Not on Vacation

Well as another week starts I'm reminded how I'm not on vacation.  So I guess I have to vacation in my mind through memories.  This time last year we were at Riverside celebrating my son's 16th birthday!  We had a yummy character breakfast at 1900 Pake Fair, spent a wonderful day at the hotel swimming,  followed by dinner at Trail's End resturant and rides and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.  The day could not have been more perfect. 

Disney On My Mind

Here are the 5 Disney thoughts on my mind today...



 1.  Walking down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom.  I love this!  The excitement of the day, the music, the shopping, the Castle.




2.  Port Orleans French Quarter.  This is one of my favorite hotels at Disney World.

Source http://www.familyvacationcritic.com/disneys-port-orleans-resort-french-quarter/htl/

3.  Free Dinning.  I love when Disney offers free dinning.  It is like a free pass to eat dessert every meal!

4.  Back to school means smaller crowds at the parks.  Woo Hoo.

5.  Of course Mickey Mouse.  Gotta love him!



Source http://leasmousecapades.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/my-favorite-disney-characters-3/



End of July

As July comes to a end I'm sad to report that I do not have a disney vacation booked.  This time last year we had a vacation package to Riverside with free dinning and $49 each way airfare.  I will not give up hope.  As my family and friends know I check prices almost every day.  So if there is a deal out there I will find it.  Maybe a Christmas vacation?

Waiting.....

http://orlandoinside.com/walt-disney-world-fourth-of-july-2011-events-fireworks/

This is the time of year I start planning my next Disney vacation.  Ok truth is I never stop planning.  I'm always on the look out for cheap room rates, cheap airfare or free dinning.  I can usually get the best airfare sales at the end of July and last year we were able to get free dinning for our fall trip.  After this 4th of July weekend it reminds me that I have never experienced this holiday at Disney World.  That makes me a little sad.  I love fireworks and can only imagine what kind of display they put on. Our family has never traveled during the busy summer months.  July and August has never really appealed to us.  Crowded parks, unpredictable weather and extremly hot temperatures have always kept us home.  If I'm lucky this July will pay off and I will have a vacation planned by the end of the month.  I will keep you updated.

Today June 1st in Disney History



http://www.floridavacationblog.com/images/disney-typhoon-lagoon-aerial.jpg


This day in Disney history ...Typhoon Lagoon opened in 1989!  This is my favorite waterpark.  There is a wave pool with 6 foot waves and it is the size of 2 football fields.  There are 9 waterslides and a lazy river.
A Typhoon Lagoon one day ticket is
$46.00 (Ages 10 and over)
$40.00 (Ages 3-9).

Royal Rooms

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Resorts/Disneys-Port-Orleans-Riverside/News/26Apr2011-512-rooms-at-Port-Orleans-Riverside-to-be-converted-to-storybook-princess-'Royal-Rooms'.htm

As you may remember, I just returned from a trip to Port Orleans Riverside in September 2010.  I'm very excited to see the plans for the new rooms.  I love the charm of the plantation mansion rooms they have now, but as a girl I can't help but be excited about staying in a princess room.  As with any upgrade, these rooms will come with a higher price.  They are converting 512 rooms and are expected to be done in Spring 2012.

Dream with me

Source: http://www.findercreations.us/randomthoughts/archives/cat_travel.html

My dream vacation.  If I'm lucky, I will come into some money and book this vacation ASAP.  But for now I'm just dreaming.

Below is our offer for your vacation at Walt Disney World® Resort. You may edit or save the offer, or book this offer now!

Package Offer

Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort

Check In

May 14, 2011

Check Out

May 22, 2011

Staying for

8 nights, 9 days

Adults

2

Children

2

Room Type:

Courtyard View - Bunk Bed

Tickets

9-Day Magic Your Way Ticket with Water Park Fun & More*

Package

Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining

Price Summary

Total

$4,995.02

Insurance

$133.90

---

Grand Total (includes tax)

$5,128.92

Deposit (USD)

$5,128.92   YIKES!!!

This Day in Disney History

Source: http://www.swotti.com/others/expedition-everest_30921/last.htm

I just found out that on this day April 7 of 2006 Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom officially opened.  Now for those of you that are not familiar with the rides at Animal Kingdom, it is a fantastic roller coaster.  My family and I first noticed the ride being built in November 2005.  We were very excited to try Disney Worlds latest attraction.  In May 2007 we were able to ride it for the first time.  In typical Disney fashion they transport you to the Himalayan Mountains were you are warned that the possibility of seeing a Yeti is very high.  The coaster takes you up 200 feet , then races you down the mountain, stops you suddenly where the tracks are broken and then races down again backwards.  The highlight of this ride is the huge Yeti that is hanging from the rocks ready to grab you.  I'm not much of a roller coaster person, but I do enjoy this ride.

Spring Cleaning

This week is spring break for my children.  Instead of spending this week in Disney World, we are staying home.  Some much needed plumbing repairs, my work schedule and baseball have keep this family home again this year.  So I was thinking, why not do some spring cleaning during spring break?  We started this adventure by cleaning out my youngest son's bedroom/toy room.  The plan is to clean everything from the carpet to the windows to organize and get rid of or donate old toys. We then plan on redecorating and buying a new bed and chair.  While digging through old toys we found this, a overpriced Disney souvenir from our last vacation.  A spray bottle and fan all in one!  Now don't get me wrong, when it is hot and humid at the parks it is quite refreshing to spray yourself and cool down with the fan.  The problem is the price of this souvenir and the pain it is to carry it from ride to ride.  They average around $20 and I think most people probably just through them away when the vacation is over.  To be honest I was surprised that we still had it and that it still worked.  I doubt it will still be in working condition for our next vacation but for now it is in the keep pile.

New Posts

Sorry I'm behind.  New posts coming soon.

A few of my favorite things

I start my mornings off every day with 3 of my favorite things.  First and most important is my huge Mickey Mouse coffee mug.  I bought this as a souvenir on my trip to Disney World in January 2010.  It has been one of the best purchases I have ever made.  On our recent trip in September I attempted to buy a second Mickey Mouse mug, but could not find one and ran out of time.  I had to settle for a green Goofy mug instead.  My next 2 favorite things go hand in hand.  It is my Keurig coffee maker and my Caribou coffee K-cups.  I love this coffee maker.  I don't like to make coffee at home, so I would go every morning to buy coffee.  Then my husband bought me this coffee maker for my birthday and now I can't live without it.  My favorite brand of coffee right now is the Caribou blend K-cups.  It is a medium roast and it's so good.  These 3 things make my mornings manageable.

Look what came in the mail today!

I love getting things from Disney World in the mail.  It makes my day.  Today I got this (see above), another free dining plan offer for travel dates 4/23-8/13/11.  When it come in the mail it is personalized with a little note to make you feel special.  This offer says "insert my name here" Family, Mind if we share some Disney dining deals with you.  Of course I removed our last name for privacy but you get the idea.  I love this.  I honestly want to book a vacation as soon as I see it.  I know crazy, but reality does set in and I realize that its not possible at this time.  It does make me wonder.  Why am I receiving all of these offers?  This would make my 4th or 5th offer since January.  The dates available even extend to peak summer dates.  This is normally their busiest time, so this is a little surprising.  I guess Disney World is expecting attendance to be down and are trying to encourage visitors.

Sometimes you get sick

Photo courtesy of https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHy_GDC60X1k2rLzCd1in94fUVDm4yl7OpPV9RoF5PEgb0Q4UVlGodp-3qP8fbLEkgW2c5SatpXGM5V_TRfN9PqM8s2hJzEvlC5gMUwSCzDaZl7KnojXKW65pR0D_XRAHxf_KcEpTyyJi/s1600/DSC_0161.jpg

After a long weekend of taking care of my poor little sick boy, it got me thinking.  Does anyone get sick at Disney World?  The answer of course is yes.  Surprisingly it has only happened on two occasions to my family.  My oldest son had a reaction to his medication that caused a severe rash one year.  Another year my younger son came down with a fever on the last evening of our vacation, this could have been a problem but I gave him some ibuprofen and we went home.  Both were not considered a medical emergency, so it did not warrant a visit to the First Aid facilities.  Disney World has First Aid facilities at all of their parks.  They are staffed by a registered nurse and are equipped to deal with all kids of medical emergencies. Knowing where these facilities are located can make your vacation peaceful.

Disney 3/11/2011

Once again the weather in Ohio is unbearable.  If I could travel to Disney World in the month of March, I would skip the traditional Spring Break weeks and I would have gone this weekend.  So of course this has me day dreaming again.  Searching the web for airfare deals and checking all the Disney websites I like to use.  Sites like http://www.mousesavers.com/, http://touringplans.com/ , http://allears.net/index.html and the most important http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/.  While searching touringplans.com, their "current lines" wait time ticker caught my eye.  I was shocked to see that the wait times in the middle of the day, on a Friday in March were amazing.  There is only a 10 minute wait for most rides.  Now anyone who has been to Disney knows that a 10 minute wait is nothing and usually means you are walking right on to that ride.  This is proof that I should be on a plane headed to Orlando right now for an early Spring Break.

Port Orleans Riverside

In honor of Mardi Gras 2011, I thought we would talk about Port Orleans Riverside a Disney resort that transports visitors to New Orleans.  I have stayed at this resort on two seperate occasions.  My latest stay was in September 2010.  This is one of my favorite moderate resorts.   It has a southern plantation feel with guest rooms housed in Mansion style buildings or more rustic wood Bayou buildings.  I love the elegant feel of this resort and the landscaping.  There is a beautiful river that flows through the property. 

The pool area is called Ol' Man Island.  It is huge with a pool, whirlpool, slide and playground.  Usually on our Disney trips we do not spend much time swimming and more time at the parks, but it is nice to have all of this available.  You can also rent fishing equipment, bikes and boats from the recreation center marina.  It always seems there is not enough time to do all that Disney World offers.

It must be Monday because I'm thinking about food

I spend most of my Monday's thinking about food.  It's my own fault, when I diet all week and then splurge on the weekend what else would I think about.  This brings me to my topic of the day.  This is one of my favorite foods at Disney World.  The MAGIC COOKIE BAR.  If you have tried the Disney's version of this bar you know what I mean.  I first tried it as part of the dinning plan.  As part of your quick service meal you're entitled to a dessert and if you are lucky this is a option at your resort.  The portion they give you is huge (a plus to any dessert).  It is very sweet, gooey, and chocolaty.  After my recent trip to Disney in September, I attempted to recreate these bars during the holidays for my family.  I searched the web for the recipe and found one claiming to be the closest to the actual Disney recipe.  Unfortunately they did not measure up.  Don't get me wrong they were good but, maybe they are called magic bars because part of what makes them sooooo good is being part of the magic at Disney World. 

I'm Dreaming of a Warm Vacation

Ohio weather!  This is what it looks like when I look out my windows.  Today in our great state of Ohio the weather could not be more gloomy, cold and wet.  The forecast for today...rain, rain and more rain with highs in the low 40's.  Could you blame me for dreaming of a warm vacation?  Right now in Disney World it is partly cloudy and 70.  Now I know the weather in Disney World is not always sunny and 70.  I have traveled to Disney World dozens of times during all times of the year.  We have been to Disney during the hot humid summer months, the warm and pleasent fall months and sometimes the cold winter months.  When it has been so hot all you want to do is swim and when it has been so cold we had to buy gloves and hats just to stay warm.  My favorite season has to be late spring and early fall.  The months of May and September are great.  Low crowds and warm weather are a wonderful combination.

Welcome to my blog

First let me start by saying I Love Disney World.  There is not a day that goes by that I'm not thinking about my next visit.  Which is hard, because I live in Ohio so pretty much every day I want to get away?  It has been especially hard lately because I have been receiving discount offers in my email from Disney World for spring and summer dates.  I have been very lucky to receive a discounted room rate offer and a free dinning offer!  I have used both in the past.  On our last trip we took advantage of the free dinning that was offered last summer.  What a deal.  I love being on vacation and feeling like you can splurge and order the most expensive item on the menu. 
Of course if you are on a budget and the package price is too expensive then discounted room only reservations are the way to go.  We have taken advantage of these too.  My family has used discounted offers on rooms at the All Star Resorts and Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter.  I hope in the near future to put these discounts to use on our next vacation at a deluxe resort.  They can make a great vacation even more magical.