dream #7 – Busy with Disney

With a passion for Disney, what pursuits does Craig Duncan squeeze in between a full time job and family? How about working on ‘They Disney Brit’, the UKs largest and longest running Disney podcast, the ‘Destination Disney’ radio show and the ‘Eye on Orlando’ radio show both of which are aired live on Florida radio shows. Then there is ‘Mousemeets’ which is UKs Disney annual fan convention and ‘Mousemag’ a free bi-monthly magazine all about Disney written by the Disney Community for the Community. “We have also done something different with our associated web sites. We have made DisneyBrit.com one of the best sources for Disney related news anywhere in the world. EyeonOrlando.com is a pure Orlando holiday portal.”

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Our Disney Driven New Years

Photo Credit: Molly B. Mickey and Friends banner supplied by Discount Party Supplies, 2012 Mickey banner hand made and supplied by Kush Event Planning

Besides actually being in Walt Disney World for New Years Eve, I’m not sure if I can think of any better way to ring in the New Year, then to do it Disney Driven Life style, and throw a Mickey Mouse themed party for the little ones, celebrating the birth of 2012! I truly envy those of you who were lucky enough to be within arms reach of my favorite castle on the eve of 2012, but I guarantee you that our little soiree was just a tad less crowded. Probably just as noisy though!

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Disney Room Service Please!

Photo Credit: www.turkletalks.com

One of my favorite Disney Resorts is the Pop Century where you can find plenty of fun and whimsy!  During a recent vacation’s stay at the Pop, my family decided to try the Peace of Pizza delivery service offered to resort guests.  We were, as always, tired and hungry after a long day of walking through the parks.  Usually, we would go to Everything Pop for a late evening snack but decided to instead try the room service.

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My Keurig

As a Christmas gift to myself last year, I purchased a Special Edition Keurig from Bed, Bath & Beyond.  I heard so much about this single service coffee machine from Disney peeps on Twitter.  I had to learn what K cups were and there are over 100 varieties of coffee, plus coffee and tea.  So with some knowledge of what this machine could do, I set out with a couple of 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, & Beyond to make this purchase.
I do not regret the choice I made.
I am partial to Café Mocha and dark/medium roast coffee.  Starbucks recently started selling K cups for the Keurig.  By now you are wondering how this ties into being a Neurotic Disney Individual.  Well the coffee has to fall into a Disney mug.  I usually start my day at 5 a.m. with coffee in one of my Disney mugs.  I usually set the timer on my Keurig to begin heating the water and by the time I make it downstairs, I just have to pop in which flavor of coffee I would like.  In a flash I am heading back upstairs to read work emails and cruise Twitter.
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Dream #4 – The Little Black Book of WDW

Try to imagine the ideal career, one that keeps you busy doing exactly that you enjoy doing. How does writing about Disney, travel and eating at fine restaurants sound? That’s exactly what Rona Gindin, author of The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World is doing. “I am living my ideal when it comes to my professional goals. I write about restaurants, travel and Disney World, from the comfort of my home. I have amazing clients who care about quality as much as I do. I get to snoop behind the scenes at all kinds of attractions and in all kinds of restaurants. And I get to share my discoveries with like-minded readers. It’s a good gig.”

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Disney Fun Hairy Spider Cupcakes

Photo Credit: Ashley Reeve

 

Are you looking for some spooky treats to create for Halloween? Disney Family Fun site has some great recipes that bring you and your family together to spend quality time in the kitchen. These spider creepy cupcakes will be the centerpiece for your next Halloween party and they are really easy to make. You will need…

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Passport to a world of flavors and shopping

Copyright: Elantrice H.

The 16th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival started on September 30th and ends November13th.  The theme for this year’s event is “Passport to a World of Flavors.”  The theme is very catchy and fitting.  Three new marketplaces were announced: Caribbean, Craft Beers, and Hawaii.  I’m sad to say, Idid not try any of these. I really did not try much.  It was just so hot!  That is not a reflection on the qualityor presentation of the food. It is just when I get hot, water is what I reach for.

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Edible Epcot

Photo Credit: Molly Beckley

“Jake, what kind of cake would you like Mommy to make you this year?” I asked my soon to be 5 year old. “Epcot, Mom.”, he replied. Beads of sweat started to form on my brow. I had made all of children’s birthday cakes every year of their lives. And when they are old enough to talk, I make them per their own requests. I had already made Jake both a pirate hat and pirate map cake in June for his birthday party with friends. I had been wondering what was stirring in that sharp little mind of his in regards to his birthday cake to be enjoyed with family. “You want me to make you an Epcot cake.” I retorted, as more of a statement than a question. “Yes, Mom, that’s what I want!”. I decided at that moment that if Jake wanted an Epcot cake, an Epcot cake he was going to get. This was going to be no easy undertaking. When most of us think of Epcot, we think of that giant silver golf ball that is Spaceship Earth. And I knew when Jake said that he wanted an Epcot Cake, what he really meant was that he wanted a Spaceship Earth cake. My son is like me in many ways, and one of these ways is that his favorite of all the Disney parks is Epcot. It is strange for a child not to have the Magic Kingdom as their favorite park, but when I was a little girl, I always felt most at home in Epcot, and Jake, a budding Imagineer, really enjoys the more educational feel of this park.

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Featured Blogger of the Month

Food at Disney World is a clue to our Featured Blogger of the Month of August. And if that’s not exciting enough for you, how about learning how to cook that food at home? Kristen Hoetzel is the DDL Dining Tips Blogger and our featured blogger. So get ready to learn more about her!

In case you didn’t already know, Kristen loves to cook.  She makes use of her Disney cookbooks and some of her Epcot International Food & Wine Festival cookbooks. She doesn’t only share her cooking talent at home, but she creates videos to teach others Disney recipes on DDL and on her own blog CookingwithMickey.info.  Kristen provides Disney recipes,  restaurant reviews, dining information and Disney news.

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COOKING AWAY THE BLUES

When our Disneymoon was over I suffered from the “post wedding blues”.  I had been planning for almost two years.  When our flight home landed it seemed like everything went by in the blink of an eye.  I would constantly look for something to do to bring the Disney magic from our wedding and Disneymoon home with me.  I would look at our pictures, watch our wedding video, but there are only so many times I can do that without looking like a total bride in denial. From conversations I’ve had with other brides this is quite a common thing.  There are lots of ways to pull yourself out of any type of funk, but this is how I got out of mine.

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MIN AND BILL’S DOCKSIDE DINER – MORE THAN A RESTAURANT

Min and Bill's Dockside Diner

Walt Disney World is full of detail, stories and trivia. No matter what park you go to, almost anything; be it a picture, a date on a window, a building or even music in the background, has a reference to something Disney. For the savoir-faire guest, there is a treasure-trove of exciting information staring them right in the face! Some quick examples; going on the Living with the Land Boat ride, as you pass the farmhouse, you’ll note the sign RFD #82 in front, the “82” referencing the date EPCOT opened. Or for the really trivia minded, in front of Min and Bill’s Dockside diner, you’ll find a stack of crates. On one of the crates you’ll see…”Ship to Rick Blaine, Rick’s Café Amercain, 112642 Rue Renault, Casablanca, Morocco”  This clever inscription is in reference to one of Warner Brothers Studios hit films, “Casablanca” The film won three academy awards and is on the list of the Greatest films of all time.

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DISNEY CRUISE LINE ROOM SERVICE

In March 2011, my family boarded the Disney Dream.  It was a wonderful experience, and the ship had a great deal to offer its passengers.  One thing that I did not experience while I was aboard, that I really wish I had, was their room service!  The services are free before considering the costs of the tips.  However, you can choose from a wide range of items to be brought right to your door!  Here are a few of the offerings they included for their breakfast room services:

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A SPOONFUL (OR FIVE) OF DISNEY SUGAR: NATIONAL CANDY MONTH

As I’ve grown into a teen a lot about me has changed, and yet a lot has remained the same. One thing that has never wavered is my undying love for candy. June is actually National Candy Month! My favorite place to get and eat candy is a Disney theme park or Downtown Disney (on either coast).  For me, the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland holds a lot of memories, and so does Marceline’s Confectionary in Downtown Disney in Anaheim. However, I do love to remember some wonderful times we had in Magic Kingdom with candy. For this post I wanted to share my five favorite candies from Disney–and they haven’t changed as I’ve gotten older.

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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN HAT CAKE

Ahoy Mates! With the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie out in theaters I thought it would be really cool to make a Pirates themed cake at home and have a movie night watching all three of the Pirate films.

It is really easy to make this pirate hat cake. First take any flavor of your favorite cake and bake it in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Once the cakes have cooled you will need a serrated knife like a bread knife to cut the cakes into the right shapes. Cut a straight cut about a quarter of way down from the top of the cake. Then cut the top piece you cut off in half. Turn the bigger full piece around and place the small pieces at the ends of the full piece of cake.

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WAYS TO SAVE AT YOUR RESORT

Many of you are very interested in ways to save money when traveling to Disney World.  When traveling to Disney, there are three main costs that drive the vacation:

1. Tickets

2. Transportation to/from Disney

3. Resort Costs

However, when thinking about ways to save money some people do not think about ways to save money once they have arrived in Walt Disney World.  One great way that your family could save money off of the cost of the vacation is by spending a day in and around the various Walt Disney World resorts.  The resorts offer a great deal of fun and entertainment at a fraction of the cost of a day in the parks.  In a previous post, I discussed some of the amenities offered per Resort Level.  Be sure to consider that in addition to your resort’s amenities, you can also visit other resorts for meals and entertainment.

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