Disney Quiz--Is YOUR Family Totally Disney-fied?

Our family was “Disney-fied” from the get-go. When my husband and I were dating, one of my first gifts to him was the video of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too! Back in the 80's it was an odd gift for a male college student...but perfect for my Tigger-loving guy. We watched the tape over and over with my nieces and could pretty much quote the entire show. We also used our nieces as reasons to go to Disney movies as pre-Pixar, it didn’t seem too cool for 20-somethings to go alone.

Naturally, when we got married, we honeymooned at Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, it was before destination weddings were a big thing so being a Disney bride wasn’t an option. However, we did meet and have our picture taken with Mickey Mouse after standing in line with a couple dozen kids to commemorate the occasion.

As Disney-fied parents, we let Mickey help teach our boys to read using our collection of Disney’s Sing-A-Long Song videos as well as reading from our library of Disney Classics. Dumbo was a favorite of my oldest son and from 9 months old he would sit on my lap as I read about Casey Junior, Dumbo and Timothy the Mouse.

So is YOUR family Disney-fied?

Wondering how Disney-fied your family is? Take this quick quiz

1. Do all your holiday decorations have a Disney theme?
2. Do Disney Movie Quotes Pop into your head constantly?
3. Can you name the Seven Dwarfs? Have you met them?
4. Is Disneyworld the only place your family wants to vacation?
5. Do you point out hidden Mickeys wherever you go?
6. When you say goodbye to someone, do you wish them a Magical Day?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, your family has also been immersed in the culture and magic of Disney. You are as Disney-fied as we are!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Can't Miss DisneyWorld Family Favorite Restaurants (And a Few to Skip Next Trip!)

We are well into the midst of planning for our seventh family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and of course that means making reservations for our favorite, can't miss WDW restaurants. After reviewing my earlier Can't Miss Disneyworld Restaurant article, I knew it was time for an update.


As noted in previous posts, we are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan. Often we upgrade to the Deluxe Dining Plan so we have three meal credits every day. This way we can go to the Aloha show AND Hoop De Doo without having to choose between the ribs and the pineapple bread. It is perfect because we don’t have to worry about the bill no matter which restaurant or menu items we select. If someone, or everyone, chooses to eat steak at Le Cellier, we don’t have to be concerned about living on bologna sandwiches and chips for the rest of our vacation
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At Disney World there are lots of great places to eat but only a few make our family's "must go to" list year after year. Here are the ones that make the cut and a few that didn't measure up.

Our Family's THREE Can’t Miss Disneyworld Restaurants:

1. Teppan Edo/Japan Pavilion Epcot (Entertaining Chef and AWESOME food!)
2. The Garden Grill/Epcot (The catfish is great and the characters make it FUN!)
3. 50’s Prime Time Café/Hollywood Studios (Great food but clean your plate or it could be fed to you!)
   
4. Aloha Dinner Show/Polynesian Resort (Fire dancers are astounding and the pineapple bread was a treat!)

Also worth noting:

• Hoop de doo Revue/Fort Wilderness Campground (Great food and awesome show!)
• Tony's Town Square/Magic Kingdom (Best Italian food at WDW!)

• Le Cellier/Epcot (Great place to have lunch but not worth 2 dinner credits in our book. We love the moose mousse dessert!)

Skipping next trip:

1. Chef Mickey’s/Contemporary Resort (Fun for kids, but our family remains unimpressed with the food and atmosphere.)
   
2. Mama Melrose’s/Hollywood Studios (Service and food were just okay...worth going if you get Fantasmic Priority seats.)
   
3. Tusker House/Animal Kingdom (We used to love this buffet for breakfast but found that the Cape May buffet at the Beach Club Resort was MUCH better!)

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)--Animal Kingdom Bats are Not So Scary AND Not to be MISSED Either!

We have been to Walt Disney World many times and our most favorite time to go is October. We love the Not So Scary Halloween party and cooler fall temperatures....At least it is cooler than the heat of the summer season!

But whenever we vacation at Disney World in Orlando, FL we visit all four parks and Downtown Disney too! Animal Kingdom often gets a bad rap as the "boring" park because it has more things to see than things to ride. If you are only going for the thrill rides, you'd better have a park hopper pass so you can head somewhere else after enjoying Exhibition Everest, Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids. However, if you have a family that really enjoys exploring and loves animals, plan on spending the entire day.

The photo above is a perfect "not so scary" image from Animal Kingdom. These huge bats reminded us of the much loved picture book, Stellaluna, the story of a fruit bat raised by birds. Seeing the giant fruit bats is only one of the many hidden treasures to put on your MUST DO LIST when you visit the Animal Kingdom park in Walt Disney World. It is amazing what you will see when you take the time to explore all of the trails!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Making the First Day at Walt Disney World Magical!

Whether you are planning a weekend trip or 2 week adventure, the first day at Walt Disney World is an exciting time. For some first time visitors, it can be overwhelming. There are literally thousands of things to do! If you are on a park hopper pass and staying at a WDW hotel, there could be Extra Magic Hours. If you have the dining plan, maybe a character dinner could get the vacation started on a high note. If you had a long day traveling, maybe a night by the pool is the perfect way to rest up for an early start the next day. There is no one perfect way to start a Disney vacation. But here are a few of my families favorite options:

BEST FIRST DAY at Walt Disney World FUN!

1. Character Dinner at Garden Grill. We don't understand why this character dining experience is rated lower than others. It is our my family's "Can't Miss" list!


2. Disney Quest When my boys were pre-teens this was our first stop. Fun interactive activities for the whole family.


3. Pin Trading at Downtown Disney. This gets everyone into the Disney spirit without going to a park.


4. Ordering Pizza by the Pool. We stay onsite at a WDW hotel where all the pools are pretty unique. This is a low stress way to get started on the vacation after a day of airport and shuttle drama.


5. Extra Magic Hours. We always check the disney website prior to the trip to see if any parks will be open late. Our park hopper passes and onsite hotels mean we can spend a fun evening at the parks as long as we have the energy!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Speechless Sunday (Almost)--Not So Scary is Great Family FUN for ALL Ages!

In our opinion, one of the best times to visit Disneyworld is in October. Not only has the temperatures cooled a bit from Orlando's warm humid summer heat, hurricane season is in it's final stages. But the real reason we love to go in October is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It really is fun for all ages! My kids are now in their late teens and a bit to old to dress up and trick-or-treat in our neighborhood but not at the WDW Halloween party. We love that most of our favorite rides are open and the lines are very short. Even though we always stay on site with a 7 or 10 day park hopper pass, we pay the extra for this hard-ticket event. It is well worth it for the parade, fun and fireworks. If your family is planning a visit to Walt Disney World in the fall, The Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party should be on your MUST-DO list!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Hunting Hidden Mickeys at Walt Disney World

Mickey Mouse is not too hard to find in Walt Disney World. Throughout the Orlando, Florida theme park there are obvious and not so obvious replicas of the famous cartoon mouse. My family enjoys finding and photographing the not-so-easy-to-see "Hidden Mickey's". It is a great FREE way to pass the time at the parks...and always exciting when someone spots a new one.

This one was spotted on the Backlot Tour of Hollywood Studios. It was fun to capture the image during the water affect, which is a high point of the tour.

This is a great activity for young and old whether it is your first visit to the world or 100th! Searching for Hidden Mickey's never gets boring. I will share other fun finds from other parks in future posts. Keep on the look out...hidden Mickey's are rumored to be everywhere in WDW!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales