The Crystal Palace is a Winnie the Pooh and friends character buffet located just past Main Street U.S.A in the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant is inspired by Victorian greenhouses of the late 1800s and brims with light, topiaries and tropical palms. I was very surprised by how beautiful it was! Despite being very busy, we were seated right away. Our server was very friendly and helpful. In my opinion, he was one of our best servers from our trip.
So, you just had the time of your… or maybe it was a while ago. Either way, you have a wait till you’re back at the happiest place on earth, and you need something to ease the wait. One of the best ways to make your days magical in-between trips is with listening to Disney music. But with a ton of Disney music out there, it can be daunting to find the music that best captures the essence and magic of Disney, especially the magic of Walt Disney World. Here’s a quick look at at few Disney CDs (and an internet radio station) that do a great job of easing the wait between till your next Disney trip.
Four Parks – One World
I love Disneyland. My love for Disney reaches far beyond the park. I love anything that is connected to the name Disney. One can’t help but think happy thoughts when you hear the name Walt Disney. When there is anything Disney related I really try to check it out. Recently we decided to take a trek out to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit were there for a limited time and I had to see it before it was gone.
The other day I was daydreaming about past trips to Walt Disney World. This time my thoughts were on Animal Kingdom Park. This is one of my favorite places to be. I love the rides and shows in this park, but most of all I love the plants and animals. The riddle for February has to do with the tigers of Animal Kingdom Park. What is the name of the trail/attraction the tigers are found on?
Submit your answer to ddlriddle@thedisneydrivenlife.com by midnight, Feb.28th for a chance to win a Disney magnet. Best of luck to you!
Contributed by: Sherri Jeffries (NDM#237) Sherri is the DDL Riddler.
This is the second part of a blog series that will look at the different steps of planning for an upcoming Christmas trip to the World. Essentially, I found myself in August suddenly planning for a Christmas trip. In my last post, I went through the reasoning that led me to choose the Contemporary Resort as the best choice for the week. This post is all about Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs).
ADRs can be made 180 days in advance of the first day of your trip, and for some restaurants which fill up quickly, you definitely need to call as soon as that window opens- especially during busier times of the year. So, maybe you can imagine that I was a bit panicked to begin planning meals in August for a Christmas trip- we were already more than a month inside that 180-day window for the most crowded week of the year. I knew there wasn’t time to lose in making ADRs. But, it’s not as simple as trying to make ADRs at any restaurant possible… I didn’t want to make an ADR at the Brown Derby on a day that we would end up spending in the Magic Kingdom. So I quickly had to plot out which day we’ll be in which park (because it would stink to be in Animal Kingdom with an ADR in Epcot!). This is a huge task, but an important one- and there is only one resource I trust to help with such plotting… the “Crowd Calendar” over at touringplans.com.
Millions of families from all across the globe travel to Disney World each year for fun and entertainment. Whether you plan to board theme park rides, watch shows, or visit some of the local attractions you’re sure to have a great time. But for parents visiting the park with babies and infants, keeping everyone happy can be a challenge. Your baby might not be ready to enjoy the main attractions but Disney World offers some great facilities that should make your trip a lot of fun, even with a baby in tow.
This is the first part of a blog series that will look at the different steps of planning for an upcoming Christmas trip to the World. I’ll explore some reasoning for some of the decisions (for example, why I picked the resort I did), and how I’m hoping this plan will help us deal with the most crowded week of the year. And then, after the trip, I’ll share what went well, what could have gone better, and any major mistakes I made in planning. We’ll find out together if my approach to planning makes sense. Feel free to add comments on things you’d consider, or different approaches you’d take.
Using brochures or pamphlets can assist with journaling and can add titles or lettering to your layouts.
As much as I love Scrapbooking, I also love planning my trips to Walt Disney World. But with a busy family and other vital expenses (heat, hydro, mortgage, Ugh!) taking most of my paycheck each week, I need to find ways to save money to feed both of my addictions! Many people avoid scrapbooking their precious Disney photos because they think it will be too expensive, but there are many ways you can archive your memories for future generations AND still have $$$ left over to save for our Happy Place!
I receive many questions as to what my deal is with Disney and Disneyworld (especially now that I am writing for this site): why spend all the money on those trips each year, and, last but not least, are you serious? After I share this little story concerning the first day of school maybe it will help some to understand.
One of my son’s sixth grade teachers gave her class a “Get to Know You” survey, and she gave it to them to take home for a parent signature to ensure no unwanted information became teacher knowledge. One of my son’s answers I will share at the end of this post but the two primary answers I’d like to share are his responses to 1) What is your favorite place? 2) What is your favorite memory?
I have a confession. I look at DisneyStore.com every morning. Well you probably already figured that out. During one early morning “window shopping” cruising of the site, I discovered the Show No Towel. This item can be described as a “standard bath towel with a vertical opening in the middle, hemmed with colorful fabrics and designs. The towel can be used as a cover-up or a changing towel.” Shelly Ehler, presented her creation on Shark Tank Season 3. More of Shelly’s story can be found here. For the Disney Parks, the following Show No Towel was created.
Photo Credit: EH
In part one of “Disney Dreams,” we explored how the idea of Disneyland came about and some of the many ideas and concepts originally planned, never made it to realization. Let’s gravitate a bit in the future to 1974. By this time, Disneyland is a phenomenal success, but as Walt once said… “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
This huge expansion project was fostered by Tony Baxter, senior Vice-President of Walt Disney Imagineering. It was to be called “Discovery Bay.” This “land” would be built on the banks of the Rivers of America, between Fantasyland and Frontierland, and would be stylized after San Francisco of the mid nineteenth century (A dramatized version) when the industrialized era was in full swing and adventure was on everyone’s mind.
We all know and love the Disney Parks, movies, characters, and all the dreams that Walt left us. But there were many ideas and concepts that Walt and his Imagineers conceived over the years that never made it past the drawing board. I want to explore some of these dreams that we never could experience, but let’s take a quick look back at how Disneyland came about.
Walt Disney was always a go-getter and workaholic. He immersed himself completely in everything he did, which is why his product is the standard everyone else tries to copy. He always believed in giving the public more than they expected, quality was number one. He understood that people will always return for that reason. It was this work ethic that the idea of a “Disneyland” came about. Walt struggled for a time until the phenomenal success of the first full length cartoon feature, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” which debuted on December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theater. It was this success that Walt took his Studio from 2719 Hyperion Ave. into a newly constructed modern facility in Burbank, moving in August 1939.
Back in December, I wrote Part 1 of The Mickey Mouse Over School Dilemma. As a teacher and parent, I have seen both sides of this rather controversial topic within the world of Disney Driven people. In Part 2 of this series, I am going to put my teacher hat on for a little while. I will pretend I am not the mother who is once again planning to take her child out of school and focus on teacher thoughts, challenges, and responsibilities.
Unofficial Walt Disney World ‘Earbook 2011: One Fan’s Review in Pictures, Kevin Yee, Ultimate Orlando Press, 2011
Unofficial Walt Disney World ‘Earbook 2011: One Fan’s Review in Pictures, Kevin Yee, Ultimate Orlando Press, 2011, 164 pp.
I have to remember to ask Kevin Yee whether he ever served on his high school’s Yearbook Committee. It’s a pity if he didn’t because it is clear he not only understands, but has mastered the genre. In a much broader sense, Yee simply gets Disney. The more I read his Disney-related work, the more I am impressed by his objective passion. Yee’s love of, and belief in, Disney is apparent. Yet his studied approach gives his work validity and a weight not often found in writing about Disney. He isn’t merely a fan or tour guide, but rather an observer and historian.
Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me! It doesn’t get much better than the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World. When you enter the queue you feel as if you have entered an awesome fort. Once you are in the boat the fun begins. The original ride was a “blast”, but thefun has been increased by the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow. For the riddle this month, can you tell me how many times Captain Jack Sparrow appears during the ride?
Feb 28 (29), 2012
PhotoCredit:Walt Disney
Couple of things – happy birthday to me and happy one more Disney day to you! I can’t believe I am writing this from 35k feet and didn’t extend my trip one day so I could be part of the “magic” … but I trust there will be plenty of pictures to go around!
Anyway, I know I’m generally the TV guy and all, but I hope you will forgive me if I stray away from the media just a bit today because I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what a truly wonderful experience the Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon was. (I’m not THAT much of a couch potato, thank you very much!)
Even though I’m a Disney fanatic, I can objectively say that The Walt Disney Company consistently develops some of the best advertising campaigns on television. From a technical standpoint, they could be used by any college-level marketing class as a road map for success in the industry.
While the ads they use across all business units (e.g. movies, consumer products, etc.) are tremendously effective, I think some of the best Disney commercials are the ones that promote their vacation destinations (e.g. the Walt Disney World Resort, the Disneyland Resort, the Disney Cruise Line, etc.). In those commercials, they understand how to create an emotional trigger without having a corny sales pitch.
When booking our latest Disney vacation, my family first looked to Disney World’s available resorts for our accommodations. However, the cost of staying during the Holidays at the Disney World resorts proved both expensive and difficult as many of the rooms were unavailable. We found that we could get a room at the DoubleTree Suites for a very reasonable price for a suite. After reviewing the hotel’s website as well as a few other sites (such as TripAdvisor), we felt comfortable with a stay at the resort.
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.