I did it!!! I finally took the plunge and took an airplane ride across country for the trip of my life. As a frequent visitor to Disney World, I have always wanted to make the trip to California to see where it all began. I wanted to see the only park that Walt Disney ever walked, to see the original park that started it all. However, as a very nervous flier, I never thought I could do it. Finally, my husband had three free flights and convinced me to give it a try. When else would we be able to fly all three of us to California for free? The free flights, along with the free car rental let us know that this was our chance. So, I went to the doctor, got a prescription to help me on the flight, and off we went. From the minute I stepped on the plane I knew it was all going to be worth it....and it was. The whole trip was amazing and I am so glad I faced my fears and made the choice to go. I loved every minute of the trip.
So, based on the fact that at least ten people had "warned" me before the trip that I would be disappointed, I didn't have high expectations for the parks. However, from the minute I walked through the turnstiles, I was in awe. I felt the magic as soon as we crossed under the train station. It was so wonderful to see my daughter holding her Daddy's hand, and literally running down Main Street with excitement. She couldn't wait to round that corner and see that castle. Until we rounded that corner, I felt right at home. Everything was so similar to Magic Kingdom in Florida. Then I saw the castle. Was I seeing things? It looked so small. Was that it? Maybe we were just too far away. Then we got closer, and realized, no it was really just a small castle. However, as I got closer and realized that I could actually walk through the castle and see the story of Sleeping Beauty unfold as we went through it, I realized that I loved it even more than the bigger, more regal one in Florida. I mean, I was walking through a castle "built for a Princess". How cool is that? It was the first of just a few differences between the two parks that I actually ended up loving after I finished analyzing the differences.
Another wonderful surprise was seeing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice In Wonderland in Fantasyland. These are the rides that scream Disney to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the roller coasters and thrill rides at some theme parks, but nothing compares to these rides at Disney. I love getting in a little car and riding through a story while fun and familiar music plays in the background. Some of my favorite rides (at either park) are Peter Pan, it's a small world, Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, and Winnie The Pooh. Of course, you have to add in Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain as well, though these are more about fun than stories. These are all true Disney magic in my mind. Nothing compares!!! Luckily all of my favorites, and more, were at Disneyland so we had no shortage of fun rides. Now if they would only build a Matterhorn and Indiana Jones ride at Disney World my vacations there would be perfect!
One of my favorite differences in the two parks was that Disneyland still has the Penny Arcade and Main Street Cinema on Main Street. These were two of my favorite things to do when I was younger at the Magic Kingdom and I was very sad to see them go away in recent years. It was so much fun to share these areas with my daughter. She loved taking a late afternoon break and watching Steam Boat Willie in the Cinema. Hopefully one day those great treasures will return to Disney World again. It is sad to me that they have been replaced with shopping venues.
One of the other big differences was the close proximity of all the parks. It was really wild to be able to stand at the ticket booths and see the entrances to both Disneyland and California Adventure, along with Downtown Disney. It was nice to be able to walk from park to park without spending precious time on buses. Also, one night we walked to Downtown Disney for dinner, then walked right back to the parks for more fun. It was an added bonus. Of course, I don't think I have ever walked as much at Disney World (especially since we walked from our hotel every morning), but there were enough ways to rest our legs throughout the day. It was nice to be able to hop between the parks to try to hit all the big headliner rides before the crowds got too crazy. It actually felt like the two parks were one at times.
So, why did everyone think I would be disappointed? I spent a lot of time trying to figure that out. I mean I thought it was awesome. I thought it was charming. I thought it was wonderful. Who are these people? Why would they think that? Then I really thought about it, and may have come to a conclusion. Maybe those people look for something different in a park. Maybe they look for thrills, or for roller coasters. Maybe they find the traditional Disney type rides boring. Maybe they never stopped to think about the fact that this was the only park that Walt Disney ever walked. These are all the reasons I came up with anyway. However, these are all the reasons that I loved Disneyland. Now, granted, I could not spend the 10 days there that we usually do at Disney World, but I would love to go back one day and enjoy the charm. Until then, I will spend all of my vacations at Disney World enjoying all of their extra parks and fun that they have to offer. I would still pick Florida over California (and not just due to the four hour plane ride), but I know that I won't be disappointed whenever we do decide to go across country again!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Heading to Disneyland!!!!
Well, in a mere two weeks we take off to Disneyland for our first time. We are surprising our seven year old with the trip and I know it is going to be a wonderful trip full of amazing memories. That being said, I am somehow a little dreadful of the trip to come. I know that probably sounds totally ridiculous considering my passion for all things Disney, but I am totally overwhelmed. Now, I can plan a book to Disney World with absolutely no problems. We have been several times and I pretty much know all the planning secrets and know what we want to do each trip. That is totally not the case with this trip. I feel like a fish out of water. We have been planning it for months, but yet I feel like I don't really know what to expect. I can't find the extensive planning websites for Disneyland like the ones I frequent for my daily Disney World fix. There is no wonderful Moms panel to seek planning advise from. I haven't found a lot of websites that have dining reviews on them either so I don't really know for sure where we want to eat while on property. Plus, I don't really know a lot of people who have been there to bounce information and ideas off of. I feel like a Disney first timer again!!!!
Another thing that is putting a damper on my excitement is the fact that I have heard from multiple people how "disappointed" I am going to be by the parks. Now granted, these people all seem to have the same commonality in that they haven't been since before California Adventure came along, however, it is still hard not to let those comments get to me. Maybe that will be a good thing though and my expectations will be lower and therefore the trip will be even more exciting since the experience will be better than my expectations. That is my hope anyway.
Another issue for me is that I am not a good flier. I have done alright the last three flights to Orlando, but the first one was with medication, and those flights are only two hours long. This one is going to be four hours and 45 minutes there, and four hours to get home. That is a long time. I did go this week and get a prescription for some "happy pills" for the long flight, but I am still very anxious about the flight. I get very claustrophobic on the plane, and start freaking out over the thought that I can't get off. Hopefully the medicine my doctor gave me will help with that. Otherwise my dear husband will have his hands full trying to take care of me and our seven year old. It is going to take a lot to keep us busy!
My final issue is that we are keeping this a surprise from our daughter. She will not know until her Grandma gets here to take us to the airport and we load the car. She is going to be beyond excited. Ironically about a month ago we were just talking about someone who was taking a surprise trip and she mentioned that she wanted us to surprise her one day with a trip. Little did she know that we were already planning to do just that. So, she will be excited, she will love it, and the surprise will be worth the months of of self-imposed silence to give this surprise to her. However, one of the best things about our yearly trips is the fact that our family plans it together. We talk about what we want to do, where we want to stay, and where we want to eat. We love it! That is making this one a little harder to get excited about. On the plus side, I guess we can have these conversations on the LOOOONNNGGGG plane ride and should have it all planned by the time we touch down.
I haven't even made a packing list for the trip. Guess I had better sign off and get started on that!!!! I hope to have some fun posts in a few weeks to let you know how this trip turns out. With me being the ultimate planner, I am very stressed about all the lack of planning going into this trip. Will let you know how all of that turns out for me. Maybe it will change my approach to all future Disney trips in the future :)
Another thing that is putting a damper on my excitement is the fact that I have heard from multiple people how "disappointed" I am going to be by the parks. Now granted, these people all seem to have the same commonality in that they haven't been since before California Adventure came along, however, it is still hard not to let those comments get to me. Maybe that will be a good thing though and my expectations will be lower and therefore the trip will be even more exciting since the experience will be better than my expectations. That is my hope anyway.
Another issue for me is that I am not a good flier. I have done alright the last three flights to Orlando, but the first one was with medication, and those flights are only two hours long. This one is going to be four hours and 45 minutes there, and four hours to get home. That is a long time. I did go this week and get a prescription for some "happy pills" for the long flight, but I am still very anxious about the flight. I get very claustrophobic on the plane, and start freaking out over the thought that I can't get off. Hopefully the medicine my doctor gave me will help with that. Otherwise my dear husband will have his hands full trying to take care of me and our seven year old. It is going to take a lot to keep us busy!
My final issue is that we are keeping this a surprise from our daughter. She will not know until her Grandma gets here to take us to the airport and we load the car. She is going to be beyond excited. Ironically about a month ago we were just talking about someone who was taking a surprise trip and she mentioned that she wanted us to surprise her one day with a trip. Little did she know that we were already planning to do just that. So, she will be excited, she will love it, and the surprise will be worth the months of of self-imposed silence to give this surprise to her. However, one of the best things about our yearly trips is the fact that our family plans it together. We talk about what we want to do, where we want to stay, and where we want to eat. We love it! That is making this one a little harder to get excited about. On the plus side, I guess we can have these conversations on the LOOOONNNGGGG plane ride and should have it all planned by the time we touch down.
I haven't even made a packing list for the trip. Guess I had better sign off and get started on that!!!! I hope to have some fun posts in a few weeks to let you know how this trip turns out. With me being the ultimate planner, I am very stressed about all the lack of planning going into this trip. Will let you know how all of that turns out for me. Maybe it will change my approach to all future Disney trips in the future :)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Via Napoli Review
Well, it has been four months in the making, but I am finally posting my review of Via Napoli. Let me start by saying I was very excited about the opening of this restaurant. Our family loves all things Italian, with pizza being our absolute favorite meal. So that being said, you can imagine how thrilled I was that this restaurant was going to be opening mere weeks before our trip. So, I spent months in the spring and summer checking for updates on this restaurant and counting down the days until I could make our reservations. When the big day came, I woke up early and called to make our reservation. Luckily I was able to get the time and day I wanted so I was thrilled. The only thing left to do was wait for the big day to come.
That day finally came and I was very excited and very much looking forward to our dinner that night. Ironically, that day my brother and sister-in-law ate there for lunch as a walk in without knowing that we were eating there that night for dinner. When we ran into them they went on and on about how good their lunch was and how stuffed they were. To say the least, they were very impressed with Via Napoli. That just added to my excitement. I was looking forward to it even more now that I had actually talked to someone who had eaten there. This was going to be a good meal.
So we checked into the restaurant at our scheduled time and had to wait about 10 minutes for our table. This was fine though as it gave us time to soak in the beautiful details of the new restaurant. It was a very bright, friendly, and welcoming atmosphere. The decor was very nice, and had a lot of touches that I can imagine were good representations Italy. If you haven't seen pictures of the brick ovens they use, I have to say that they are pretty cool. So far, I was impressed.
So we were seated and given a menu by our friendly server. I decided pretty quickly on the chicken parmigiana. I was disappointed that it didn't come with a salad, but decided to go with it nonetheless. My husband wanted a pizza with pepperoni and sausage, but there wasn't one on the menu (I can't remember which one he settled on now). My seven year old decided on a pepperoni pizza as well. So, we placed our orders and proceeded to soak up the fun atmosphere. After a few minutes the server brought the pizzas. When we asked about mine, we were told that they bring the food as it is ready, and not all at once (apparently this is the way they do it in Italy). So, I sat there and watched the two of them start their meals. My husband thought the pizza was pretty good (though we both admitted that the pizza we had eaten that day for lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express was actually better). The pizzas are cooked in the brick ovens which makes the crust pretty tasty....though our daughter would disagree. She did not like it at all. She had not had this type of pizza before and thought it tasted burnt. Once she saw the brown spots on the bottom of the crust, there was no convincing her otherwise. She only had a few bites.
Luckily my dinner finally showed up and she was able to share it with me. I liked the chicken portion pretty well. It was very moist and the sauce was very good. However, the noodles came as a fried lump. It was not at all what I was expecting and I did not like the texture of it. My daughter thought they were pretty cool and ate most of them for me. I think this was the first meal that I was actually looking forward to seeing the dessert menu since I actually had a little room left to eat it!
So, the dessert menu is delivered. I anxiously look at it hoping for something extra yummy and chocolaty...
No such luck. I didn't see anything that I just had to have. However, I finally settled on the Tiramisu and my husband went with the Zeppole di Catarina ( fried ricotta cheese with whipping cream and chocolate sauce). I think my daughter had a cookie, but don't hold me to that :) When the desserts came I was very intrigued with the presentation of my husbands dessert, and it actually looked quite tasty despite how disgusting I thought it sounded! So, was dessert better than the entrees? Yes, and no. My daughter did not like her dessert, and mine was very mushy. I am a texture person and couldn't get past the sliminess to enjoy the taste. Surprisingly, my husband's meal was the big hit. Those fritters were actually really good, and a lot of fun to dip in the chocolate and whipping cream. So, we all shared his!
In summary, the meal was good. It wasn't Disney great and if I was paying out of pocket, I definitely would not go back. However, if we were on the dining plan and couldn't get into one of our favorite restaurants I would give it another shot.
That day finally came and I was very excited and very much looking forward to our dinner that night. Ironically, that day my brother and sister-in-law ate there for lunch as a walk in without knowing that we were eating there that night for dinner. When we ran into them they went on and on about how good their lunch was and how stuffed they were. To say the least, they were very impressed with Via Napoli. That just added to my excitement. I was looking forward to it even more now that I had actually talked to someone who had eaten there. This was going to be a good meal.
So we checked into the restaurant at our scheduled time and had to wait about 10 minutes for our table. This was fine though as it gave us time to soak in the beautiful details of the new restaurant. It was a very bright, friendly, and welcoming atmosphere. The decor was very nice, and had a lot of touches that I can imagine were good representations Italy. If you haven't seen pictures of the brick ovens they use, I have to say that they are pretty cool. So far, I was impressed.
So we were seated and given a menu by our friendly server. I decided pretty quickly on the chicken parmigiana. I was disappointed that it didn't come with a salad, but decided to go with it nonetheless. My husband wanted a pizza with pepperoni and sausage, but there wasn't one on the menu (I can't remember which one he settled on now). My seven year old decided on a pepperoni pizza as well. So, we placed our orders and proceeded to soak up the fun atmosphere. After a few minutes the server brought the pizzas. When we asked about mine, we were told that they bring the food as it is ready, and not all at once (apparently this is the way they do it in Italy). So, I sat there and watched the two of them start their meals. My husband thought the pizza was pretty good (though we both admitted that the pizza we had eaten that day for lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express was actually better). The pizzas are cooked in the brick ovens which makes the crust pretty tasty....though our daughter would disagree. She did not like it at all. She had not had this type of pizza before and thought it tasted burnt. Once she saw the brown spots on the bottom of the crust, there was no convincing her otherwise. She only had a few bites.
Luckily my dinner finally showed up and she was able to share it with me. I liked the chicken portion pretty well. It was very moist and the sauce was very good. However, the noodles came as a fried lump. It was not at all what I was expecting and I did not like the texture of it. My daughter thought they were pretty cool and ate most of them for me. I think this was the first meal that I was actually looking forward to seeing the dessert menu since I actually had a little room left to eat it!
So, the dessert menu is delivered. I anxiously look at it hoping for something extra yummy and chocolaty...
No such luck. I didn't see anything that I just had to have. However, I finally settled on the Tiramisu and my husband went with the Zeppole di Catarina ( fried ricotta cheese with whipping cream and chocolate sauce). I think my daughter had a cookie, but don't hold me to that :) When the desserts came I was very intrigued with the presentation of my husbands dessert, and it actually looked quite tasty despite how disgusting I thought it sounded! So, was dessert better than the entrees? Yes, and no. My daughter did not like her dessert, and mine was very mushy. I am a texture person and couldn't get past the sliminess to enjoy the taste. Surprisingly, my husband's meal was the big hit. Those fritters were actually really good, and a lot of fun to dip in the chocolate and whipping cream. So, we all shared his!
In summary, the meal was good. It wasn't Disney great and if I was paying out of pocket, I definitely would not go back. However, if we were on the dining plan and couldn't get into one of our favorite restaurants I would give it another shot.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Can You Really Save Money at Disney?
Yes you can. I know that most people don't put the words saving money along with Disney, but with a little bit of planning, you most certainly can save some money on your vacation. Now don't get me wrong, the savings are not going to be monumental, but a little bit goes a long way. Short of winning a free trip or some other contest, the trip itself is still going to cost a decent amount. There are not a lot of discounts to be had out there for Disney itself, unless of course you just love sitting through time share spiels and wasting precious hours of your vacation. If that sounds like a fun day to you, then those deals can be found all over Orlando. If that is not your ideal way to save money, I have a few more that will help soften the blow of the cost.
It is possible to save money on Disney tickets themselves. The best way to get these deals is to head over to mousesavers.com and sign up for their monthly newsletter. In it, there is usually a link to buy park passes at a discount. Sometimes you can also get discounts by using a travel agent, though we have not gone that route since for me the planning of the trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself.
So, there are ways to save a little money on the tickets before you go. What are some other ways? Making a list of everything you will need before the trip and buying it ahead of time can save you a lot just by being able to avoid buying things on Disney property. It is an obvious no brainer that things are going to be a lot higher on property than they would be at your local Wal Mart. So, make a list, and check it twice to avoid forgetting the little things and avoid using precious souvenir money on small things like shampoo or diapers.
One of the biggest expenses once you get on property is food. Everyone has to eat, and Disney knows that. Therefore, the prices are not going to be cheap. Who wants to leave property to eat since that will take away from precious park time (or sleep time in the mornings). So, to alleviate some of the cost, take as much food as you can from home. Even though we have been on the dining plan the last five trips, we still had to cover one meal a day (it covers one sit down and one counter service meal a day). The way we make the best use of the plan is to use it for lunch or dinner, and cover breakfast on our own. We buy muffins, bagels, or donuts before we leave home and eat those every day. The food court has toaster ovens that everyone can use so we toast our bagels when needed and enjoy a quick, cheap meal before heading out to the parks. I think we spent $12 at our local grocery store before we left last year for breakfast foods, juice boxes and small paper plates and that covered our breakfast for the three of us all 11 days of our trip. If we would have bought our breakfast on property every day it would have easily been $10 a day minimum. A bonus was that when we came home, we had all that empty room in our suitcase for extra souvenirs :)
Speaking of souvenirs, if you have small children plan ahead and take small toys to keep them busy. Surprise them with a small, cheap toy that you have bought on clearance at the local Disney or dollar store when they are asking for the $30 doll that they just have to have and it will alleviate some of the begging. If your kids are like mine, they are also going to want that $15 light up toy when the nighttime parade starts. Have some light up glow bracelets/necklaces ready instead. They will enjoy the new toy, plus appreciate the fact that all the other kids around them are asking where they got them since no one else has them. My $1.00 investment last year was well worth it!
One final way to save money is to make the most out of the dining plan. I have talked about this in the past, but the basic plan allows for one counter service meal per day per person. The counter service meals themselves are pretty big, especially since they include an entree, side, dessert and drink for adults. For me personally, this is more food than I can eat at most of the restaurants. On our last trip, my husband and I started sharing meals. We would either order one adult entree and one children's entree, or two adult entree's and all three of us would share all of the food. This not only eliminated a lot of wasted food, it also helped us to "bank" some meals to use on our last day and for a few quick breakfasts through the week. It was a win win for us.
So, here are a few relatively easy ways to save a few dollars on a Disney trip. There are several more ways out there. I will try to post them another time since I have rambled on for so long here. If anyone else has ideas on how to save a Disney dime, I would love to hear them!
It is possible to save money on Disney tickets themselves. The best way to get these deals is to head over to mousesavers.com and sign up for their monthly newsletter. In it, there is usually a link to buy park passes at a discount. Sometimes you can also get discounts by using a travel agent, though we have not gone that route since for me the planning of the trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself.
So, there are ways to save a little money on the tickets before you go. What are some other ways? Making a list of everything you will need before the trip and buying it ahead of time can save you a lot just by being able to avoid buying things on Disney property. It is an obvious no brainer that things are going to be a lot higher on property than they would be at your local Wal Mart. So, make a list, and check it twice to avoid forgetting the little things and avoid using precious souvenir money on small things like shampoo or diapers.
One of the biggest expenses once you get on property is food. Everyone has to eat, and Disney knows that. Therefore, the prices are not going to be cheap. Who wants to leave property to eat since that will take away from precious park time (or sleep time in the mornings). So, to alleviate some of the cost, take as much food as you can from home. Even though we have been on the dining plan the last five trips, we still had to cover one meal a day (it covers one sit down and one counter service meal a day). The way we make the best use of the plan is to use it for lunch or dinner, and cover breakfast on our own. We buy muffins, bagels, or donuts before we leave home and eat those every day. The food court has toaster ovens that everyone can use so we toast our bagels when needed and enjoy a quick, cheap meal before heading out to the parks. I think we spent $12 at our local grocery store before we left last year for breakfast foods, juice boxes and small paper plates and that covered our breakfast for the three of us all 11 days of our trip. If we would have bought our breakfast on property every day it would have easily been $10 a day minimum. A bonus was that when we came home, we had all that empty room in our suitcase for extra souvenirs :)
Speaking of souvenirs, if you have small children plan ahead and take small toys to keep them busy. Surprise them with a small, cheap toy that you have bought on clearance at the local Disney or dollar store when they are asking for the $30 doll that they just have to have and it will alleviate some of the begging. If your kids are like mine, they are also going to want that $15 light up toy when the nighttime parade starts. Have some light up glow bracelets/necklaces ready instead. They will enjoy the new toy, plus appreciate the fact that all the other kids around them are asking where they got them since no one else has them. My $1.00 investment last year was well worth it!
One final way to save money is to make the most out of the dining plan. I have talked about this in the past, but the basic plan allows for one counter service meal per day per person. The counter service meals themselves are pretty big, especially since they include an entree, side, dessert and drink for adults. For me personally, this is more food than I can eat at most of the restaurants. On our last trip, my husband and I started sharing meals. We would either order one adult entree and one children's entree, or two adult entree's and all three of us would share all of the food. This not only eliminated a lot of wasted food, it also helped us to "bank" some meals to use on our last day and for a few quick breakfasts through the week. It was a win win for us.
So, here are a few relatively easy ways to save a few dollars on a Disney trip. There are several more ways out there. I will try to post them another time since I have rambled on for so long here. If anyone else has ideas on how to save a Disney dime, I would love to hear them!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Pictures, pictures everywhere!
Happy New Year to everyone. Wow, I can't believe that another year has passed. Where or where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday we were planning our big family trip for October, and now it has been almost three months since we took that fun trip. All we are left with are the memories and tons and tons of pictures. I am still working my way through all of the pictures and will hopefully get them into my album in the next few weeks. Every trip I am amazed by the large amount of pictures we take. This year was even worse than normal since we had so many people in our party. I not only have the nearly 1000 pictures I took, but also those of my daughter, in-laws, and photo pass to sort through and filter down to a meager 200 total to fit into the photo album. Every year I purchase a dated photo album while I am in Disney to hold all of our treasured photos. I personally like the ones where I can journal on the side of each one and tell who is in the picture and what we were doing. This is not only for me, but for my daughter down the road. Disney is constantly changing and I am sure that by the time she is grown we will have pictures from attractions that are no longer around. I also keep a copy of each park map and put it inside the photo album. I want to be a scrapbooker, and have done it in the past, but with our busy life this is about as much as I can find time for.
Where do I get copies of all my pictures? I usually upload them to Snapfish, or some other online photo site. The prints are usually around .07 each, unless I have some kind of coupon code (which I usually do). I try to upload them as soon as I can after the trip so that I can take my time editing them and so they will be ready whenever a good deal is offered. If snapfish runs a 24 hour special for 100 free prints, they are out there and ready for me to order without a frantic rush on my end to get the pictures uploaded and ordered within that time. This year, I ordered around 250 total for both my photo album and my daughter's autograph book. Plus I made a photo book for my mother-in-law for Christmas with the same photos. It has been a fun way to relive my trip over and over again. Hopefully soon the Disney photo album will be filled, the journaling will be done, and my family will have one more way to treasure the memories of the wonderful trip. I just hope it is before the next trip in a few months! Then the fun begins again :) Happy 2011 to all!
Where do I get copies of all my pictures? I usually upload them to Snapfish, or some other online photo site. The prints are usually around .07 each, unless I have some kind of coupon code (which I usually do). I try to upload them as soon as I can after the trip so that I can take my time editing them and so they will be ready whenever a good deal is offered. If snapfish runs a 24 hour special for 100 free prints, they are out there and ready for me to order without a frantic rush on my end to get the pictures uploaded and ordered within that time. This year, I ordered around 250 total for both my photo album and my daughter's autograph book. Plus I made a photo book for my mother-in-law for Christmas with the same photos. It has been a fun way to relive my trip over and over again. Hopefully soon the Disney photo album will be filled, the journaling will be done, and my family will have one more way to treasure the memories of the wonderful trip. I just hope it is before the next trip in a few months! Then the fun begins again :) Happy 2011 to all!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Pop Century
I think I have mentioned this before, but Pop Century is definitely our resort of choice every time we go to Disney World. We realized a few years ago that we would rather stay at a Value Resort on property every time and be able to stay a few extra days instead of going to a Moderate or Deluxe and stay fewer days. Of course the extra days is a big factor for us, but also we realized that we just aren't at the hotel a whole lot. We get up early, eat a quick breakfast from home in the food court so that we can be to the park for rope drop, then stay all day at the park. We get in around 9:00 at night, swim for about 30-45 minutes, take showers, and head to bed. We are probably in the room a total of 9 hours total a day, and most of those hours are sleeping. As long as the bed is comfy, we are happy. So these are reasons we stay in a value resort, now let me tell you why we choose Pop Century time and again (we have stayed at All Star Music twice and All Star Movies once for comparison).
One of the best things about Pop Century is the staff. Every person I have ever encountered at Pop has been super friendly and has gone out of their way to make our stay wonderful. This usually begins at check in, includes food court staff, gift shop staff, mousekeepers, and everyone in between. One example of great service this time was the concierge worker who helped to make my angel's birthday so memorable this year. I realized the night before her birthday that I didn't have a card for her. I had remembered a few gifts, but didn't have a card. So, I stood in line to ask the front desk if they could help. I asked the friendly girl if she had a card or something I could use as one for my daughter's birthday the next day. She went in the back and after a few minutes came back to ask my room number. I told her and she then said they were taking care of it. I asked if they had a card and she said they would leave one for her in the room the next day. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but thought ok, I can make that work. I was just glad that they were going to save me :) The next day when we returned to our room on her birthday there was a card (a picture of retro Mickey and Minnie in front of our building at Pop) along with a Pop Century bucket filled with little pop culture gifts from the 60's to 90's. It was super cute and way more than I expected. My daughter loved it and I was thrilled. I made sure to tell the manager the next day how much we loved the basket and that is why we choose Pop every time.
Another favorite of mine at Pop Century is the food court. It is huge and has several different bays to choose from which all serve different kinds of food. There is pizza, sandwiches, pastas, even TV dinners (remember the pop theme). I can't imagine someone not being able to find something they like here. They also have some yummy foods at the bakery area that you can get as a dessert (tie dye cheesecake is yummy) and an ice cream area as well that allows you to get huge sundaes or hand spun milkshakes for a dessert or snack as well. There are so many options and I love to eat here. They used to offer frozen cokes and icee's in the drink stations which was a wonderful treat after a hot day in the park, but sadly they replaced them a few years ago for tea. I am hoping they will bring that back one day!!!!
Another bonus for Pop is the bus service. They have their own dedicated buses that take you straight to the parks. Also, they only have one bus stop at the resort so you don't have to waste precious park time riding around to multiple stops inside of the resort like many of the moderate resorts do. The other value resorts (All Star Sports, Music, and Movies) share buses going to the parks. This can be particularly annoying in the morning, especially if you are staying at Movies. The buses pick up at Sports first, then Music, and if there is any room left, they go to Movies. As you can imagine, it can take several buses before they realize that the line is half a mile long and send an empty bus to get the Movie guests. At night, each hotel does have their own dedicated bus, but they really need it in the morning as well. Pop Century doesn't have that problem. Since it doesn't share with anyone, once you get on the bus, you don't have to stop anywhere except the park or Pop. The only problem is that the bus stop is almost always at the very end of the row at each park, so you have to walk a little farther then some of the other resorts. To me, that is a small inconvenience and I would rather walk a few more steps than make a few more stops.
One final favorite thing about Pop is the pools. We love the main pool which is shaped like a flower with several flower fountains spraying into it around the sides. There are also two other small pools at the resort. We haven't been in the computer pool, but since we were in the 50's building this trip we spent most of our time in the bowling pin pool this time and really enjoyed it as well. One more bonus is that thereare two fun areas for little ones to play in as well. There is a set of goofy pop up fountains that spray intermittently that are fun to play in and the kiddie pool has some big fountains inside of it as well. My daughter loves playing in these, and they are great for those nights I just don't feel like getting in the pool with her, but she insists on swimming. A win win for both of us.
So, if you are considering staying in a Value resort, I would highly recommend Pop Century. For all of the reasons mentioned above, plus comfortable, very clean rooms, you can't get a better value for your money and still be on Disney property.
One of the best things about Pop Century is the staff. Every person I have ever encountered at Pop has been super friendly and has gone out of their way to make our stay wonderful. This usually begins at check in, includes food court staff, gift shop staff, mousekeepers, and everyone in between. One example of great service this time was the concierge worker who helped to make my angel's birthday so memorable this year. I realized the night before her birthday that I didn't have a card for her. I had remembered a few gifts, but didn't have a card. So, I stood in line to ask the front desk if they could help. I asked the friendly girl if she had a card or something I could use as one for my daughter's birthday the next day. She went in the back and after a few minutes came back to ask my room number. I told her and she then said they were taking care of it. I asked if they had a card and she said they would leave one for her in the room the next day. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but thought ok, I can make that work. I was just glad that they were going to save me :) The next day when we returned to our room on her birthday there was a card (a picture of retro Mickey and Minnie in front of our building at Pop) along with a Pop Century bucket filled with little pop culture gifts from the 60's to 90's. It was super cute and way more than I expected. My daughter loved it and I was thrilled. I made sure to tell the manager the next day how much we loved the basket and that is why we choose Pop every time.
Another favorite of mine at Pop Century is the food court. It is huge and has several different bays to choose from which all serve different kinds of food. There is pizza, sandwiches, pastas, even TV dinners (remember the pop theme). I can't imagine someone not being able to find something they like here. They also have some yummy foods at the bakery area that you can get as a dessert (tie dye cheesecake is yummy) and an ice cream area as well that allows you to get huge sundaes or hand spun milkshakes for a dessert or snack as well. There are so many options and I love to eat here. They used to offer frozen cokes and icee's in the drink stations which was a wonderful treat after a hot day in the park, but sadly they replaced them a few years ago for tea. I am hoping they will bring that back one day!!!!
Another bonus for Pop is the bus service. They have their own dedicated buses that take you straight to the parks. Also, they only have one bus stop at the resort so you don't have to waste precious park time riding around to multiple stops inside of the resort like many of the moderate resorts do. The other value resorts (All Star Sports, Music, and Movies) share buses going to the parks. This can be particularly annoying in the morning, especially if you are staying at Movies. The buses pick up at Sports first, then Music, and if there is any room left, they go to Movies. As you can imagine, it can take several buses before they realize that the line is half a mile long and send an empty bus to get the Movie guests. At night, each hotel does have their own dedicated bus, but they really need it in the morning as well. Pop Century doesn't have that problem. Since it doesn't share with anyone, once you get on the bus, you don't have to stop anywhere except the park or Pop. The only problem is that the bus stop is almost always at the very end of the row at each park, so you have to walk a little farther then some of the other resorts. To me, that is a small inconvenience and I would rather walk a few more steps than make a few more stops.
One final favorite thing about Pop is the pools. We love the main pool which is shaped like a flower with several flower fountains spraying into it around the sides. There are also two other small pools at the resort. We haven't been in the computer pool, but since we were in the 50's building this trip we spent most of our time in the bowling pin pool this time and really enjoyed it as well. One more bonus is that thereare two fun areas for little ones to play in as well. There is a set of goofy pop up fountains that spray intermittently that are fun to play in and the kiddie pool has some big fountains inside of it as well. My daughter loves playing in these, and they are great for those nights I just don't feel like getting in the pool with her, but she insists on swimming. A win win for both of us.
So, if you are considering staying in a Value resort, I would highly recommend Pop Century. For all of the reasons mentioned above, plus comfortable, very clean rooms, you can't get a better value for your money and still be on Disney property.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Bibbity Bobbity Boutique
We are fresh off of our latest trip to the World and I have lots of posts running through my head, but since I am still trying to get my head above water I am sticking to an easy subject for now. We tried a few new things this trip and I will review those later, but for now I will stick to describing the experience that my little Princess had at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (BBB).
First, let me say that I have been wanting my daughter to do this for the last few trips, but she always adamantly said no. She is not one who likes to be the center of attention and does not like anyone making a big deal out of anything she does. She gets easily embarrassed and does not like to do anything "different". These characteristics are what has kept her from agreeing to the makeover in the past. So, needless to say, when I asked her this year when we first started planning this trip if she wanted to do the BBB, I was shocked when she very enthusiastically said yes. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I started working in my head how we would pay for it :) Since we were going to be there (as usual) over her birthday, her Dad and I agreed that we would allow her to do the biggest package they have as part of her gift if that is what she wanted. When we offered it to her, she jumped on it and grinned from ear to ear. That right then is when the magic started for me. So, when the 180 day mark came, I called and made a reservation for her in the castle. For the next six months I heard many details about which Princess she was going to become.
Fast forward 180 days and the magic jumped to a million different levels. Her reservation time was 1:00 and several times that morning she brought up to me that she was going to do the BBB that day. My baby girl was excited (and I must admit so was Mommy). So, when the time came, we walked into the castle ready to be transformed. We signed in and then went to the wardrobe to pick out her royal dress. After a little discussion she (we) decided to be Belle over Jasmine. She really liked the long gloves that you could add to the dress and they were out of the wand that went along with the Jasmine dress (and Mommy was a little concerned over the belly being shown with the Jasmine outfit). So, she let them know her decision and she went to the changing area. They said the magic words (Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo) and her royal costume was magically waiting in the changing room for her. Once she was dressed in her gown and shoes, she waited for her turn in the chair. Her wonderful Fairy Godmother in training did a great job of giving her the royal princess hair do and putting on her makeup and nail polish. While all of this was being done she was kept facing away from the mirror until they sprinkled the magic dust in her hair and they did the big reveal. She was then grinning from ear to ear when she saw her reflection. She was thrilled and so was I. It was worth every penny (though Daddy joked that it was the Second Mortgage Package).
Once she was transformed, she left the castle and headed over to a nearby shop to have her picture taken. The photopass photographer was great. He showed her how to hold her dress like a true Princess and put her in some really sweet poses. So after her "photo shoot" we picked out our favorite three shots and took home her "portfolio". The photographer also suggested that we head to Toontown to meet the princesses and have them sign her portfolio. So, off we went through the park and I have to admit it was precious. She was holding her dress high to keep it off the ground and grinning from ear to ear through the whole walk. Then we met the Princesses and they were wonderful. They made such a big deal out of how pretty she was and Belle really got into it asking her if she had gotten into her closet that morning and borrowed her clothes. My daughter's face had to hurt from all of the smiling she did :)
The whole rest of the day she enjoyed all of the compliments she received from both employees and guests. Later, we went to the Grand Floridian resort and ate dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella and Prince Charming. It was so much fun to see her walking so proud in her beautiful dress. It was a wonderful backdrop for all of the pictures we took! This was a wonderful way to end such a magical day for my Princess. That night she went to sleep with a smile on her face. Again, it was worth every penny.
When she woke up the next day her hair was still mostly in place. It was starting to fall a little, but we were at Downtown Disney and one of the workers at the BBB location there fixed it a little and helped to make it last one more day. Since she still looked so cute, it was easy for her to talk Daddy into splitting the cost of the Jasmine costume and she was a Princess once again. So, for the price, plus a little more for a second costume, we got two days out of our investment. If I would have known this, I would have packed one of her costumes from home to wear day 2 and saved the extra purchase :)
So, would I do it again? If she really really wanted to I would let her do the hair and makeup portion and I would take my own costume from home. It was definitely worth doing the whole package once, but I think the same effect can be done with only doing the hair portion. The workers were wonderful in every aspect from check in, to hair, to pictures at the end. They made a wonderful memory for my daughter that I don't think she will ever forget. I also think she was at the perfect age to do this. I would think age 4-9 are probably the perfect ages. I say this only because if you are paying this much you want them to remember it, and much older than 8 or 9 they are probably going to think that they are too cool for Princesses. I believe that if your daughter is asking for it and you can swing the cost, you should definitely do it. They are only young once and "next time" they may be too old to get the magic out of this experience. Who knows when they will be "too cool to do something so silly?"
First, let me say that I have been wanting my daughter to do this for the last few trips, but she always adamantly said no. She is not one who likes to be the center of attention and does not like anyone making a big deal out of anything she does. She gets easily embarrassed and does not like to do anything "different". These characteristics are what has kept her from agreeing to the makeover in the past. So, needless to say, when I asked her this year when we first started planning this trip if she wanted to do the BBB, I was shocked when she very enthusiastically said yes. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I started working in my head how we would pay for it :) Since we were going to be there (as usual) over her birthday, her Dad and I agreed that we would allow her to do the biggest package they have as part of her gift if that is what she wanted. When we offered it to her, she jumped on it and grinned from ear to ear. That right then is when the magic started for me. So, when the 180 day mark came, I called and made a reservation for her in the castle. For the next six months I heard many details about which Princess she was going to become.
Fast forward 180 days and the magic jumped to a million different levels. Her reservation time was 1:00 and several times that morning she brought up to me that she was going to do the BBB that day. My baby girl was excited (and I must admit so was Mommy). So, when the time came, we walked into the castle ready to be transformed. We signed in and then went to the wardrobe to pick out her royal dress. After a little discussion she (we) decided to be Belle over Jasmine. She really liked the long gloves that you could add to the dress and they were out of the wand that went along with the Jasmine dress (and Mommy was a little concerned over the belly being shown with the Jasmine outfit). So, she let them know her decision and she went to the changing area. They said the magic words (Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo) and her royal costume was magically waiting in the changing room for her. Once she was dressed in her gown and shoes, she waited for her turn in the chair. Her wonderful Fairy Godmother in training did a great job of giving her the royal princess hair do and putting on her makeup and nail polish. While all of this was being done she was kept facing away from the mirror until they sprinkled the magic dust in her hair and they did the big reveal. She was then grinning from ear to ear when she saw her reflection. She was thrilled and so was I. It was worth every penny (though Daddy joked that it was the Second Mortgage Package).
Once she was transformed, she left the castle and headed over to a nearby shop to have her picture taken. The photopass photographer was great. He showed her how to hold her dress like a true Princess and put her in some really sweet poses. So after her "photo shoot" we picked out our favorite three shots and took home her "portfolio". The photographer also suggested that we head to Toontown to meet the princesses and have them sign her portfolio. So, off we went through the park and I have to admit it was precious. She was holding her dress high to keep it off the ground and grinning from ear to ear through the whole walk. Then we met the Princesses and they were wonderful. They made such a big deal out of how pretty she was and Belle really got into it asking her if she had gotten into her closet that morning and borrowed her clothes. My daughter's face had to hurt from all of the smiling she did :)
The whole rest of the day she enjoyed all of the compliments she received from both employees and guests. Later, we went to the Grand Floridian resort and ate dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella and Prince Charming. It was so much fun to see her walking so proud in her beautiful dress. It was a wonderful backdrop for all of the pictures we took! This was a wonderful way to end such a magical day for my Princess. That night she went to sleep with a smile on her face. Again, it was worth every penny.
When she woke up the next day her hair was still mostly in place. It was starting to fall a little, but we were at Downtown Disney and one of the workers at the BBB location there fixed it a little and helped to make it last one more day. Since she still looked so cute, it was easy for her to talk Daddy into splitting the cost of the Jasmine costume and she was a Princess once again. So, for the price, plus a little more for a second costume, we got two days out of our investment. If I would have known this, I would have packed one of her costumes from home to wear day 2 and saved the extra purchase :)
So, would I do it again? If she really really wanted to I would let her do the hair and makeup portion and I would take my own costume from home. It was definitely worth doing the whole package once, but I think the same effect can be done with only doing the hair portion. The workers were wonderful in every aspect from check in, to hair, to pictures at the end. They made a wonderful memory for my daughter that I don't think she will ever forget. I also think she was at the perfect age to do this. I would think age 4-9 are probably the perfect ages. I say this only because if you are paying this much you want them to remember it, and much older than 8 or 9 they are probably going to think that they are too cool for Princesses. I believe that if your daughter is asking for it and you can swing the cost, you should definitely do it. They are only young once and "next time" they may be too old to get the magic out of this experience. Who knows when they will be "too cool to do something so silly?"
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