The Disney College Blog

Review: La Cantina de San Angel

2011-07-18T22:04:00.000-04:00

For those of you who aren't aware, I loooove Mexican food (also, I'm still alive! sorry for taking so long between posts!). So naturally, I had to try the (then relatively) new Cantina de San Angel on my birthday back in January. Full disclaimer: I had never been to the old Cantina, though I had been to the San Angel Inn.

We were on the dining plan, so James and I both were able to order one entree, one non-alcoholic beverage, and one dessert each. We both ordered the Tacos de Carne and a soda, but James ordered the lemon Paleta for dessert. I had the churros con cajeta, of course. Claro que si. (Okay, I'll try not to get all Espanol on you guys.) We ate lunch around 11:30, and it wasn't too busy. There was only one family in front of us on line, and soon we were ordered and scanned through and waiting for our food.

I grabbed a table, while James waited for our food. In a few minutes, we were reunited, and I went to get some utensils and salsa. For those who haven't been, La Cantina has salsa dispensers like most restaurants have ketchup dispensers. There were two types, and I took a little cup of both back to the table. The Tacos de Carne weren't quite what I expected, but they were quite good! I think I was expecting Chipotle or Taco Bell style steak chunks, but this was more of a shredded beef. Plus the tortillas it came on were soft and delicious! Add the pico de gallo and some of the salsa we got from the dispenser, and it was delicioso!

Now as I said, James and I got different desserts, and I think we had different satisfaction levels. James isn't big into churros, so he got the lemon paleta. It was basically a lemon popsicle from Mexico, and he didn't think it was anything special. I, on the other hand, loved my churros! They came with cajeta, which is caramel sauce. I love churros period, but add more sugary goodness, and I was in heaven!

Overall, I really liked La Cantina, and I would love to return. But as far as I saw, all the seating was outdoors. This was not a problem in January, but it may be one in August. This is a favorable maybe for our upcoming trip!

Have you been to La Cantina since it was refurbished? What did you think? What did you order? Let me know your thoughts on this restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted), or on Facebook!

All Star Music vs. Pop Century: Help Us Decide!

2011-07-06T17:57:00.000-04:00

I feel like I need to preface this blog post with a very important fact: I love All Star Music. Love it. LOVE it. I've stayed there four times, and I even chose it over Port Orleans French Quarter. So ponder that before you read on and give your opinion.

I love All Star Music, and everyone else loves Pop. It has made me want to try Pop, so I tried to book Pop way back when there was a room only discount that had just come out. Pop wasn't available, so we booked All Star Music. Maybe that was a sign not to stay at Pop. Anyway, fast forward a few weeks, and annual pass discounts are available for our August trip. I am now reconsidering switching to Pop, if we do get annual passes.

Before you tell me which resort you think James and I should stay at, here's a list of things that worry me about Pop:

1. Buses. Please don't tell me that the All Stars share buses. We were on a shared bus maybe 10% of the time. I'm concerned about the bus service at Pop because the resort is much bigger than All Star Music. Which means more people. Which means more crowded buses and longer lines. The line for Pop always seems longer than the line for All Star Music.

2. Sound proofing. Pop supposedly has the worst sound proofing of all the resorts. All Star Music is very well soundproofed. I'm nervous about being woken up by noisy kids in the middle of the night.

3. Unofficial Guide ratings. The fact that I take every word written in the Unofficial Guide as un-debatable fact is one of the reasons I signed up to be a TouringPlans.com affiliate (see banner in sidebar). That said, 100% of All Star Music visitors said they would return to that resort, but only 93% of the Pop Century visitors said the same. If you don't think 7% seems like a lot, multiply that by the total number of people that stay at Pop every year. (Also note that 80% of All Star Music visitors would recommend the resort to a friend, but only 70% of Pop Century visitors said the same.)

4. Fellow All Star Music lovers. Pop lovers swear that I will like it, but many fellow All Star lovers say that they didn't like Pop as much as Music. Some even said they couldn't wait to get back to Music. Some cite the things I listed above, plus things like the scenery: Pop is all plastic, while the All Stars have a lot of trees and landscaping.

So that's that. On one hand, I want to try something new. On the other hand, All Star Music signifies Disney for me, and I kind of want to go there forever (until I can afford a deluxe). So what's your opinion on the great debate? Should I stay at All Star Music or Pop Century? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: Victoria Gardens

2011-06-21T21:59:00.002-04:00

Studios Thrill Rides... For Wimps?

2011-06-17T00:04:00.000-04:00

Photo from James

As I'm sure you all know, I'm a ride wimp. I'm afraid of many of the rides that people adore at Walt Disney World. The Studios (it's International Hollywood Studios Awareness week, remember?) has two of the scariest thrill rides of all, but my fellow ride wimps may not know that they can get a thrill ride experience while always being safely attached to the ground. Have you ever heard of a chicken exit?

The lovely Cheryl loves the Studios, and back in January, she was very displeased with the fact that I had never seen the Tower of Terror queue. We decided that we needed to change that, so we headed right over to the Hollywood Tower Hotel. We took the Fastpass entrance, so I can't say anything about the standby queue. Before we knew it, we were in the hotel, and we were watching the pre-show. You see, at Tower of Terror, the chicken elevator separates from the ride elevators right when they're loading people into the ride. That means that the chickens and the riders can see all the other parts of the queue and pre-show together before splitting up. So after the queue and pre-show, we were in the final part of the queue. I kept second guessing Cheryl, asking her if she's SURE we didn't pass the chicken exit yet. Obviously I was terrified, but Cheryl wasn't tricking me. When the cast member at the loading platform asked how many in our party, we said one rider (James) and two chickens (Cheryl and I). Cheryl and I were directed to stand to the side while they loaded the ride elevator, and soon we were directed to a normal, safe, slow elevator. I knew it was a real one because there were no seatbelts. After a perfectly average ride down on an elevator, we found ourselves at the ride exit to wait for James. A few minutes later, he arrived, and we walked through the gift shop on our way out. It was like James, Cheryl, and I all had the same experience, except only James had the terror part.

A few days later, James' brother and his boyfriend came to hang out with us at Disney, and they decided they wanted to hit the Studios first. We all headed over to Rock 'n Roller Coaster, even though I knew I wouldn't be riding. When we asked how long the single rider line was, the CM told us he couldn't be sure. Just a few minutes later, thanks to my birthday and James' brother's flirting skills, we had achieved four Fastpasses that were good immediately. All I had to do was tell the CM I would ride. And I did tell him that, knowing that I could chicken exit later if I wanted to. At first, I felt brave. I felt like I could do it. Then as we waited, I started to chicken out, and I realized that I really did not want to ride this coaster. Luckily for me, I could experience the queue without riding. And so I did the same as Cheryl had taught us a few days earlier. We walked through the queue, we saw the pre-show, and we entered the loading area. When the cast member asked how many, I told him I would be exiting on foot, not via a scary death coaster (although not in so many words). He directed me to a door on the side of the platform that took me directly to the unloading platform. They're right next to each other, you see. So I got to wait for the others in the gift shop, watching all the ride photos of the people who came off. A few minutes later, we were reunited, and James told me it was a good thing I hadn't ridden. I'm glad I know now that I didn't have to in order to get the full experience.

Did you know that you could experience these queues without riding? Have you ever taken a chicken exit? Did you do it so you could experience the queue or pre-show? On which attraction? Let me know your ride wimp tips in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: #DHSAwareness Week

2011-06-14T23:44:00.002-04:00

Underappreciated Studios Attractions

2011-06-13T00:15:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are unaware, yet another International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week has arrived. You may remember last year, when I wrote about The Great Movie Debate. Well I'm here today to write about two less appreciated Studios attractions, at least by the general public. (Disclaimer: There are not necessarily underappreciated by the Disney community, but they are by the average Disney guest.)

My rendition of Sheriff Woody!

First is the Magic of Disney Animation (all attraction links go to StudiosCentral.com because they have way more Studios information than I do). The "bulk" of this attraction is a short movie, hosted by Mushu, about Disney animation. Though in my opinion, that's my least favorite part of the attraction. After the movie, you are essentially dumped into a big Disney animation advertisement. But in a good way! There's a ton of concept art for Disney's next movie, and you can see all kinds of cool stuff related to the movie. After this, there is an area where you can meet various characters if you choose. Find which characters will be there in your Times Guide. And finally, after meeting (or skipping) the characters, you can choose to exit the attraction via a gift shop or go to the Animation Academy. The Animation Academy is my favorite part of this attraction. As you can see above, I drew Woody! We were the only people in the Academy at the time that had never been, so we got to draw a character that was less common. Even if you're not a good artist, this is a lot of fun. Hands on entertainment in a Disney theme park. Love it! (PS, you have to exit through the gift shop after this too... sorry. It's a cool one though!)

Me at One Man's Dream

Second, but certainly not second in my heart (or the hearts of many other Disney fans), is Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. For those of you who haven't been here in a while, it has recently been refurbished, and it is definitely worth another visit. For those who have never been, this is essentially a chronicle of Walt Disney's life, from birth to after his death. It gives information about everything Walt achieved both for himself and his company, and there are quite a few "artifacts" that he actually used. Ever wanted to see a real desk that Walt sat at? Now you know where to find one! The whole attraction can be skimmed very quickly, but I recommend taking at least 20 minutes to really look at everything. For any diehard Disney fan, this is a must-see if you haven't. At the end, you can choose to see a short film about Walt's life, which I recommend. At the very least, it's a nice place to sit for a bit. Overall, this attraction honors Walt in the best way. It is fantastic.

Do you agree that these attractions should be more appreciated? Have you seen both of them? Which are your favorites? Let me know your thoughts on these attractions in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook. And if you're on Twitter, don't forget to hashtag #DHSAwareness!

Wordless Wednesday: Spaceship Japan

2011-06-08T01:23:00.000-04:00

What's a Fish Extender?

2011-06-06T00:23:00.000-04:00

If you've ever gone on the Disney Cruise Line forums of the DISboards, you may have seen people discussing fish extenders (FEs). But what is a fish extender exactly? To understand this, you have to know what the fish are. You see, on Disney cruise ships, there is a mail holder outside of each door in the shape of a fish, starfish, or seahorse. Somehow the Disney community came up with a thing called fish extenders, which is essentially fabric with pockets on it that you hang from your fish mail holder.

The fish extender I made for our upcoming cruise. It doesn't have the dowel or string on top yet.

You can either make a fish extender (either sew it, or, if you're not a sewer, there are no-sew directions on the DIS that I used) or buy one off eBay or Etsy. Of course first you need to find a FE exchange. Most are found on the DIS, but I know the BOGP forums is having one for their cruise (though signups are over, since their cruise is so soon!), and there are others on other message boards. Since I'm participating in one through the DIS, I know their system best. On there, simply find your cruise's thread and sign up. Someone in the group will have to organize the exchange, and on our cruise, there are so many participants that we're split into two groups of over 25 families each!

Next you buy your gifts. Some people do one gift for each cabin, others for each person in the cabins. Some people hand make special gifts, some buy things from places like Oriental Trading or their local dollar store, some buy things that are specific to where they live, and others give candy. Of course, these are just a few of the options for FE exchanges... the possibilities are as limitless as your budget and your imagination.

Once you're on the cruise, you will be equipped with a list of everyone in your group's staterooms, provided to you by whomever is organizing your exchange. In some cases, everyone's staterooms are listed on a specific page of a message board thread. In others, someone puts together a spreadsheet with everyone's room. Now the gift giving begins! Hang your fish extender on your fish, and you'll be surprised with new gifts every time you return to your room! And you also get to give other people gifts! It's a lot of fun, and it can really make a Disney Cruise extra special. So if you've ever wondered what fish extenders are, now you know!

What do you think of the fish extender idea? Have you ever participated in a fish extender exchange? What did you give, and what did you get? Let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted), or on Facebook!

Review: Earl of Sandwich

2011-06-03T01:00:00.000-04:00

I have finally reached the last dining review of my August 2010 trip! It only took me 10 months! Well I know for most of you, I've saved the best for last because Earl of Sandwich is a big favorite in the Disney community. Knowing how much people rave about it, it was a must-eat on our August trip. We even walked through a terrible rain storm from D-Street just to eat there.

When we arrived, the line was long, but I didn't mind. I needed time to survey my options on the menu. For those of you who aren't aware, Earl of Sandwich is a counter service restaurant in Downtown Disney that sells, well, sandwiches! James decided to order The Original 1762 (roast beef, cheddar cheese, and horseradish sauce), and I went with the Italian (salami, capicola, roasted ham, mortadella, mozzarella cheese, Roma tomato, and Italian dressing). I looked for the brownie frosting sandwich that I had previously seen on the Disney Food Blog, but they didn't seem to have it. Before we knew it, our sandwiches were ready, and we found a seat in the packed dining room.

Have you ever had a pepperoni pinwheel? It's basically dough, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni formed in the shape of a cinnamon roll. That's exactly what my Italian sandwich tasted like. I was thrown for a loop a little bit because I was in the mood for a sandwich, not a pepperoni pinwheel. Overall the sandwich was good, but I was less than enthused since it wasn't what I was looking for. James, on the other hand, really liked his sandwich. I would definitely return to Earl of Sandwich, but probably not for the Italian sandwich. I've come to the realization that I'm not very into hot sandwiches in general, so I'd probably stick to an old classic: the BLT. If you're not into sandwiches either, they also have soups ($2.99) and salads ($5.99). The sandwiches are $5.99 also, though all of these prices are as of the time of this writing.

What is your favorite thing at Earl of Sandwich? Did you think the Italian tasted like a pepperoni pinwheel? Do you make Earl of Sandwich a regular destination on your trips to Walt Disney World? Let me know your thoughts on the restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: The American Adventure, Holiday Style

2011-05-31T23:36:00.000-04:00

Inexpensive Table Service?

2011-05-30T23:49:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't been, Beaches and Cream isn't only fabulous because of its food... it's fabulous because of its prices. How many other table services restaurants have every entree under $15? In fact, the only thing on the menu above $15 is the infamous Kitchen Sink.

Since James and I aren't on free dining, we have to watch what we're spending as far as meals go. Our only "big" meal is going to be La Hacienda de San Angel (and possibly Ohana), and the rest we'd like to watch what we're spending. Our problem is that we're not quite sure which table service restaurants are similar to Beaches and Cream in price. We hope to eat at Beaches and Cream once on our trip, and I know that the Plaza is similar as far as price goes. What other table service restaurants are priced for college students? Is it possible for people to eat table service once a day on a budget? Are there enough restaurants?

I need your help! Let me know about inexpensive table service restaurants in a comment, on Twitter (@amandaenchanted... note the new Twitter handle!), or on Facebook! Thanks in advance for your help, everyone!

Review: ABC Commissary

2011-05-26T01:45:00.000-04:00

Chicken bleu sandwich

Unfortunately, we did not start the dining on our January trip off with a bang. We started it at ABC Commissary because James was really hungry, and it was the closest to where we were. Nothing on the menu interested me in the least, so I went with the "Surf and Turf," which was essentially a cheeseburger with three fried shrimp on top. James had what I believe was the chicken bleu sandwich. I got a side of apple slices, and James got fries. Since we were on the dining plan, our dessert choices were chocolate mousse or strawberry parfait. Of course we went with the mousse. After we ordered, I grabbed a table while James waited for the food.

Surf and turf burger

I did not have high expectations for my meal by any means, so I wasn't surprised that the burger was bland. Obviously no Disney burger can hold a candle to the ones at Pecos Bill's or Beaches and Cream (I don't care what you say... those burgers are different!). I don't eat seafood, so James ate the shrimp off my burger. He loves shrimp, but he didn't like these at all. He said the chicken bleu sandwich was okay. I mostly just ate my apple slices and some of his fries. On the bright side, the chocolate mousse dessert was really good! And later that night, we went to the Magic Kingdom, and I had an ice cream soda for my real dinner!

Chocolate mousse - yum!

Unfortunately, ABC Commissary seemed like another Hollywood Studios counter service miss for us. I wasn't into the menu, so I was stuck with the burger. And James had a decent dinner, but it was nothing special. I'm sure there are people who like ABC Commissary, and when it's hot, it's air conditioned, but I'm not sure we'll be returning any time soon.

What do you think of ABC Commissary? Do you eat there often? What do you usually order? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Walt Disney World vs. Disney Cruise Line: The 2012 Showdown

2011-05-23T01:48:00.000-04:00

Walt Disney World

I have quite the Disney conundrum, and as with most of my Disney conundrums, I'm reaching out to all of my readers for your opinions. But first, some back story.

As you may or may not know, James and I are graduating college in May of next year (which means the title and domain name of this blog may change eventually, but I certainly won't be deserting it). Naturally, as big Disney fans, we want to take a celebratory graduation trip. When Disney Cruise Line came out and said that the Disney Magic would be sailing out of New York, and the maiden New York voyage would be May 25, 2012, I jumped at the chance. I contacted my travel agent to book a cabin for me, and 24 hours later, I had an inside cabin on an 8-night cruise to the Bahamas. Naturally, the deposit I put on the room is refundable until 90 days before the trip... which is a loooong time from now.

However, while planning our August trip (which will be a Disney Cruise/Walt Disney World extravaganza), I've found myself getting more and more obsessed with Walt Disney World. I had temporarily switched into a Disney Cruise obsessed mode, but the WDW side is slowly getting me back. That in addition to talking to Matt Hochberg on episode 14 of Generation Mouse about Star Wars Weekends has got me wanting to go to WDW in May of 2012 instead of doing the cruise. So I need your help to decide what to do. Here are some of my thoughts...

Disney Magic

On the Disney Magic...
- The Disney Magic will be sailing out of New York, which is really convenient since we won't have to fly to get there. It'll just be a short drive from our houses.
- The cruise will be a nice, relaxing trip right after finals and right before (hopefully!) getting into the working world.
- The cruise includes one day at Walt Disney World, with a park hopper. This day would be crazy commando in order to be as productive as possible.
- The cruise includes four sea days, which may become old after a while... we're not really relaxed people who enjoy sitting at the pool all day. Also, I won't be able to drink, since I won't be 21, and supposedly that's a lot of the fun on cruises.
- On the other hand, there's always a ton of stuff to do on cruises, especially on sea days, and in general, they're always really fun. I love going on cruises.
- I have already taken three Disney cruises, and James and I will be taking our first Disney cruise together in August. We've also been on a bunch of other cruises in the past.

On Walt Disney World...
- This trip would fall over Star Wars Weekends, which we have never been to.
- Walt Disney World is really our biggest love, and if we don't do this trip, there will probably be at least a year and a half between WDW trips.
- If we decide to definitely do this trip, we'll be getting annual passes this August... which may possibly lead to even more trips. Also it's just awesome in general.
- I've been to WDW ten times (it will be eleven in August), and James has been four times (five in August).

Most importantly of everything, both trips are roughly the same cost, although the WDW trip may possibly be less if we can get good AP discounts. So what does everyone think? Please let me know any and all thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook. We're really undecided, so we're looking for as many opinions as we can get.

Disney Cruising 101

2011-05-19T02:13:00.000-04:00

You're getting a little piece of history with this one. I took this in 2004.

Some of you may know that I've had some Disney Cruise drama these past few months. My family had booked a cruise, then decided to cancel it, then decided to keep it, then decided to cancel it, etc. Well, I can finally say that our cruise is paid off! I'm going on the Disney Dream in August! Now some of you may never have cruised before, so I'm going to give you some Disney Cruising 101 to help you out if you're interested.

About the Ships: At the time I'm writing this blog post, Disney Cruise Line has three ships. The Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder are the two older, "classic" ships. They are essentially identical in layout. During 2011, the Disney Wonder will be sailing to Alaska and the Pacific Coast in the summer and the Mexican Rivera in the winter; the Magic will be sailing in the Mediterranean in the summer and to the Caribbean in the winter. In 2012, the Wonder will also do one sailing to Hawaii, while the Magic will be departing on cruises to Canada and the Bahamas from New York over the summer and to the Caribbean from Galveston, Texas in the fall.

The Disney Dream is Disney's newest ship in over ten years, and it is significantly more advanced in terms of guest technology. Throughout 2011 and 2012, the Dream will be making 3, 4, and 5-night cruises to the Bahamas. Additionally, in February 2012, the Disney Fantasy will be introduced. This ship will be the Dream's "sister ship," so like the Magic and the Wonder, they will be very similar. The Fantasy will sail 7-night itineraries to the Caribbean during 2012.

I'm used to Walt Disney World. Will I be bored on the ship? No way! In fact, those who have been on Disney Cruises will likely tell you that they didn't have enough time to do everything they wanted! As Disney does best, they have perfected the perfect balance of activities for kids, activities for adults, and activities for families. Kids ages 3-17 have their own, age separated clubs that are open all day and night and free of charge. Many families find that they have to make their kids leave! Adults, on the other hand, have their own pool... no kids allowed. They also have a fitness center, spa, and adults only restaurants and night clubs for their enjoyment. Family time is cool too, as there are two pools families can enjoy, as well as a sports deck, family restaurants (with rotational dining... so cool!), family shows, etc. Whether you want to leave your kid at the club and have some alone time or hang out together all day, there's something for everyone on the Disney ships.

When and how should I book a cruise? The most important Disney Cruise booking tip I can give you is to book at least a year in advance to get the best price. If you have to cancel later, that's fine, and you'll get your deposit back. But you don't want to book three months out like it's Walt Disney World. Your wallet will be hurting if you do.

If you don't have a travel agent, the easiest way to book a Disney Cruise is online at disneycruise.com. If you click "Search for a Cruise" on top and go to "Find a Cruise," you can search for the perfect cruise by many different criteria. My favorite part, when it takes you to the page that shows you how much the cruise costs, it also shows other cruises that fit that criteria in the left bar. You can easily see if changing your cruise dates can save you (or cost you) a lot of money! Now I don't always use a travel agent, but I do recommend always using one for a cruise. Most will give you a complimentary onboard credit for using their services, and who doesn't love free money? Plus they can take care of all the booking, so you don't have to worry about it.

Booking Cruise Activities: Almost everything on the ship is included in your cruise cost, so you don't have to worry about booking extra activities. But if you want to, you can. For example, all the Disney ships have the adults only restaurant Palo, and the Disney Dream and Fantasy will have an additional adults only restaurant called Remy. You have to make reservations for these ahead of time, which you can either do online or on the ship, but they're on a first-come, first-served basis. To book these online, you must be paid in full. If you're a platinum Castaway Club member (you've taken more than 10 Disney cruises), you get to book 120 days in advance. If you're gold (you've taken 5-9 cruises), you get to book 105 days in advance. If you're silver (you've taken 1-4 cruises), you get to book 90 days in advance, and if you've never taken a Disney cruise, you get to book these cruise activities 75 days in advance. It is at this date that you also get to do online check-in if you'd like.

Additional cruise activities that can be booked at the appropriate number of days in advance include spa treatments and shore excursions (or as Disney calls them, Port Adventures). If you plan on booking a Cabana at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, you can do that too. And do you have a child under the age of 4 who isn't potty trained? You can register them for time at the nursery on board (though unlike the other kids clubs, there is a nominal hourly fee for babies).

So sorry if this is super long, or if you're not into cruise stuff. I just thought this would be a nice little intro for people who were interested but didn't know much about it. I've been on three Disney cruises in the past, and I'm so excited to be able to go on the Dream in August! Perhaps I'll do a few more posts on cruising before (and after) we go!

Do you have any cruise questions for me? Ask me in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook, and I'll answer them in a future post!

Wordless Wednesday: Muppets

2011-05-18T01:42:00.000-04:00

Review: Backlot Express

2011-05-09T01:28:00.000-04:00

I have been to Backlot Express twice in the past two years, one of which was with Matt Hochberg of Studios Central. Both times I ordered a cheeseburger, but I don't know if that tells you more about the restaurant or about me...

Now I'm not sure how Matt feels about the restaurant, but I know for James and I, we eat there because it's convenient, not because we're in love with the food. In fact, I've eaten at three counter service restaurants in the Studios, and I'm not in love with any of them, but that's a blog post for another time. Notably important is that Backlot Express is, at least partially, indoors. This is especially good to know when it's the middle of August, and you're deciding between here and Studio Catering Co (not indoors).

As I said, both times I've been here, I've ordered a cheeseburger. I believe James has ordered the same both times. When we went with Matt, he ordered the grilled veggie sandwich. I said it was lame, but honestly, it looked good, sounds pretty good, and I'm pretty sure he thought it was good. This may be the shining star on a menu that's less than creative. The burger was your average burger. It's fine, but it's nothing to write home about. Honestly, I don't have much to say about it. Although I hear it is now topped with avocado, which could make an average burger more interesting.

In August, James and I also got dessert with our meals, since we were on the dining plan. We had a choice between marble cheesecake and strawberry parfait, and we both went with the parfait. It had blueberries on top that looked dried out and not good. The parfait itself was alright, nothing thrilling. Then again, a good counter service dessert is hard to come by at Walt Disney World.

Overall, I think that Backlot Express is average. It's interchangeable as far as the food goes. You certainly don't need to avoid it, but I think you can find something better to eat in the Studios if you're willing to walk a little. Perhaps to Starring Rolls for a big cupcake...

What do you think of Backlot Express? Have you ever visited? Do you visit often? What have you ordered? Let me know your thoughts on this counter service restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Vinylmation: The Learner's Guide

2011-05-06T01:09:00.000-04:00

One of my approximately 20 Vinyls.

You may remember approximately a year ago, when I said I didn't get Vinylmation. And you may remember approximately eight months ago when I said I get it now. Welllll since then I may or may not have accumulated approximately 18 more figures. Approximately. Yes, I am officially obsessed. And since my lovely boyfriend owns over 50 and is the official Vinylmation expert of Generation Mouse, I feel semi-qualified to give you Vinylmation: The Learner's Guide.

What is Vinylmation?
Vinylmation stands for Vinyl, the material the figures are made out of, plus animation, the designs on the figures themselves. All Vinyls are in the shape of Mickey Mouse, and they have various different designs. There are hundreds of different figures, from park inspired to movie inspired to decorative and more. They come in three sizes: 1 1/2 inch, 3 inch, and 9 inch. I own only 3 inch figures, but James owns one 9 inch also. 1 1/2 inch figures (also called Vinylmation Jrs) cost $8.95, 3 inch figures range from $9.95 to $16.95, and 9 inch figures are usually around $39.95. Special edition figures can sometimes be more, and some come in combo packs with figures of more than one size.

But you can't tell what figure you're getting?
Nope, most series come in blind boxes, meaning you don't know what figure you have until you purchase it. You know what series it's from, but you don't know the exact figure. This is what turned me off to Vinylmation in the first place, until I learned about trading. Once you've opened your figure, you can trade with Cast Members all around Walt Disney World until you find the perfect figure for you! Or if you're lucky, you'll get the one you want right out of the box!

So what is a chaser? And what's a variant?
This is best understood if you know how Vinyls are packaged. Each series comes in a case of 24 figures. There are 12 different figures in each series, so there are two of each in the case. EXCEPT, there is three of one figure and only one of another. (So there are two of ten figures, three of one, and one of one. 20+3+1=24) The figure that there is only one of is the same in each case, so it is the rarest figure by approximately 2:1. That figure is the chaser, and you can often find chasers on eBay for quite a bit more than retail. As for a variant, some figures come in more than one version. For example, I have a Pinocchio variant. The "official" figure has donkey ears and a tail, but one figure in every few cases has blue ears and no tail. That's the one I have, and it's rarer than the regular figure. Disney never releases how MUCH rarer though. A variant on a chaser is sometimes called a super chaser. One of the most desired super chasers I've heard of was the Ghost of Obi Wan in the Star Wars series. It was going for several hundred dollars on eBay at one point.

Why do people get so obsessed with collecting Vinyls?
The thrill of the hunt, and the "gotta collect them all" mentality. You won't get it until you buy one. Then you'll be hooked forever.

Where can I buy Vinylmation figures?
Some series are only available in the parks and resorts, some are available online at disneystore.com, and more still are available at your local Disney Store. I'm actually amazed at how many different series my Disney Store has. Definitely great when you need a Vinyl fix but don't live near Walt Disney World or Disneyland. If you're looking for a specific figure and don't mind spending a little more than it's worth, eBay can be a great place to find them, especially if the series isn't in stores anymore.

What is the best figure to start with?
This is really up to your personal preferences. You can see all the different series at Vinylmation.com, and you can decide that way! My first figure was the owl from Cutesters, and my second was the carousel from Park 3. Some other favorites I own are a special New York City one (available only at the Disney Store in Times Square), a Haunted Mansion one, my Pinocchio variant, and a giraffe with a special extendable neck from the Animal Kingdom series!

Do you have any more questions about Vinylmation? If so, leave them in the comments, and if I get a few, I'll do another post answering YOUR questions!

What do you think about Vinylmation? Do you own any figures? How many? If not, why haven't you gotten into it? Let me know your thoughts on this relatively new collectible phenomenon in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook! And don't forget to leave any questions for me to answer in a future post!

Wordless Wednesday: La Cantina

2011-05-04T00:52:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday: Hollywoodland

2011-04-27T00:06:00.000-04:00

Review: Captain Cook's

2011-04-25T00:17:00.002-04:00

Whee, bad cell phone pic

Being an avid listener of the Be Our Guest Podcast, when Rikki suggested Captain Cook's over and over (and over) for their famous adult grilled cheese, I knew that we had to go there back in August. Captain Cook's is a counter service restaurant in the Polynesian Resort, and it's great when you're looking to get away from the crowds of the Magic Kingdom for a yummy lunch or dinner (or breakfast). We went there for lunch on this particular day.

Captain Cook's has an interesting ordering system unlike any other I've seen at Walt Disney World. Like Pecos Bill's, there are ordering kiosks, but unlike Pecos Bill's, you can't pay at them. You order using the kiosks and then walk over to the cashiers to pay. Since the cashiers aren't really near the kiosks, it's a little confusing, but we figured it out soon enough. Upon seeing the menu, I swear it said that there was blue cheese on the adult grilled cheese, although Rikki swears there isn't. Anyway, I don't like blue cheese, so the adult grilled cheese was no longer in the running. Instead I decided to order the multi-grain turkey club (no mayo), and I believe James ordered the aloha pork sandwich. And, of course, we both got Dole Whips for dessert. Oh yeah, did I mention the best part about Captain Cook's? It has a self serve Dole Whip machine!

Once we figured out how the ordering worked, we soon got our food, and we found a table pretty quickly. The restaurant was by no means quiet, but it was certainly less chaotic than, say, Pecos Bill's likely was on that day. I honestly don't remember much about my turkey club (probably should have written this review sooner than eight months after the fact), but seeing as I don't remember anything bad about it (like I do about the yucky turkey club at the Studio Catering Co), I'm sure it was good. I'm pretty sure James liked his sandwich as well. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only reason that we didn't go to Captain Cook's last time we were at Walt Disney World is only because we didn't get over to the Magic Kingdom resorts much. I do remember that the multi-grain bread had an interesting, seedy texture, but it was really good. And both our meals came with Captain Cook's Polynesian chips. As for the Dole Whips, totally delicious, as usual.

I highly recommend Captain Cook's if you're in the Magic Kingdom area. Not only is it a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the parks, but the menu choices are quite different from most things you'd see in a counter service restaurant. Although we didn't order anything out of the ordinary, I'd like to go back (perhaps this August?) and try something a little different.

Have you ever eaten at Captain Cook's? What did you order? What did you think? Is it a must-do for you, or do you only eat there occasionally? Let me know your thoughts about this restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: The Palace

2011-04-20T02:49:00.000-04:00

Early January at the World

2011-04-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

Christmas decorations are still up in early January!

You may or may not remember way back in June when I wrote about why I liked visiting Walt Disney World in late August. My most recent trip, however, was scheduled around our birthdays, so we visited in early January. And I think we like this even more than late August.

First of all, the weather in January, at least for us, was beautiful. Most of the time it was in the 60s or 70s, and we absolutely loved it. I've heard of horror stories where it snowed (I'm looking at you, marathon weekend 2010), but for us, the weather was pretty much perfect. Plus it doesn't rain as much in January as in August. And I'd rather be a little chilly than melting in the summer sun.

Second of all, almost all the Christmas decorations are still up. Really the only decorations that end in December are the castle icicle lights and the Christmas parties. The Osborne lights and the gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian end on the 4th or 5th of January, but you can schedule your trip, so you can still see them. Some of the restaurants even had their Christmas menus still, which was cool. And the best part? Early January (pretty much as soon as January 2nd or 3rd rolls around) is value season. So you get all the beauty of Christmas at a fraction of the Christmas prices.

And finally, the crowds are great in January. Not only do you get all the beauty of Christmas at a fraction of the PRICE, you also get all the beauty at a fraction of the CROWDS. It certainly isn't dead the week after New Year's, but the crowds are likely less than half of the crowds the previous week. Arrive at rope drop and use a touring plan, and you'll get everything done before dinner time.

The only negative thing about early January, in my opinion, is the park hours. They're much shorter than what we were used to in August. Sometimes Epcot closed the latest at 9. Interestingly, this didn't bother us very much. We were tired from waking up early anyway, and we didn't mind going to bed at 10:30. We even had time to go swimming after the parks, but we were just too tired. I bet it wouldn't be too cold in those heated pools!

Have you ever visited Walt Disney World in early January? What were your favorite and least favorite things about it? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Yakitori House

2011-04-14T23:48:00.000-04:00

I am an epic fail because I don't have any pictures of Yakitori House. But let's ignore that, and we can focus on the food instead. Let me preface this with the fact that I really love Japanese food, but I don't really eat sushi. If I do eat it, I have to be VERY in the mood for it. Usually, I stick to foods teriyaki style at Japanese restaurants. James, on the other hand, loves sushi. As a result of our combination of Japanese food love, one hot August day in Epcot, James and I decided to try the Yakitori House for lunch.

The Yakitori House has both indoor and outdoor seating. It was raining when we went, so we sat inside, but the indoor area isn't very large. We were probably lucky we were able to get a table. I ordered the beef teriyaki. It wasn't on the menu, but it was on a smaller sign next to the cashier. James ordered some kind of sushi. As soon as mine came out, I didn't think I'd like it.

Beef teriyaki, at least when I've eaten it, is essentially steak with teriyaki sauce on top. The beef teriyaki at Yakitori House was more like semi-shredded beef, and it was extremely fatty. It sort of reminded me of pulled pork, but it was beef. The teriyaki sauce was good, but I wasn't into the texture. That combined with the fattiness meant I mostly stuck to my rice for that meal. James, on the other hand, had sushi, and I believe he liked it. Sushi is sushi I guess, and if it's made correctly, it's good. We also got dessert because we were on the dining plan, but considering I can't remember it at all, it must not have been very good. I also clearly remember getting a kaki-gori afterwards, so I must have really not liked the dessert.

Overall, I think our meal at Yakitori House was average. It wasn't anything great, and I probably wouldn't want to eat there again in the near future. I think there are much better counter service options in Epcot, and if you're really looking for good Japanese food, spend the cash on Teppan Edo or Tokyo Dining. If you're just looking for a sushi fix, however, this is a good place to grab some quick.

Have you ever eaten at Yakitori House? What did you order, and what were your experiences there? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: City Hall

2011-04-13T00:09:00.002-04:00

To Rope Drop or Not to Rope Drop

2011-04-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

What you would get to see at Animal Kingdom rope drop

Throughout my childhood, we weren't rope drop people. We were the people who strolled into the Magic Kingdom at 11 am and waiting on line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for 90 minutes in the Florida heat. We were the people you pity if you're a rope drop person. When my mom planned our August 2009 trip, however, I was ready to do my research. And if you do your research for one moment on how to tour the Disney parks most efficiently, you will find that the number one tip is to arrive to the park before rope drop. But how do you decide if you're going to wake up early and make that trek to the parks at an hour you don't want to see when you're on vacation? Well maybe I can help.

Rope Drop Pros:

Each park has its own little rope drop show, unique to which park you're at. Magic Kingdom's is most people's favorites (including mine), but I also really like the shows at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Epcot's doesn't enthuse me.
If you want to ride the headliner of the park more than once without waiting more than 45 minutes, rope drop is a must. Ride Soarin' (or Space Mountain or Toy Story Mania or Expedition Everest) immediately, and then get a Fastpass for later. Most likely your Fastpass will be good in the very near future, so you're not stuck in the park all night like you may be if you wait until 11 or 12 to get a Fastpass.
You will get things done... fast. On an average day at the Magic Kingdom (let's say crowd levels are around a 5), we have gotten every ride and show we wanted to see plus lunch done by 2 pm or earlier. I'm talking 10-12 attractions in five hours or less. When do the majority get done? In the first hour that the park is open.

Rope Drop Cons:

You have to wake up early. To be at the parks before 9, we usually wake up at 7. Some people don't want to be up that early on vacation. I value ride time more than relax time. But for some people, waking up early is the big deal breaker.
You have to wake up really early. Plan on taking Disney transportation? To be sure you'll arrive in time for rope drop, especially to the Magic Kingdom, you should get on a bus before 8:30. Ideally before 8:15. Heck, once we got on a bus to Animal Kingdom at 8:00. That means we were done with breakfast by 8. So we were down at the food court by 7:30.
You have to wait on line at the turnstiles. Unfortunately, even if you arrive to the park at 8, they won't let you in until 8:45 at the earliest. Yes, that means 45 minutes waiting at the turnstiles, but unless you're visiting at an absolutely crazy time, that's pretty much all you'll be waiting all day. Plus, the earlier you are, the more likely you are to be picked as Family of the Day, and the more likely you are to not be stuck behind someone who can't remember which finger they used to scan in the previous day.

Other important factors:

If you're visiting Walt Disney World at a busy time, you should highly consider getting to the park at rope drop. That in combination with a touring plan is really the only way you're going to have a successful day. Trust me, you'll get more done by noon than most families will get done in the entire day.
If you're visiting Walt Disney World at a very hot time of year, you should highly consider getting to the park at rope drop. The early morning is much less hot and humid than mid-afternoon. Get the bulk of your attractions done early, then go back to the hotel for a nap, go for a swim, or go for a nice, long, air conditioned lunch. Come back to the park around 5 or 6. It'll be less crowded than the mid-afternoon, and you can finish up any attractions you didn't get in the morning. You'll get just as much or more done than if you arrived at 11 or 12, and you'll have missed the hottest (and most likely the rainiest) part of the day.

Okay yes, if you haven't realized yet, I'm biased against rope drop. I know it's not for everyone, and especially if you've been to the parks many times, you may not feel the need to get there super early. But if you don't get to the parks that often, and you want to maximize your touring time, rope drop is for you. Even though James and I have been to Walt Disney World three times in the past two years, we will be arriving at rope drop during our upcoming August trip. Why? It's just too darn hot to be there during the afternoon! It's worth being a little tired to not be melting in mid-afternoon heat. Plus a nice afternoon nap perks us right up.

Do you arrive at the parks at rope drop? What do you think about getting there bright and early? Let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Karamell Kuche

2011-04-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

Chocolate caramel apple!

Back in January when we went to Walt Disney World, I was excited about a lot of dining opportunities, but one that I had completely forgotten to look forward to was Karamell Kuche. Luckily, it was suddenly remembered when we walked past the Germany pavilion. We were still quite full from our lunch at Via Napoli, but we stopped to go inside. After browsing, we left, but we were hardly to the China pavilion when I knew we needed to go back and get something!

For those of you who don't know what Karamell Kuche is, you've been missing out! It's a semi-new caramel store in the Germany pavilion in Epcot. It's run by Werther's, and EVERYTHING is delicious! In the relatively small area of the store, not only are all the delicious treats displayed, you can also see the cast members making caramel treats! It's so cool to see the different things being dipped in caramel! Also, there are prepackaged candies that you can buy.

I was able to have two different snacks at Karamell Kuche on two different days. It is important to note that some of the items do change from day to day, so if you see something you want, buy it while it's there! On our first trip to Karamell Kuche, we purchased a chocolate caramel apple (pictured above). As with all coated apples in Walt Disney World, the cast members will slice it for you if you plan on eating it right away. We had ours sliced, and it was absolutely delicious! Definitely a good snack to share between two people! Coated apples are one of my favorite treats at Walt Disney World. On our second visit to the store, I got a chocolate covered strawberry with caramel drizzle. Although this was more a chocolate treat than a caramel treat, it was absolutely delicious! Other items sold at Karamell Kuche included cupcakes, fudge, cookies, and the famous caramel corn. I don't really like caramel corn, so I didn't try it, but I haven't heard anything but rave reviews!

If you've never been to Karamell Kuche, it's a must try. Even if you only get a $3 cupcake or bag of caramel corn, I know you won't be sorry. If you have a tiny bit more money to spend, I highly recommend the apples (there are varieties other than just chocolate covered)! You'll thank me once you try it!

Have you ever been to Karamell Kuche? What are your favorite caramel covered treats? Let me know your thoughts on this delicious store in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: Pink

2011-04-06T00:56:00.003-04:00

Bonus points if you know from where this picture was taken!

Epcot's Mini Attractions, Volume 2

2011-04-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

Do you remember my post a few weeks back highlighting a few of Epcot's mini-attractions? If not, check it out! When I wrote that one, I realized that Epcot had far too many fun things to do to put all in one post, so now I present the second portion! Mini-attractions 1, 2, and 3 were the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, The Great Piggy Bank Adventure, and the Seas pavilion, so for this post, we'll start at...

4. Segway Trials
Last August, James and I took a Segway tour around World Showcase. I highly recommend the tour, but many people don't know that you can actually try riding a Segway in Innoventions for free (at least last that I heard)! Yes, you read that correctly. If you go to Innoventions after 11am (I believe), you can actually try a Segway! I'm pretty certain that there are age and possibly other restrictions to this, but it's still a really cool thing many people aren't aware of. Maybe it'll convince you to try one of the awesome Segway tours that Disney offers, or maybe you'll just try it and go along with your day, but regardless... everyone wants to try a Segway, right? To try one out, check out Segway Central in Innoventions West. It's the same area where guests on Segway tours learn to use them!

5. Don't Waste It!
One of James' and my favorite mini-attractions in Epcot is also in Innoventions, this time in East. Don't Waste It! is a fun little activity sponsored by Waste Management. It's similar to the Great Piggy Bank Adventure that I mentioned in Volume 1, but this time you get a mini garbage truck instead of a little pig friend. First you start at a station and answer some questions to determine approximately how much trash you use in a year. Then you get your mini pushable garbage truck, and you are off to the next station. You dock your truck at each station to play the game, the first of which is Sort It Out. At this station, each member of your family (up to four) is in front of a screen, and you need to recycle some of your trash. For example, if James is doing glass and I'm doing paper, we each have to put the appropriate trash in our bins. Next you head to Fuel the Burn. Here you have to fuel a waste-to-energy plant by fueling the fire with the appropriate amount of wet or dry trash. And finally, at the Landfill Up station, you can choose to turn your trash landfill into a golf course, a ballpark, or a wildlife preserve, and you must properly layer your trash and landfill cover materials to produce your final product. This mini-attraction is a lot of fun, and it's very educational for younger guests. I would say it's at a similar caliber to the Great Piggy Bank Adventure, and almost everyone would like it!

James with a tiny Club Cool cup

6. Club Cool
This is an awesome mini-attraction at Epcot, suggested by reader Christine Hardenberger. For anyone who has never been, Club Cool is essentially one big Coca Cola advertisement, but in a good way. It has many soda flavors from around the world, and you can sample them in little cups. Interestingly Club Cool is in Future World instead of World Showcase, but we'll ignore that. Aside from the free soda samples, Club Cool doesn't offer much except a bunch of Coke merchandise, but honestly the free soda samples are enough to bring me in almost every time I visit Epcot. Especially if it's hot! One of my favorites is the Kinley Lemon soda from Israel, and if you haven't, try the Beverly... it's delicious!

And that concludes my favorite of Epcot's mini-attractions. Do you think I can do this for other parks? Let me know what you think of my favorites, let me know your favorites in Epcot, and let me know if you have any suggestions of mini-attractions in the other parks! If I decide to do a similar series for them, you will most definitely be shouted out! You can leave suggestions and opinions in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

First Birthday and the Year in Review

2011-04-01T00:04:00.000-04:00

If only I could put these ears on the blog!

This is no April Fool's joke! The Disney College Blog was actually started on April 1st, 2010. In fact, if you're feeling really sentimental, you can read the very first post here. Originally I started the blog for fellow college students, but it has grown to be a blog for any Disney fan, regardless of age! In honor of the first birthday of the blog, I want to give a little "year in review" to show what has happened in the past 365 days...

Since the creation of the Disney College Blog:

There have been over 100 posts on this blog, including dining reviews, opinion pieces, and my newest segment, Wordless Wednesdays.
I created the @discollegeblog Twitter account and have over 900 followers.
I created the Disney College Blog Facebook account and over 100 people "liked" it.
I have taken two trips to Walt Disney World, during both of which I was much more knowledgeable than any previous trips.
I have met a bunch of amazing people, both in person and online, who I can really relate to and talk to about anything.
I started a new podcast with some great friends that I love talking to each week.
People actually read what I write each week, and they actually care!

For each person who has ever read this blog, commented on this blog, shown support to me in any way, or tweeted at me even once, I am thankful for you. This blog, and my internet presence in general, couldn't exist without feedback from all of you. I am glad to call you my friends, and I am glad that for 365 days, I have been able to keep this blog going. Here's to 365 more!

In honor of the first birthday of this site, I'd like to get a conversation going in the comments. What was your favorite post, thing about the site, moment you had with me on Twitter or in person or however in the past year? I'd love to hear from you, either here or on Twitter! Maybe we can use the hashtag #dcbturnsone.

Wordless Wednesday: Osborne

2011-03-30T00:08:00.000-04:00

Review: Bistro de Paris

2011-03-25T01:07:00.000-04:00

James having a pre-dinner beverage.
By the looks of his face, it's not Beverly.

This is the final table service dining review of my January trip! For the foodies out there, not to worry, I still have a ton of quick service reviews (some even from August!), but I'm glad I'm finally finishing up the table service ones. Don't mind the fact that it's taken me almost three months...

Bistro de Paris was James' birthday gift from me because he loves French food. We were on the dining plan, but it isn't accepted here. So I was paying cash. In fact, when we checked in for our ADR, the first thing the hostess said to me was, "Are you on the dining plan?" When I mindlessly replied yes, she immediately retorted, "We don't accept it here." I realized my mistake and awkwardly replied, "I know" before she agreed to check us in. It seemed a little rude, but as Colette says in Ratatouille, they are French. (No offense to all the lovely French people out there. For all I know, this hostess was having a terrible day.)

Bistro de Paris is located directly above Les Chefs de France, and you have to essentially go to the back of the building to enter the Bistro waiting area. You wait downstairs, and someone comes down to get you when they are ready for your party. There were quite a few stairs, which my knee wasn't fond of, but I'm sure there's an elevator for those who can't make it up there easily. Once upstairs, the restaurant is pretty small, and it's very cute. It definitely looks upscale, but I didn't feel like I needed to be wearing a gown or anything. I mean, we were a little dressed up, but the table next to us had regular park clothes on.

Grilled beef tenderloin

Once we were seated, we first got bread, and soon we were ready to order. James chose the escargot appetizer, and I skipped on having one. For our entrees, we both ordered the grilled beef tenderloin. When James' escargot came, I tried a piece, but I am definitely not adventurous enough an eater to enjoy it. James' opinion: not even close to the best escargot he's had, but it was fine. As you can see in the photo, the beef tenderloin was presented quite nicely. It was again fine. Nothing special. Maybe it was the cut of beef that didn't thrill us, or maybe we should have ordered something more French, but we weren't enthused with our choices. They were good, but not spectacular.

My dessert!

Dessert did have a special place in my heart, however. James chose not to get a dessert, but since I was paying, I decided I wanted one. I chose the creme brulee dessert that came with the creme brulee itself (in that tiny mug), caramelized rice pudding, upside down caramel cream, and creme brulee ice cream. The creme brulee and the ice cream were my favorite parts, and I didnt really like the pudding (but I don't really like rice pudding). The upside down cake was good too. This dessert was $11, so take that as you may, but I thought it tasted good! Although James didn't order a dessert, they did bring him out a special birthday surprise. Instead of a cupcake, it was a plate with "Happy Birthday" on it in chocolate. And there was a candle in some berries. How cute!

James wouldn't use the flash while taking this picture.

Overall, I would say Bistro de Paris didn't wow us, and we probably won't be back for a while. Compared to our meals at California Grill and Le Cellier, it didn't even come close. It certainly wasn't a bad choice, and I would encourage anyone to try it once. I've also heard great reviews about it, so maybe it was just what we ordered. Just keep in mind that they don't accept the dining plan, and the dinner can get quite expensive. If I remember correctly, the bill came to almost $150 after the tip. And we didn't even get any alcohol! It was a nice birthday present to James, though, and I certainly don't regret the visit there.

Have you ever been to Bistro de Paris? What did you think? What did you order? If you haven't been, why haven't you tried it yet? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: Let the Adventure Begin

2011-03-23T00:12:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday: Canada

2011-03-16T00:07:00.000-04:00

Epcot's Mini-Attractions, Volume 1

2011-03-13T23:51:00.002-04:00

There's no questioning that Epcot is an amazing park both for attractions and atmosphere. Between E-tickets like Soarin' and Test Track and the culture of the World Showcase, this park has it all. But sometimes the things that people skip over can also be some of the funnest memories later. Thus I'd like to dedicate this post (and a future one, as I've thought of enough for at least two posts) to Epcot's "mini-attractions."

1. Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure
This is kind of a big one, but it's also one that I don't think people stop at enough. For anyone who's unaware, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is an interactive game that takes place in, you guessed it, World Showcase. To play, first stop at a recruitment station and get a "Fastpass." This will tell you when and where to return to get your mission. When your time arrives, simply go where the Fastpass tells you to, and you will be given a Kimmunicator for your group. This Kimmunicator is essentially a cell phone on which Wade from Kim Possible talks to you. He directs you to a specific country, and you must stop the villain who is trying to destroy the world! The game is a lot of fun for both adults and children. I've played the Germany, Japan, France, and United Kingdom missions, and the Japan one was my favorite. It really is a blast, and the best part is, once you have your Kimmunicator, if the park isn't too busy, it will let you play another mission after you finish yours without getting another "Fastpass." I think the attraction is too often overlooked, either because people aren't sure what it is or because it seems too childish. I think it's a lot of fun, however, and there are some really cool interactive elements!

2. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure
Some people skip right over Innoventions while they're at Epcot, and I think that's a big mistake. There are a lot of fun exhibits there, and one of my favorites is the Great Piggy Bank Adventure (presented by T. Rowe Price). In this exhibit, you enter a little area to learn about money (mainly saving it). First you are sent to a little kiosk where you virtually meet your pig friend. You choose whether you want to save up for an ultimate vacation (obviously what we chose), a bedroom makeover, a college education, or retirement. Once one is chosen, you get your own little piggy friend to carry around with you on your journey! (See photos!) You are directed to different kiosks throughout the experience to do things like save money for your goal, avoid inflation, and diversify your money. At the end, you learn if you reached your goal or not. Luckily we did, although I wish they really gave you the money you "saved" in the game! The game actually does have a lot of important lessons, and I think it could be enjoyed by every age group. The youngest of children might not understand the financial lessons completely, but they will enjoy the games and the piggy friend. Older children will both understand the lessons and enjoy the games, and adults should already know the lessons (hopefully!) but will still have fun playing!

3. The Seas
Everyone knows about the two real attractions in the Seas pavilion: the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride and Turtle Talk with Crush, but if you stay in the pavilion once you're done with the attractions, you'll find many more mini-attractions. Aside from the most obvious one (all the fish!), others include little trivia games on screens (these were fun, and you can email yourself a little certificate with your results) and looking at the especially cool manatee section of the aquarium. There is also a special aquarium in one section with just fish that mimic the Finding Nemo characters. Finally, one of the coolest mini-attractions in the Seas pavilion is the little dolphin show. When the dolphins get fed a few times a day, the cast member that does the feeding also puts on a little show with the dolphins. It's nothing like what you'd probably find at Sea World, but it's a cool little thing to add something extra awesome to your day. Really the entire Seas pavilion in itself is a cool mini-attraction, and it should definitely be explored in its entirety!

What do you think of my first three mini-attractions from Epcot? What are your favorites? I had at least three more for a future post, but do you have any suggestions? Or can you think of any mini-attractions in other parks? Anyone who lists any that I don't already have on my list will most definitely be shouted out in the next mini-attraction post(s), so let me know your thoughts in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Kona Cafe

2011-03-11T00:42:00.000-05:00

I bet this picture alone will entice you to read on

I was very much looking forward to eating at Kona Cafe, since I had heard a lot about it from many people in the Disney community. It is a generally revered restaurant, and I was interested to compare it in my mind to the dinner at 'Ohana we had in 2009. We had an ADR around 7 pm, and we were seated almost immediately upon arrival. Unfortunately, this is where dinner started to go downhill.

Our server took almost 15 minutes to come over to our table at all. I mean, she didn't even stop by to tell us that she'd be over in a few minutes. It was like we were the forgotten table, and James even mentioned that if we weren't at Disney, he would have left the restaurant. Amazingly, our server finally came over, introduced herself, and told us a little bit about the menu. Obviously we had already decided what we wanted at this point, so we ordered everything right away. I was hoping to forget the little service snafu and have a good dinner, which we did.

I hate when James doesn't let me use flash in food pictures!

We started out with the sweet bread and butter. Most people love this bread, so although I'm not a huge fan, I'm saying that's based on my personal taste. I'm pretty sure James liked it. Soon, our sticky wings for two came out, as pictured at the top of this post. This was by far the highlight of our meal. The wings were delicious as usual, and I'm pretty sure we ate almost all of them with no regard to our imminent entrees. We paid for the sticky wings out of pocket even though we were on the dining plan, and it was so worth it. I would even consider coming to Kona and just ordering the sticky wings. Yum!

My teriyaki steak

I had the teriyaki steak as my entree, as I've heard so much about it, and I love anything in teriyaki sauce. The steak was good, but I didn't think it was anything special. I prefer the teriyaki steak at my local Japanese restaurant to it, and it definitely wasn't the best meal of the trip. That said, it was a perfectly respectable steak, and I would recommend it to any steak eaters. Plus I loved the broccolini, but I'm just weird like that. James had the shrimp and scallops dinner, and he thought it was okay. Based on my photo and memory, I don't think it was a ton of food, and he was still a little bothered by the service issue earlier in the night. Other than the sticky wings, I don't think James was a huge fan of Kona.

James' shrimp and scallops

Yummy fondue!

After dinner, we had the incredibly difficult choice of what to get for dessert. The chocolate creme brulee sounded good, but it also had bananas which I don't love. I was basically down to the famous Kona Cone vs. the chocolate fondue, and I went with the fondue. I honestly can not remember for the life of me what James ordered, so it must have not been very exciting. We did, however, get birthday cupcakes! These were exciting no matter how many times we got them. And at Kona, they had "Happy Birthday" AND an image of Lilo and Stitch on the plates with this powdered chocolate stuff. So cool!

Overall, I would recommend Kona to anyone who is looking for a dinner that's a little bit less known to the general public. It would probably be easy to get an ADR here a few days before or even a walk up, and the dining choices are interesting. Plus the sticky wings and desserts are delicious. As for the entrees, they were meh. I know some people rave about the steak, but I thought it was just okay. Kona was a nice restaurant, but I don't think it measured up to my expectations. Or maybe they were just too high.

Wordless Wednesday: Where Sky Meets Land

2011-03-09T00:19:00.000-05:00

Keys to the Kingdom

2011-03-07T01:03:00.000-05:00


The only picture I have from the tour. With my backstage guest pass!

For James' birthday, I took him to Bistro de Paris, and that review will be coming in the future on this blog. For my birthday, however, I didn't want a dinner. I wanted to go on Keys to the Kingdom. After going on the Around the World on a Segway Tour back in August, I was itching for another behind the scenes tour. I was stuck between trying another Segway tour and going on Keys, but after asking a ton of people, I finally settled on this one. And I'm very glad I did.

On the informational side, Keys to the Kingdom is a four and a half to five hour tour in the Magic Kingdom, and it includes lunch (but more on that later). Tours are offered at 8:30, 9:00, and 9:30 am, and the cost is $78.81 per person including tax. Everyone participating in the tour must already have admission into the park, and you must be 16 years or older. And that's that.

Our tour started with us entering the turnstiles at approximately 8:45 for our 9:00 am tour. If you've never been in the Magic Kingdom before park opening, this would be the perfect time to take some pictures. We had a Crystal Palace breakfast earlier in the week, though, so we didn't need to. The tour meets at package pickup, where you get a nametag, a backstage guest pass (see photo), some complementary water or coffee, and you get to pick what you'll want for lunch later in the day. Lunch is at Columbia Harbor House, and you can choose from the entire adult's menu.

Once everyone arrives for the tour, your tour guide gives everyone a headset in which you can hear his or her (in our case her) voice. That way, she can walk in front of you, and you can still hear her. Our guide's name was Kate, and she was the youngest Keys to the Kingdom tour guide at just 21 years old. She was totally awesome and knowledgeable, and after the tour, we left a rave review at Guest Services.

Our tour started on Main Street, where first you learn the four "Keys to the Kingdom": efficiency, safety, courtesy, and show. These keys are all over Main Street, from the fact that the sloping of the street makes the castle look bigger (show) to the fact that the sidewalk is a different color from the street, so people can peripherally see that there's a step up or down (safety). We learned a little bit about how Walt Disney World came to be, and we learned a little about some of the different people on the Main Street Windows. One of my favorite facts about Main Street is that almost all of the "two story" buildings are actually only a story and a half and use forced perspective. In fact, the only building that is really two stories is Exposition Hall (if I remember correctly) because it has to hide the Contemporary.

Next, we headed up Main Street to Walt Disney's window, where he gets to see Cinderella castle every day. And then we headed over to the castle itself and the Partner's statue. We learned that Walt's statue is a little taller than he actually was because he always believed that the "perfect man" was a little taller. We learned how the castle is the "big weenie" of the park. We learned about how our guide sometimes works in the castle suite. And then we headed on down to Adventureland.

The first attraction we rode was Jungle Cruise, where our guide confided that she secretly always wanted to be a skipper. We learned some facts and saw some hidden Mickey's, and soon we were headed down to Frontierland. It was at this point that we hit our first backstage location: the parade float storage facility. We got to see the floats charging, and our guide told us that the Spectro floats are still stored in there while MSEP takes its place. We also got to see the backside of Splash Mountain, and we learned that during the dip in Pirates, you are actually going down under the Railroad.

After this backstage area, we learned about Frontierland and then Liberty Square. Did you know that there are no bathrooms in Liberty Square? It is the 18th century after all, and there's no indoor plumbing. The bathrooms in Liberty Tree Tavern are actually in Frontierland, and the bathrooms in Columbia Harbor House are in Fantasyland. This is where we got to eat our lunch, which honestly I wasn't thrilled with. I'm not a huge fan of Columbia Harbor House since I don't eat fish, and I'm not a huge fan of chicken. I had some kind of BLT salad, and it was alright, but I wish I could've had a burger or something.

After lunch, we rode my favorite attraction of all time: the Haunted Mansion. We even got to enter through a cast member entrance. Very cool! We learned about some facts and hidden Mickeys in there, and soon we were headed across the bridge over to the bathrooms near Crystal Palace. It was here that we went to our next backstage area: the Utilidors. Although the Utilidors are called tunnels, they are not underground at all. They are essentially just hallways, but it was still really cool to go down there. We learned about the inner workings of the park, including the fact that the Magic Kingdom was trying to correct all the mistakes made in Disneyland. We walked through and saw different things, and we watched a short video down there.

When we "surfaced," we were near Tomorrowland, and we got to see the backstage room where all the balloons are filled with air. It may sound lame, but I thought it was pretty cool! Our tour ended back on Main Street where we began, and unfortunately we had to return our backstage passes. As I said, our tour guide was great, and we filled out a guest appreciation card at Guest Services. This tour was so interesting, and if you are at all interested in the workings of the Magic Kingdom, I highly recommend it. The price is extremely reasonable when you consider the length of the tour and the lunch that's included. I didn't feel that the magic was ruined at all, as some people fear. In fact, I felt even more magic when I realized all the work that Walt, Roy, and everyone that built Walt Disney World put in and all the work that the cast members still put in today. I recommend this tour to anyone. (And if you're interested in the things that I saw that I won't put on here in case of any younger eyes, ask me on Twitter!)

Have you ever been on Keys to the Kingdom? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts on this tour, whether or not you've been on it, in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Yachtsman Steakhouse

2011-03-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a picky eater. I don't eat fancy, and I'm definitely a steak and potatoes kind of girl. So when we were looking for ADRs to make for our January trip, I knew I wanted a great steak. Enter Yachtsman Steakhouse. I knew it was a signature restaurant, but we had the dining credits to spare. Also, it was our birthday trip, and I wanted it to be as special as possible. It so was.

It's not always easy getting to the Yacht Club from another resort if you don't have a car. We chose to take the bus to Hollywood Studios and then the Friendship Boat to the Yacht Club. If my knee was feeling better, we might have walked. It's quite a nice walk along the water if your legs aren't tired or in pain. I love the Friendship Boats, but they are SLOW. After what seemed like forever, we finally made it to the Yacht Club and found our way to the restaurant.

When we were seated, we were surprised and happy to find that we had special menus that said "Happy Birthday!" And we were encouraged to keep them! I was also excited when our waiter told us that since we were on the dining plan, virgin strawberry daiquiris were included as a nonalcoholic beverage. Naturally, I ordered one. For dinner, James ordered a Lobster Bisque appetizer and the 24 ounce Porterhouse steak. I decided to skip an appetizer, and I went with the 8 ounce filet mignon. Our waiter called it the "lady steak." Which was very true in my case.

James' 24 ounce Porterhouse

We were started off with onion bread and butter while we waited for James' appetizer, and I must say, I was obsessed with this bread. I had way more than I should have, and as a result, I was only able to eat about half of my steak when it came. It was just so good! I couldn't stop eating it. Soon James' soup came, and I was a little nervous about the decision because James has a history of not liking soups at Walt Disney World. Amazingly, he was very pleased with his lobster bisque. Soon, he was done, and we were ready for our entrees.

My 8 ounce filet mignon

Although we had to laugh at the size difference between James' and my steaks, they were both delicious. James ate most of his, and I ate about half of mine. I joked that we could get a 24 ounce next time, and I could eat two ounces, and James could eat the rest. I wouldn't say it was the best steak I've had at Walt Disney World (I'm looking at you New York Strip from Le Cellier), but it really was excellent. I honestly don't remember the potatoes, but I'm sure they were good as well. I probably didn't have room for any more carbs after eating all that darn onion bread.

My first creme brulee ever!

After we were done with our entrees, we were given a dessert menu, and I decided I wanted to be a little adventurous and try something I had never eaten before. (Dessert is the best time to be adventurous because it's basically always yummy.) I decided I wanted to try creme brulee, since I had never eaten it before. I didn't even really know what it was, but I knew people liked it. I figured it was worth a try. The creme brulee was awesome! I actually had two more creme brulees in Walt Disney World after that night as a result of this creme brulee. I am officially a creme brulee fangirl. (I didn't take a picture of what James got for dessert, so I don't know what it was. I'm sure it was good though!) And of course, Yachtsman couldn't forget about our birthdays, so they brought us cupcakes in addition to our regular desserts. The plates said "Happy Birthday!" in this chocolate powder stuff. So awesome, though I didn't have room for the cupcake after the creme brulee.

Overall, we really liked Yachtsman Steakhouse, and I would definitely go back. I think it's worth two dining credits, especially if you get the 24 ounce steak. No matter how much you can eat, you won't leave hungry! And get the creme brulee!

Have you ever eaten at Yachtsman Steakhouse? If so, what did you order, and how did you like it? If not, what's keeping you away? Let me know your thoughts on this signature restaurant in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: Mine, Mine

2011-03-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

Mini Trip Report: Times Square Disney Store, D23 Member Mixer

2011-02-27T23:58:00.001-05:00

Post Mixer Lunch, Photo from Michele!

I thought I'd do a mini trip report about a recent trip to the Times Square Disney Store. My first trip to the new store, actually. At the beginning of February, I had heard that there was going to be a D23 event in New York City. Unfortunately, I am not a D23 member. Also, all the tickets were sold out. So as you may expect, I completely forgot about the event. That is, of course, until Michele tweeted at me on a Friday, letting me know that she had extra tickets to the event two days later. I jumped on them, telling her that James and I would love to go.

We left for the city bright and early, since the meet started at 10, and we wanted to meet up with Michele around 9:45. James and I left school around 7:30, and we got to the train station around 8. (We decided to go to the train station near home rather than school, since there were more trains from there, and the trip is shorter.) Our train was at 8:0-something, and we were at the city around 9:15. After walking to Times Square from Penn Station and James getting an overpriced breakfast at McDonald's, we made our way to the Times Square Disney Store. We found Alison and Dana waiting in line outside the store, so we hung out with them for a while. Soon, we met up with Michele and her friend. After waiting for 10 or 15 minutes, we went into the store to sign in, and we were directed up the escalator to the second floor.

Trivia and D23 CMs! Photo by Michele

Once on the second floor, there was a trivia game that we played on the big screen. The cast member gave us the hardest quiz, knowing that we were Disney fans, but almost everyone got a perfect or near perfect score anyway. Then two D23 cast members came out, Laura Sanchez and Becky Cline from Disney archives (disclaimer: I totally didn't remember their names, so I got them from the review of the same event on the allears.net blog). They came bearing prizes for even harder Disney questions, but none of us won any. We were kind of far away from the speakers. Before they allowed us to mingle on our own, they let us know that they wanted to talk to all of us about D23. Also, we were told that there were little gifts for us!

The gifts we got: a keychain, a magnet, and
a set of 23 vintage Disneyland postcards.

It was really cool that people that really had an effect on D23 events wanted to talk to us about what we wanted to see. Since many New York based D23 members can't make it to all of the events in Florida and California, we were glad that we were being heard as well. There was mention of possible events being movie screenings, possibly of old silent cartoons, and we were asked if Boston or Washington DC was too far for us to travel. We were also asked if we were willing to pay for future events, since the D23 mixer we were attending was free (although note that there was no food).

After the event was over, we explored the Times Square Disney Store for a while. Here is the highlight reel of what we saw: Magic mirrors are cool. They have the Harveys bags but no Dooneys. There is one 3 inch and three 9 inch special edition New York Vinyls. They also were carrying Villains, Animation, and I believe Nightmare Before Christmas Vinyls. They had some Urban 5 9 inch Vinyls. There was a lot of kid stuff, including one section full of princess merch and one section full of Marvel and other superhero merch. There is a section devoted to "I [Mickey] NY" merchandise. There is a section with the couture princess merch that they sell in TrenD. Although I was tempted, all I bought was a 3 inch New York Vinyl.

After we checked out, we left the store and went to have lunch at the Brooklyn Diner with Michele and her friend, Dana, Alison, Leslie, James, and I. We discusses D23, and they made me really want to join (though I haven't bit the bullet yet). After lunch, we were ready to head our separate ways, and before we knew it, James and I were back on the train home. It was a fun event, and although some people were a little disappointed with the actual content of the event, we knew it was a one-hour, free event. I thought it was great all things considered.

Have you ever been to the Times Square Disney Store? Have you ever been to a D23 event? Are you a D23 member? Why did you become one, or why did you decide not to? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

2011-02-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to those of you joining me from Magical Memory Planners. I am the second stop on our Magical Blogorail.

For those of you who are unaware, the Magical Blogorail is a "loop" of blogs that focus on one topic for one Friday each month. There are currently three blogorail loops and a fourth in the making, and I am part of Blogorail Green. This week's topic is to introduce myself, my blog, and what inspired me to start a blog. So if you don't care much about the blog and just want your regularly scheduled posts, those will begin again on Monday!

For those of you who are curious about me, as you may know, my name is Amanda, and I'm a (gasp!) college student. I had been wanting to start a blog for a while in the spring of 2010, but I wasn't quite sure what to start a blog about. Also, I had a Twitter, but I didn't use it for much at all. Then, Betamouse started.

I had been listening to Disney podcasts for a little while, so I was interested in Betamouse. I'm not sure it was anything the hosts of Betamouse said in particular, since this epiphany happened before their episode about blogging, but while listening to them, I realized that if I wanted a blog, I needed a niche. And college students who love Disney is a niche.

Thus the Disney College Blog was born. I also started following many of the people that I now call friends on Twitter, which helped me get the word out about the new blog. And it definitely didn't hurt that I reviewed Betamouse in my second post. Although the blog started as a place to talk about how Disney could relate to college, the blog is now for anyone of any age or education level. In fact, I started a similar project in podcast form with a few friends... check out Generation Mouse if you're interested. If this is your first time visiting my site, I try to post three times a week when life allows. Look around, and if you like what you're reading then stay a while! And for those of you who are my loyal readers, as I said earlier, your regularly scheduled posts will begin again on Monday!

Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is A Disney Mom's Thoughts.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop: Magical Memory Planners

2nd Stop: The Disney College Blog

3rd Stop: A Disney Mom’s Thoughts

4th Stop: Disney Dream Finder

5th Stop: Walt Disney World: It’s Not Just For Kids

Final Stop: Your Highway in the Sky

Wordless Wednesday: Ready for Take Off

2011-02-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

Check it out: Generation Mouse

2011-02-22T00:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm sorry if you've already heard about this, but I just wanted to make sure you all knew that I am one of the hosts of a new Disney podcast! The Generation Mouse podcast is a young adult perspective on all things Disney. We talk about literally everything that has to do with Disney, from parks and resorts and restaurants to movies and video games and collectibles. We only have two episodes out so far, and we're trying to average around 30 to 45 minutes per episode.

Our first episode is called Must Do Disney, and the panel (which consists of James, Ashleigh, Mark, Libby, and I) gives our top three things we must do at Walt Disney World. Our second episode is Snacking Around the World, where we give our favorite snacks around the World Showcase.

Although the podcast is billed as for young adults, must like this blog, everyone is welcome, and I honestly believe that any Disney fan in any age group would enjoy this podcast. I mean, hey, I am one of the hosts, but I think it's pretty darn good so far!

We would love if you checked the podcast out, so you can find us at generationmouse.net, on Twitter (@generationmouse), on Facebook, or on iTunes! Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow

2011-02-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

Review: Crystal Palace

2011-02-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

Back in August, Akershus was the first character meal James and I had gone to since we were kids. We really enjoyed it, so we decided to try another crowd favorite: Crystal Palace. We really wanted to get into the Magic Kingdom before it opened, so we made an ADR for 8:30 am on the second day of our trip.

We arrived a little ahead of time, at around 8:15, but they let us right into the park. After lingering on Main Street, taking some pictures of the empty street and stopping for a Photopass photographer to take pictures of us on the empty street, we headed over to Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace is an absolutely beautiful building. The check in for the restaurant is outside, and there was a very short wait to check in. Once we did, we were handed a buzzer, and it went off within five minutes. The inside of the restaurant was decorated for a celebration, and there was confetti on our table because of our birthdays!

Obviously the main attraction of the restaurant is the characters, and Crystal Palace features Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. We were able to meet all of them, though we had to wait a while for Pooh to come back around since we had just missed him when we came in. If your waiter doesn't tell you, ask which direction the characters come from. We were really glad that our waiter told us that the characters went from left to right by our table, so we could get our food right away and not wait for Pooh, who wouldn't be coming by for a while. We didn't feel rushed by the characters, though we didn't spend very much time with them. Also, at one point throughout our breakfast, there was a little parade around the restaurant, and all the kids joined in... so cute!

As for the food, I thought it was really good! Breakfast is the least expensive meal at Crystal Palace (or any Disney buffet!), but I thought there was a pretty good selection. There was your standard bacon and eggs and biscuits and fruit, but there were some other unique items as well. I snagged two really cool foods from the "kid's section": breakfast pizza and puffed french toast. For those who haven't heard of these, breakfast pizza is a pizza crust with eggs and melted cheese on top, and puffed french toast is this really delicious food that I'm assuming is essentially fried dough covered in sugar and cinnamon? No matter what it is, it's delicious. Also, there are chocolate Mickey waffles in addition to the standard flavor! So cool! By the way, since drinks are included in your buffet price, don't feel bad if you want orange juice AND chocolate milk... it's vacation!

Overall, I really liked Crystal Palace, and I think if you have Pooh fans in your group, it will be an especially good time. It's really cool to get into the Magic Kingdom before park opening, and I thought the food at Crystal Palace was really good. That said, if your party is into princesses more than Tigger and Piglet, I'd recommend Akershus!

Have you ever been to Crystal Palace? What meal did you go for? What were your favorite items on the buffet? Or do you plan to visit in the future? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Birthdays at the World

2011-02-11T00:00:00.003-05:00

To be completely honest, there is nothing more exciting than being in the most magical place on earth on your birthday! Before this trip, I vaguely remember going to Walt Disney World around age nine or ten for my birthday, but I didn't remember any details. Nevertheless, I knew that my birthday would be an absolute blast.

One of the best things about celebrating anything at Disney is that you could do it for the whole week. I wore my birthday pin every day on our trip. Even if you're not at the parks on your specific date of birth, you can fudge the date a little bit and wear your pin anyway. Which brings me to the most important thing about celebrating your birthday at Walt Disney World: get a birthday pin.

If you love your birthday, then you will love having a birthday pin. Tens or even hundreds of people per day will wish you a happy birthday. They are usually cast members, but sometimes even fellow guests want to wish you a special day! One old couple even stopped James and I to sing us happy birthday! On occasion you may get special treatment - for us, a CM gave our party of four Fastpasses that were usable immediately on Rock N Roller Coaster (although I promptly chicken exited!). Another CM let us have a free popcorn and frozen lemonade. (Interestingly, both of these happenings were in Hollywood Studios... coincidence?)

Speaking of food, my next birthday tip is to put it on all of your ADRs. When you make an ADR, it gives you the opportunity to add a celebration. Put that it is your birthday on all of them! Even if you just get a little Mickey confetti on your table, it will make your day a little more special! Likely, you'll even get another little treat! James and I got countless birthday cupcakes, cards signed by characters, and even menus that said "Happy Birthday!" that we were allowed to take home! Cast members honestly want to make your day, so let them know that it's your birthday!

And finally, my last trip for making your birthday at the parks extra magical is to do something special. During our birthday trip, we ate at three different deluxe restaurants, plus Le Cellier which is one of my my favorites. On my actual birthday, we had an amazing dinner at California Grill and watched Wishes. On James', we ate at Bistro de Paris because he loves French food. If you can afford even one special meal, it will make your birthday that much more special. Another awesome thing we did was go on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. That was James' birthday gift to me, and it was a really cool experience! One of the best presents ever! Whether it's spending a night at a deluxe resort, eating ten Dole Whips because you can, or even hugging Push the trash can (I really did that one!), do whatever you really want on your birthday, and it will be extra magical. Bonus points if you buy the birthday ears!

Have you ever been to Disney on your birthday? Did you do anything to make it extra special? Do you have any tips on how you can make your birthday even more magical? Let me know in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

This post is featured in the 18th DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival. Click the link to see more great Disney articles!

Wordless Wednesday: Welcome Foolish Mortals

2011-02-09T10:08:00.000-05:00

Review: California Grill

2011-02-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

You guys may remember, way back in June, I was already thinking about ADRs for our birthday trip. I was puzzled on where to eat on my actual birthday, so I asked all of you. I was leaning toward a signature restaurant, and a few of you mentioned California Grill. Well you are the lucky winners because that was where I chose to have my birthday dinner!

California Grill menu

I was a little nervous because our first time at a signature restaurant in August didn't go so well. That said, I had faith in California Grill. Even though I woke up at 6 am to book my ADR exactly 180 days in advance, I couldn't get the 6:30 pm reservation I wanted, so I settled for a 5:55. The fireworks were at 8, and I was nervous about finishing too soon, but I figured we would have to wait for a table. Amazingly, we didn't. You check into California Grill on one of the lower floors of the Contemporary, and you are escorted up in a special elevator. Our buzzer started going off while we were still in the elevator.

The view from my seat!

Once we got to the top, I made sure that I told the host that we wanted a Magic Kingdom view. This was my birthday, and I would wait for one. He told me that he had a great Epcot view from the wine room, and I said we'd wait for a Magic Kingdom view. He said he'd see what he could do, and less than a minute later, the two of us were taken to a table for four with a PERFECT castle view. It was magical, and I was so happy. They put confetti on our table, and we started browsing the menu.

Course one: Triple Cheese Flatbread

We were on free dining on this trip, and we were using two dining credits to eat here. That said, the standard dining plan only includes a nonalcoholic beverage, an entree, and a dessert. Then again, it was my birthday, and James said that I could order as many courses as I wanted. We started with sodas, and our excellent waitress brought out some bread and butter while we continued perusing the menu. We knew we wanted to split a flatbread, but we were stuck between the three cheese and the suckling pig. When we asked our waitress which she recommended, she said the same two! Finally, we decided on the triple cheese, and it was quite good. It also had sun dried tomatoes and pesto on top, and we were very pleased with this selection.

Course two: Serrano Ham wrapped Local Rabbit

I wasn't quite sure what to do about our second course because none of them really jumped out at me. I was at Disney, though, and James was paying. So I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I definitely did that by ordering the ham wrapped rabbit. I had never had rabbit before, and I probably never will again, but at least I can say that I tried it once! It may have been a waste of $16, but it was definitely worth the experience at least. For those of you who were wondering how it tasted, I partially didn't like it just because I couldn't get past the fact that it was rabbit. Also, it was rather dry, which didn't help. I just ate the ham off of it and left the rest on my plate. For James' second course, he had the Maine Mussels because they ran out of lobster cakes. I suppose he enjoyed the mussels, since he cleaned his plate.

Course three: Oak Fired Filet of Beef

For our next course, James and I both had the oak fired filet of beef in a teriyaki barbecue sauce. I was a little nervous about this filet since the one in Jiko was so disappointing, but I had faith that Disney wouldn't disappoint me twice. And they certainly didn't. The filet was very good, and James and I both enjoyed it greatly. I was really happy with this entree, and even the potatoes and carrots were delicious! We couldn't fill up too much, though, since we still had dessert coming!

Course four: A Birthday Dessert!

I believe they were still using the Christmas-y menu in January when we went because this dessert was still on the menu. It was a chocolate molten lava cake with eggnog ice cream and peppermint bark. James and I both ordered this and both chose to opt for vanilla ice cream instead of eggnog. And James mentioned that he didn't want his peppermint bark, so they put his piece on my dessert! Mine also came with a thin slab of chocolate that said "Happy Birthday from the California Grill." It was magical, and I didn't want to eat the slab! I did want to eat everything else, however, so I dug in. This dessert was absolutely fabulous! And even better, right as I was finishing dessert, Wishes started, and we had a perfect view from our table. It was a magical end to an amazing dinner. California Grill is now one of my all time favorite Disney restaurants.

I love California Grill, and although it can get very pricey, I think it was worth it. This is the perfect restaurant for a special occasion, and if you are willing to wait for a Magic Kingdom view, it's worth it. We didn't even have to move to see Wishes. I would definitely return to California Grill.

Have you ever been to California Grill? What did you think of it? What did you order? Would you like to try this restaurant? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, a tweet (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

January Trip Report, Day 7

2011-01-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

There are few sadder sights...

Unfortunately, the seventh day of our trip to Walt Disney World was also the last full day. The next day we would be leaving the resort at 9 am, so we woke up to the Magical Express envelope on our door. We had no morning plans, and the only thing we knew about that day was that James' brother and his boyfriend were coming, and James' brother hadn't been to Disney in 15 years!

We started off our day by going to Epcot, as we were becoming accustomed to doing. Unfortunately, the half marathon was going on, so it took us an hour to get there. This wasn't terrible for us since we were in no rush, but I did feel bad for another family on the bus who thought we would be arriving before rope drop. We finally got there at around 9:30. We went straight for Soarin', expecting to only get Fastpasses, but the line was so short that we basically walked on! Next we hit up Test Track single rider, and soon it was almost time for World Showcase to open.

Who can resist this photo op?

I remember that they let us in the line for Maelstrom before 11, but they didn't actually start running the ride until 11:05-ish. We then toured around the World Showcase for the bazillionth time (but it never gets old!) until it was time for our lunch reservation at Le Cellier. I was nervous that it wasn't going to be as good as I'd remembered, since our lunch at Via Napoli the day before was a disappointment. I'm very pleased to say, however, that it was absolutely not the case. Le Cellier dazzled again.

The famous Le Cellier mushroom filet.

Our waiter was excellent, and once he realized that we clearly favored the pretzel bread, he brought us three sticks fresh from the oven. He also let James order a mango smoothie as a drink on the dining plan, like they had at Yachtsman Steakhouse. We were not told this was a possibility last time. James chose to order off of the three course menu, while I stuck with just an entree and dessert. I honestly can't remember what James got for an appetizer, but he got the big burger there for his entree. I decided to try the "famous" mushroom filet, even though I loved the New York Strip last time. I was in the mood for something different, I suppose. I don't even really like mushrooms, but I'm glad I ordered this dish. The risotto was very good, and the steak was excellent. I'd probably order the Strip again next time, but the filet was awesome.

James' giant burger!

For dessert, I had the famous maple creme brulee, which was awesome! James had a sorbet trio, which I believe he liked as well. If I had to rate all of the meals on our trip, I have to say, this was probably the second best. And we ate at three signature restaurants. As much as I hate to say it, I do believe that Le Cellier could go for two credits.

After lunch, we tried to avoid exploding, since James' brother and his boyfriend had arrived and were at the Studios. We took a Friendship Boat over (SLOW again, but my knee was still bothering me), and we went into tour guide mode. We knew they only had one day with us, and they were going on the highlight tour. It was around 1 pm, so Toy Story Mania was out of the question. We started at the Great Movie Ride, and next we hit the Muppets. James and his brother wanted to see the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, since it was one of the few things they remembered as a kid at Disney. It was awkward walking through all the small children, but they just wanted to see if it was like they remembered. Apparently it was. After that, James' brother and his boyfriend went on Tower of Terror while James and I shopped. After they got off, I got us free Fastpasses for Rock N Roller Coaster (which I proceeded to chicken exit from, of course) because it was my birthday. Then we decided to head over to Epcot, since it was around 4 already.

At Epcot, we continued our highlight tour, starting at Test Track single rider. The newbies weren't as thrilled as I'd hoped: one has a convertible. Next we headed over to the Land pavilion, and we let them use Soarin' Fastpasses we had gotten earlier. Next we hit up the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and finally the icon: Spaceship Earth. At this point it was a little past 6, and we decided we'd end the day with the park of all parks for newcomers: the Magic Kingdom.

We got to the Magic Kingdom turnstiles around 6:50, and we quickly realized we needed to get across Main Street fast if we wanted to beat the 7 o'clock parade. Luckily, we made it, and we arrived at Pecos Bill's just around 7. I had the bowl of meat, but I don't remember what the others ordered. We had assumed when we were done eating around 7:30 that the parade was done, but lucky us, it had just started where we were in Frontierland. So our Disney newbies got to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade. Then we high tailed it over to Main Street for Wishes.

I think Wishes was a hit, and luckily the Magic Kingdom was open until ten. So we had time to ride stuff too! We started at Adventureland, which was completely empty right after Wishes. We went to Jungle Cruise first, and I was amazed to see that our skipper was the same skipper we had in August. Only then he was earning his ears, and honestly, he wasn't a great skipper. This time, however, he was awesome! And he was totally amazed that I had remembered him from the first time. Luckily we had a boat that was really into the jokes, so we had a good time.

After Jungle Cruise, we rode Pirates, which is always a hit of course. Big Thunder was very crowded because Splash was closed, so we went right into Liberty Square. Unfortunately my favorite, the Haunted Mansion, had a 20 minute wait, and we were on a time crunch. We passed through Fantasyland, which was pretty busy for so late at night, and we headed into Tomorrowland. Here, we rode one of my favorites: the TTA! It was quite cold, but it was still a good time. And the last ride of the trip was Buzz Lightyear, which was less than a 10 minute wait. Not bad at all.

After our rides, we wandered down Main Street, and I stopped in the Confectionery for a cupcake and another chocolate caramel apple to take home. And at the Confectionery, I was Twitter recognized by a cast member that was working there! It was totally awesome! I felt famous! Finally, before we walked out of the park, we saw the kiss goodnight. I had never seen it before, so it was a fabulous end to a fabulous trip. We rode back over to All Star Movies, where James' brother and his boyfriend were staying, and we hung out until we were quite tired. Then they drove us back to our resort, where we got ready for bed. The next day, we pretty much woke up, did some last minute packing, and left. It was a great trip, however, and definitely a memorable one.

January Trip Report, Day 6

2011-01-28T00:16:00.000-05:00

Only a great boyfriend would wear these in public... after much begging from me and badgering from Twitter friends.

Since our trip was seven days long, it was starting to come to a close at this point. But that certainly didn't mean that we were done celebrating! This day was James' 21st birthday! Of course, this meant that he got to call all the shots, and his first order of business: sleeping in a little later than usual. That didn't mean that we didn't get to Epcot just after rope drop, however, and we went straight to Soarin' as usual. We were too late to ride stand by, so we grabbed Fastpasses for later and headed to Test Track. We rode together since the single rider line wasn't even open yet (this is the first time that we encountered this phenomenon), and then we hung out a bit by the exit waiting for Alison who was touring solo this day. Soon we found her, and we rode Test Track again, this time single rider.

Neither of us really cared what we should do next, so we somehow decided to head to the Seas and then the Land. At the Land, we only did Living with the Land, since the Soarin' stand by line was too long, and Alison didn't have a Fastpass. James didn't want to see Captain EO (shame on him), so after Living with the Land, we decided to tour World Showcase. We started in Canada, and along the way, we even passed Alison's parents on their Segway tour! Once we got to Italy, we separated for a while. James and I wanted to eat lunch at Via Napoli, but Alison was having dinner there later that day. She went off to do her own thing, and James and I used the Nate Parrish ADR method to get seated immediately sans reservation... at noon! It was awesome!

Unfortunately, the pizza at Via Napoli was less than awesome. Maybe my expectations were way too high, but I absolutely loved our lunch there in August. This one wasn't anything like that one. Sure, the service was great, but the pizza just wasn't the same as the first time we were there. James agreed, so I know it wasn't just me. All I can say is that almost once a week after we ate there in August, I declared that I was "in the mood for Via Napoli." Unfortunately, I haven't thought that once since we returned from our January trip. My Margherita pizza didn't look anything like I thought it should have (red sauce with clumps of cheese and basil on top... there wasn't even any basil!), and James said his quattro formaggi just wasn't the same. I won't be doing another review on this one, since I did one back in October, but bear in mind that the quality seems inconsistent.

My pizza in August - so good!

My pizza in January - quite a bit bigger for the same price, but nowhere close in quality. It doesn't even look the same!

Delicious chocolate caramel apple!

After that unfortunate disappointment, James and I continued wandering the World Showcase until I decided that I was hungry enough for the chocolate caramel apple I had been craving all day. At that point, we headed to Karamell Kuche and bought one. They even cut it up for your easy eating! A full review on this delicious new addition to the World Showcase may be coming in the future on this blog. We chose to eat it in the semi-indoor seating that Germany's counter service offers. It was actually too cold to sit outside and eat. It was delicious! I was recently introduced to chocolate caramel apples, and I must say, they are a brilliant invention!

After munching on our after lunch treat, we met back up with Alison and continued exploring the World Showcase. We proceeded to almost capsize on the Gran Fiesta Tour because, for some reason, all of the adults were seated on the right side of the boat. I swear we were an inch or two away from taking on water. After that, we capped off our early afternoon with a ride on Spaceship Earth, and then we headed back for a nap.

After our nap, I was really unsure on what I wanted to wear to James' birthday dinner at Bistro de Paris. I obviously wore a nice outfit, but it was so cold that I actually considered wearing my winter coat over it. I decided to settle on a sweatshirt that I would remove once we got to the restaurant.

James at Club Cool! Obviously that's not Beverly in his hand!

We arrived at Epcot a little a early for our 6:30 ADR, so we decided to check out Club Cool for a few pre-dinner refreshments. Beverly was as disgusting as usual, but some were quite good. I love trying the different sodas, and I especially love watching unsuspecting newbies taste what they expect will be delicious. Soon, however, it was time for dinner, so we headed around to the World Showcase.

We got up to the Bistro de Paris podium, and the first thing the hostess said to us was "Are you on the dining plan?" My first instinct was yes, to which she promptly reminded me, "We don't accept the dining plan here." Realizing that I did know this, but caught off guard, I awkwardly responded with, "I know," and she proceeded to check us in. After about five minutes, we were taken upstairs.

As with all the other table service restaurants that I have not yet reviewed, a full review of Bistro de Paris will come in the near future. In the mean time, I will say that the food was quite good but not outstanding. Although the bill was comparable to California Grill, we would return to California Grill over Bistro de Paris any day. We certainly weren't displeased, but we weren't wowed either. It was nice for James' birthday dinner, as he loves French food, but I'm not sure we would come back for a normal dinner.

My delicious dessert!

James started with the escargot, and I opted out of an appetizer. We both chose the beef entree, and it was quite good. The mashed potatoes had bits of shredded meat inside them, which was interesting. I remember enjoying the asparagus as well. For dessert, James opted out this time, but I ordered a delicious dish that came with four different things to enjoy. There was the creme brulee that I had so recently come to love, rice pudding, caramel upside down cake, and a bit of delicious creme brulee ice cream. I would 100 times order this dessert again if I could. Yum! And even though James didn't order anything, our waiter brought out a plate with "Happy Birthday" written on it with chocolate. A lit candle was in a little bit of fruit in the corner, and after James blew it out and went to the restroom, our waiter came back and lit it again while he was gone.

James' birthday surprise. It would have looked better with the flash on, but he refused to take the picture with flash.

After dinner, James stopped at the drink stand to have his first legal alcoholic beverage: the Grey Goose slushie. He said it was good, but dang that small cup was $9.50! We didn't really care if we saw IllumiNations, since we had already seen it twice this trip, so James decided he wanted to use our Fastpasses from this morning. I was very glad we were big Disney fans at this point because many people don't realize you can use Fastpasses past their time windows. Our Fastpasses said "10:18 - 11:18 am" on them, and the cast members let us through at 9:10 pm (there were extra magic hours that night) without blinking an eye. After riding Soarin', we were quite tired from James' big day, so we headed back to the room to go to sleep. The following day would be our last, but we'd also be meeting up with James' brother and his boyfriend!

First Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T01:20:00.000-05:00

I've never done a Wordless Wednesday before, and I'm not sure if I'm going to make it a "thing" or not. That said, this is my first, and I should probably stop with the words...

January Trip Report, Day 5

2011-01-24T01:09:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Hollywood! Christmas tree and billboard outside of Hollywood Studios!

Choosing a turnstile to wait at is like playing a game. A who do you trust more not to screw up the easiest task of the day game... We were obviously having a great trip, but at this point, I was going to freak out the next time someone needed to try all ten fingers to get through the turnstiles. We got to Hollywood Studios nice and early on this day because we had a mission: to ride Toy Story Mania and not wait 90 minutes. (Not that we would... we had a Touring Plan of course. I swear they don't pay me; I just really love them.) We were let through the turnstiles about 10 or 15 minutes before park open and crammed into the park waiting for the rope drop skit. While we were waiting, Ray spotted us, and we chatted a while. Finally, lights, camera, action, and we were let into the park. Ray was also headed toward Toy Story Mania, so the three of us rode at the same time. James got the highest score in our car. Afterwards, Ray was headed to the big scary rides, so we split up.

James and I headed to the Great Movie Ride where we had an extremely perky tour guide, and then we headed towards MuppetVision. James was pretty amazed when he spotted Pizza Planet. He never knew there was a "real" one. He was disappointed that there was no spaceship shaped claw machine though. Anywho, I love the Muppets. How does one become a Muppet fan because I want to be one. We walked through the Muppet store after the show, and I considered buying a shirt but ultimately chose not to. Next we briefly stopped in the Writer's Stop, and we went to the new and improved Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. The exhibit is even better than the last time we saw it (pre-refurbishment), and I love learning about Walt and Roy. We watched the short movie, and soon we headed to eat at the Studio Catering Co.

Me at One Man's Dream

I didn't love Studio Catering Co. I had a turkey club, but I got it without cheese because I don't like swiss. I guess the cheese was necessary because the sandwich was dry and bland. I didn't love it. Anyway, we cut our losses at lunch and tried to meet up with Cheryl because she was hanging out at the Studios as well. After missing each other completely, we finally met up, and we decided to ride Toy Story Mania again. Despite Cheryl's expertise, I got almost the same exact score as the first time, but this time Cheryl got best in car.

Hot AND fresh!

Next we did the Tower of Terror queue, but only James rode. Cheryl and I chicken exited. It was nice (and a little scary!) seeing the queue, though! We considered doing the Rock N Roller Coaster queue, but we decided to go see Indiana Jones instead. First we stopped at a popcorn stand, and James and I got free snacks for our birthdays! Thank you, friendly snack CM! Indiana Jones was cool as usual, and afterwards we decided to head our separate ways. Cheryl left to go to Epcot, and James and I went to take some naps before dinner.

Kona sticky wings

After our naps, we weren't sure if we should head to Epcot or Magic Kingdom before our reservation at Kona. The Disney bus system chose for us, and we went to the Magic Kingdom. After exploring the shops a bit, we saw some of the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade/show. I thought it was really cute and danced, but James wasn't into it, so we headed to the TTA. After a quick (and quite cold!) ride, we went to take the monorail to the Poly. Dinner at Kona was good, but as Cheryl had warned us, the service wasn't excellent. We started with the sticky wings, and then I had the teriyaki steak. James had some type of seafood dish. And then I had an awesome fondue for dessert! Yum!

On the floor of the Grand Floridian

I had planned to watch the Electrical Water Parade on this day, but since we had seen it the day before (and it was FREEZING), we chose to skip it. I wanted to see the big gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, so we monorail hopped over there to find that it had been taken down three days prior. Although we were disappointed, I had never been to the Grand Floridian, so I was still excited to explore. It was absolutely beautiful, but I think I might feel out of place if I stayed there. It was quite cold, so we were pretty much ready to head to the resort. After attempting (and most likely failing) to work the Disney transportation system in our favor, we finally got back to our room and went to bed, ready for James' birthday in the morning!

January Trip Report, Day 4

2011-01-21T01:41:00.000-05:00

With my backstage pass!

My birthday present from James was for us to go on the Keys to the Kingdom tour, and this day was it! We were scheduled for the 9 am tour, so we woke up at 7. Soon we were ready, dressed, I wrapped my knee, and we were at the bus stop. Once we got to the Magic Kingdom, we headed to the breakfast reservation line to get in the park before it opened. After a little scare (I momentarily thought I lost my Key to the World card, but I found it), we were in the park and headed to wear we the tour meets: package pick up. We "signed in," got name tags and temporary backstage passes, and we ordered lunch. We got to order from the full Columbia Harbor House restaurant, and I chose the BLT salad. I'm not enthused by the choices at Columbia Harbor House, but that's a blog post for another day.

After all of our fellow tourers arrived (there were 19 of us total), we were given headsets to wear so we could hear our guide the whole time. These were extremely helpful in hearing our awesome guide, Kate, and they worked great. I don't want to go too much into the details of the tour since I want to do a separate blog post about it, but I will say that it was AWESOME. It lasted until roughly 2 pm, and during the tour we rode two rides (Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion) and went backstage twice (three times if you count entering the Haunted Mansion through the "crew's quarters"). One of these times was in the Utilidors, which was very interesting to see. Of course, about halfway through, we had that lunch that we had ordered earlier. And here's something interesting, one of the people on our tour was a contractor for New Fantasyland and was doing a site visit to the Be Our Guest Restaurant the following day!

My new shirt!

During the tour, I had seen an awesome Haunted Mansion shirt that I really wanted (the Mansion is my favorite attraction, of course), so we took the Railroad over to Frontierland from where our tour ended on Main Street. We then walked to the Haunted Mansion, bought the shirt, and headed toward the park exit. Before we left, though, we stopped by Guest Relations to fill out a guest appreciation card for our awesome tour guide, Kate. Kate said her dream was to one day have Meg Crofton's job, so hopefully the many appreciation cards that I'm sure she gets will help her get there!

We went back to the resort to take a nap, and soon it was time to get ready for our dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse (yet again, a full review is coming in the future). Since we were taking Disney transportation, we decided to use a few skillful maneuvers (can you say Friendship Boat?) to get to the Yachtsman. Of course, the boats are SO slow, and at one point we wished we walked, but my knee was still bothering me, so I was glad to be sitting. Soon we arrived at the Yacht Club, and after a little getting lost... um, exploring... we were at the restaurant.

James' 24 ounce steak. So big!

Turns out at the Yachtsman, they personalize menus, so we were given special Happy Birthday menus to take home with us. So nice! Our waiter was really nice, and he told us that on the dining plan, we get a nonalcoholic beverage, and that virgin daiquiris and pina coladas were included in this. I felt like a kid who was just told she could have a Slurpee with dinner, and I ordered the daiquiri. I also ordered the 8 ounce filet (what our waiter called the "lady steak"), and James ordered lobster bisque as an appetizer and the 24 ounce Porterhouse as his entree. I was glad not to order an appetizer because I ate a TON of the onion bread that we were served. I ate so much bread that I only ate about half of my filet. Since James ate about 20 ounces of his steak, I joked that we could share one next time, and it would be perfect!

Yummy creme brulee!

After dinner, James had an interesting sorbet trio, and I had the first creme brulee of my life. Although, as it turns out, I would also have the second and third creme brulees of my life on this trip. It was SO good. I couldn't believe I had never had it before! Once I had eaten my fill, we left and James changed into "street clothes" from his more formal ones. Many tweeps had been hanging out at the Studios all day, so we decided to see where they were. But here was the problem: they were at the Contemporary, but the Magic Kingdom was closed. This is a nightmare for someone using Disney transporation...

Image from Nicole. 3/6 of #collegestudentsunite, as she said!

It took us a whopping HOUR to get from the Yacht Club to the Contemporary, especially since I'm not sure we did it the quickest way. We entered Epcot's International Gateway, and speed walked through the park. At the front, we hopped on the Tronorail to the TTC. At this point, we probably should have walked to the Contemporary, but my knee was still bothering me, so we took the resort monorail which took FOREVER. Finally, 55 minutes later, we made it to the Contemporary and met up with Nicole, Todd, Cheryl, Alison, Chris, Megan, and Shane. We met in the Contempo Cafe, and it was awesome to meet people I have been talking with on Twitter for so long! Many hugs were given! Megan, Cheryl, and Nicole were staying at Bay Lake Tower, so we snuck in to the Top of the World lounge to wait for the Electric Water Parade to come around. The lounge was awesome, and we hung out outside and all chatted for a while. (The picture to the left is from Nicole's phone. I think James has a camera quality one somewhere, but you get the point!)

After the Water Parade, some of us exchanged numbers, some went to bed, and the rest of us were driven back to our resorts by the very generous Todd (although his chauffeur services were actually offered by Cheryl who, incidentally, was not part of the carpool). But really, thanks Todd! Otherwise we would've had to get a taxi, I suppose! Once back at our room, we pretty much conked out. We were tired, and we had a fun filled day at the Studios ahead of us!

January Trip Report, Day 3

2011-01-19T01:02:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a picture of the Main Street Train Station?

I'm not sure if any day I've ever had could match up to my 19th birthday, but the rest of our trip was certainly awesome as well. And that awesomeness continued at the Magic Kingdom. We had an 8:30 am ADR at Crystal Palace for breakfast, and I was very excited to get into the Magic Kingdom before it opened! We arrived at the park at around 8:05, and we took our time walking up Main Street, stopping to take plenty of pictures. We even stopped to take some castle photos with a Photopass photographer, but honestly, the one she took with my camera came out just as good as they one they're trying to sell to me.

Crystal Palace is a beautiful building

By 8:15, we were at Crystal Palace, and by 8:20 we were sitting down. A full review of Crystal Palace is coming in the near future, but in the mean time, I will say that it was quite a good breakfast! It is a little pricey, like all Disney buffets, but the character interaction is awesome. The food is quite good as well! They have all your normal staples like scrambled eggs and bacon, but they also have some different foods like chocolate Mickey waffles, breakfast pizza, and puffed French toast (okay, those last two were from the kid's buffet... so sue me). We got to meet Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, and, of course, Winnie the Pooh! We got some great pictures, and at one point, the kids did a parade around the restaurant... very cute! We also got free cupcakes for our birthdays!

James and I on Buzz!

By around 9:15, we were ready to go, and we were just a little behind on our Touring Plan. We skip Space Mountain anyway, so we headed straight to Buzz. After James beat me (again), we went directly to Fantasyland. We saw the new Winnie the Queue, which was cute. The honey wall was cool, but I did have a "I can't believe I'm touching this" feeling. I try not to think about how germy it probably is. Anyway, we waited 15 minutes for Peter Pan afterwards, a certain sign that we were a little lagging on our Touring Plan. But I love Peter Pan, so I didn't mind too much. Next we hit the new-and-improved (I mean the loading system, of course) it's a small world, and soon we were over in Liberty Square for my all time favorite attraction: the Haunted Mansion!

Magic Kingdom Christmas tree

The line for Big Thunder was crazy by this time (presumably because Splash was closed), so we grabbbed Fastpasses and headed to Pirates. I love Pirates, but I absolutely hate when people use flash photography on it. I mean seriously, I'm sure you're not getting good pictures anyway. Please don't ruin my time because you want some blurry photos. Ranting aside, we enjoyed Pirates and headed to Jungle Cruise next. Our skipper wasn't bad, but she didn't really have any jokes I've never heard before (then again, I've been on the ride so many times, I may have heard them all). Next we headed back over to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain with our Fastpasses. James was amazed at the efficiency of the Fastpass system because we walked right on the ride. And then we were ready for lunch at good old Pecos Bill's.

Christmas at the Magic Kingdom

James had the big burger with the onion ring on top, and I had chili cheese fries for lunch, since I wasn't terribly hungry. I proceeded to essentially break the self-serve kiosk with my Disney gift card (apparently they have to restart the computer when you put one in... but it doesn't say that anywhere!), but soon we were eating and planning our next moves. We decided to hit Mickey's Philharmagic and then head into Tomorrowland for the TTA and the Carousel of Progress. And then some pixie dust came into my life, and I met Push! I had always heard about Push, but I had never seen him in real life. But on this day, somehow I was just walking along, and suddenly a talking trash can was in front of me! He sang happy birthday to me, and he asked for a hug. And gosh darn it, I gave that adorable little trash can his hug. At this point, all the children in a half mile radius had surrounded us, so I left Push with them. I must say, Push stays very close to his "bodyguard," but when you're talking to him, you don't even notice. Push is one of those very Disney things that I just love. They don't have to do that, but they do. I love it.

Nothing puts you in a Disney mindset like a picture of Cinderella castle

At this point, we were exhausted, so we headed back to the resort for a nap. Unfortunately, at this point, my knee was killing me. To make a short story shorter, I have tendonitis in my knee from running. I haven't run in months because the tendonitis acts up after about half a mile. And on this, I made a fatal error in our trip: I skipped down Main Street USA. Which caused my tendonitis to act up. And it turns out when you walk three to eight miles a day in a theme park, tendonitis doesn't go away. I popped some Advil, hoped I would sleep it off, and when we awoke, we decided to go over to Epcot.

Me with our piggy at the Great Piggy Bank Adventure

We started at the Great Piggy Bank Adventure (so cute!), and we decided to have dinner at Sunshine Seasons. I thought it was good but not phenomenal. (At this point, my knee was bothering me so much that I almost decided to go to First Aid and try to get some kind of knee brace. But I didn't want to waste our time going all the way over by the Odyssey, so I chose not to.) Next we headed into James' favorite store, Mousegear, and we hung out a bit with our favorite Mousegear employee, Jillian! She had to skedaddle after a while, though, and we decided to tour the World Showcase.

Turns out that many of the pavilions in the World Showcase have a quiz about their country, and James and I got a kick about going to all the different pavilions and seeing how much we knew. We did alright on Canada, well on the UK, aced the American Adventure, and totally failed at German knowledge. Along our travels I also got a kaki-gori in Japan, and by the time we got around to Norway, it was 8:50, so we settled down for IllumiNations.

Afterwards, we decided not to rush out of the park, and we hung out, listening to the Tapestry of Nations loop. I don't think I ever got to see that parade (I certainly don't remember it if I did), but I love the music. When the loop ended, we finally walked out of Epcot and got on a bus to go back to the resort after another great day. (For those of you that are wondering, though, World Showcase is never a good idea with a bad knee, and I was really hurting when we were on our way out of Epcot. It was so bad that I actually looked up wheelchair rental prices for the following day, although luckily we didn't have to do that! If you ever have a bad knee, ice and rest it, not run it ragged like me!) Although we didn't get to our resort until past 10:30 that day, we went to bed right away because we had Keys to the Kingdom the next morning to look forward to!

January Trip Report, Day 2

2011-01-17T01:10:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, it was my birthday. And I don't think there are many things more magical than being at Walt Disney World on your birthday. I sort of felt like I was in a dream, and I never wanted to wake up! James and I woke up at 7 (my birthday, my rules, and I wanted to be at Epcot for rope drop!), and quickly got ready. When I woke up, I already had a few birthday wishes from my fantabulous tweeps, and got quite a few more when I excitedly tweeted, "YAY it's my BIRTHDAY and I'm at DISNEY WORLD!" I was very happy. I put on the birthday ears I had purchased the day before, and before I knew it, we were headed to the food court. For my All Star breakfast at the All Star Music, I had the All Star Bounty Platter, of course!

Once we got on our bus, the magic had already started. There were only six or seven of us on the bus to Epcot, and our bus driver put an announcement over the speaker system on the bus that it was my birthday! It was so awesome! We arrived at the turnstiles at around 8:30, and then the wait began. Luckily, we decided to wait at the open turnstile most to the right, so when they opened more to the right of us, we scurried over and were the second group in line! Christmas music was playing instead of the normal Epcot entrance loop (which is one of my favorites), but I didn't mind.

At around 8:50, they opened the turnstiles, we scanned through, and then we did our "Soarin' walk" up to the next holding area. At 9, the characters came out, welcomed us to the park, and soon we were doing our Soarin' walk to Soarin'! We requested to be in the top row, and we were in the middle section... so awesome! Soarin' really takes my breath away, and it's my second favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World. I absolutely love the score, the smell... I wish I was there right now!

Anyway, like any good Touring Plan follower, we headed to Test Track next, and we walked right through the single rider line. I love the part outside, but I absolutely hate the part with the truck right before you get to the break away doors. After Test Track, we decided to skip Mission: Space, so we headed over to the Seas pavilion. It cracks James up every time that the queue for the Nemo ride is SO long, but the ride is seemingly always a walk on. It takes five minutes just to walk through the line! Once we found Nemo (in the biiiig bluuuue world), we managed to get into Turtle Talk right as the show was about to start. Perfect timing, and Crush was awesome! He kept saying "totes," which reminded me of Katie and kinda cracked me up, and he was the funniest Crush I've ever seen in the show. A+ to that Crush.

We are here to change the world!

Next we headed back to the Land pavilion for Living with the Land. I enjoy the attraction, but the seats on that darn boat are so uncomfortable! Then we hit Journey into Your Imagination and Captain EO! James fell asleep in Captain EO (Mike would consider this a travesty), but I loved it as usual. The only thing about Captain EO is that you can never truly believe that you're watching Captain EO. You always know you're watching Michael Jackson, and they don't let you forget that. Not that I'm complaining, just observing. This time I actually left my feet on the ground instead of keeping them up on the seat, but I didn't like the whipping effect. Next time, I'll probably keep my feet elevated again. Thanks for scarring me, Honey I Shrunk the Audience...

Epcot Christmas tree

After some brief pre-lunch refreshments at Club Cool, I decided I wanted to have my birthday lunch at the new-and-improved Cantina de San Angel. James and I both ordered the tacos de carne, and I thought they were good. I would definitely have them again, but I might try something different next time I went before resorted back to them. I had churros for dessert, and while they were good, they certainly weren't anything I couldn't get at any other park (except apparently the Magic Kingdom less than an hour before park closing, as we learned the day before...). Next we rode the Gran Fiesta Tour (donde esta Donald?), Maelstrom at Norway, and we were on our way around the World Showcase!

Kim Possible Recruitment Center in Future World

We stopped at a Kim Possible Recruitment Center along the way, and by the time we made it to Italy in our touring, it was time for our mission! We did the Japan and France missions this time, and we have done the Germany and UK missions in the past. So far, Japan is my favorite! Some of the effects are really cool, and it was actually a little bit of a tough mission! After we saved the world from two of the seven villains, we decided to let some other agents finish up and continued touring the World Showcase sans Kimmunicator. Our last ride of the day was Spaceship Earth, where we thanked the Phoenicians, smelled Rome burn, and were welcomed to our future! Then we headed back to the room for a nap before dinner.

Dressed up for my birthday dinner!

Once we were refueled and ready to go, we got ready for my birthday dinner at California Grill! After much deliberation, I finally decided that is where I wanted to eat on my birthday, and I was so pleased with that decision. We took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then got on the monorail to head to the Contemporary. James loves the Contemporary, so he was very pleased. After wandering the lobby and gift shops for a bit, we decided to head downstairs to check in. We were given a buzzer for our table, and then we were escorted upstairs in a special elevator (this was awesome, by the way). Our buzzer actually started buzzing while we were in the elevator, but once we got to the top, I requested a window table with a Magic Kingdom view. The host offered us an Epcot view in the wine room, but I told him I would wait for a castle view. Any other time, I wouldn't have minded, but this was my birthday, and I wanted to see the castle while I ate. I made my reservation two hours before the fireworks intending to wait for a Magic Kingdom view. I did not have to wait, however, as our host pulled some strings and sat us at a table for four (even though it was just James and I). I kid you not when I say I sat down in my seat at the table and was looking directly at Cinderella castle. I swear we must have had the best view in the whole restaurant. It was perfect.

The view from my seat

Our waitress at California Grill was excellent, and soon we had ordered. We were on the dining plan, so our meals only included a non-alcoholic beverage, entree, and dessert (for two table service credits). That said, it was my birthday, and I was not limiting myself to that. For our first course, James and I shared a three cheese flatbread that was delicious. Then for our second course, James had mussels, and I had ham covered rabbit. That is a huge step out of my comfort zone because I'm a very picky eater, and I honestly didn't like the rabbit, but I'm very proud of myself for trying something new! Next, James and I both had the oak grilled filet as our entrees. It was excellent, and a more detailed review of this restaurant is certainly coming in the next few weeks.

At this point, it was approximately 7:30, and our entrees had just been taken away. Only dessert was left, and there were only 30 minutes until the fireworks. It was absolutely perfect timing. I was worried initially that two hours would be too long to spend at California Grill, but as Alli and Sam had assured me, it was just right. Especially since we ordered all those courses. Dessert was chocolate molten lava cake with eggnog ice cream (though we chose to have vanilla instead) and peppermint bark. And mine came with a happy birthday sign on a piece of chocolate! So awesome! Just as I finished dessert, Wishes began, and we had a perfect view from our table. Everything was just so amazing.

After we paid, I had the crazy idea that we could possibly make it IllumiNations for an epic night of double fireworks. So we got on the monorail and attempted it. And I wore heels because I accidentally brought along two left flip flops. We had just gotten on the monorail to Epcot with 18 minutes to go, and we arrived at the park with just five left. I was running in my heels like it was no one's business, and we got to World Showcase Lagoon Plaza with about a minute to spare. Nevertheless, I was able to see almost everything from our spot (the water portions were all I couldn't see), and it was amazing as usual. As I tweeted at 9:26 that night, "Epcot, California Grill, Wishes, AND IllumiNations. Best birthday EVER!" And then it was back to the room to prepare for the next day.

January Trip Report, Day 1

2011-01-13T23:39:00.002-05:00

It's true, everyone! What you've all been (hopefully) waiting for is finally here! My trip report! It's hard to believe that a week ago today (last Thursday, that is), I was hanging out with Cheryl in Hollywood Studios or eating sticky wings at Kona Cafe, but I was. And now it's finally time to tell you about it! Starting from the very beginning, of course, at day one.

I would be lying if I told you I didn't tear up when our gate attendant at the airport said the words "your plane will be diverted to Baltimore." I was not at Baltimore. I was in New York, and I wanted to get on a plane, gosh darn it! Alas, it was too foggy for the plane we were supposed to get on to land, and it was all I could do to ask for pixie dust on Twitter and play games on my phone until we knew more. Luckily, a while later, we were told that our plane was diverted to Albany instead, and just to fill up before returning for another try at a landing. And finally, two hours later than scheduled, we got on an airplane to Orlando International Airport.

The plane ride was mostly uneventful. James and I watched Beauty and the Beast, and I did some crossword puzzles. We ate peanuts and airplane shaped crackers. Oh, and our pilot told us our 2.5 hour flight would take almost 4 hours due to wind. Awesome, right? So yes, if you're keeping count, the plane that was supposed to arrive at 12:30 didn't land until 4pm. Woohoo? All that really matters is that we made it, I suppose.

Soon, we were on Disney's Magical Express, and we were on our way to the most magical place on Earth! The DME video was the same, but there was a short Let the Memories Begin video that prefaced it. I teared up a little then too, but I bet you would too. Much faster than I expected, we were on Disney property, and I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of the entrance! Nevertheless, we had arrived, and after short stops at Coronado Springs and All Star Sports, we made it to All Star Music.

We checked in, James and I got birthday pins, and soon we were throwing stuff in our room before heading to Hollywood Studios. A short note on the check-in: I had elected not to do online check-in both for the purpose of research for this blog and because last time when we did online check-in, we got the second to last room in the last building. This time, in regular check-in, we got a room in the middle of the second to last building. So take that as you will.

Anywho, I had distinct plans on making it to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights, and gosh darn it I was going to see them no matter how late our plane arrived. I thanked my lucky stars that we had arrived (only?) four hours later than planned, and we got to the Osborne Lights around 6:15 pm. Later than the 5:30 I was hoping for, but we got to see them, so no matter. The lights were amazing (and it was snowing!), but we only stayed for one song at first, since James was starving.

We headed over to the nearest counter service we could find, which was ABC Commissary. I had never eaten here before, and honestly I probably never will again. James had a chicken and bleu cheese sandwich, and I had a surf and turf burger (aka a burger with three fried shrimp on top, which James ate for me). James said his sandwich was okay, my burger was bland, and he didn't like the shrimp. The meal was the ultimate meh, though the chocolate mousse for dessert was good! After quickly finishing, we headed back to the Osborne Lights to wander a bit, see one more song, and search for the infamous black cat (we found it, by the way!). After a while, the flashing lights were giving James a headache, so we headed back over to the shops on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. After a bit of window shopping, we decided that we weren't quite ready to leave the parks, so we chose to hit up the Magic Kingdom.

Hollywood Studios Christmas tree

The line for the Magic Kingdom bus was extremely long, so we used our knowledge of Walt Disney World to walk right on to the bus to the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian. Even smarter versions of ourselves would have walked to the Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary, but we wanted to ride the monorail instead. Finally we made it to the Magic Kingdom, and we headed straight to the TTA. We also grabbed Fastpasses for Buzz for later while in Tomorrowland, and then we asked a cast member where the nearest churro stand was. Obviously I should have asked Twitter instead since she gave us an incorrect answer (she made us go to Frontierland, while we later found there's one in Fantasyland). And thus began the Great Churro Adventure of 2011.

Giant wreath at the Contemporary

After walking all the way from Tomorrowland to Frontierland (right before a parade, mind you... the cast members weren't pleased with us walking in the middle of the street), we simply couldn't find the churro stand. Cast members were sending us up and down the street for this mystery stand, until finally we spotted the only stand that was closed. I asked the cast member at the neighboring stand if that's where they sell churros and, what do you know, Magic Kingdom stops selling churros one hour before park closing. Regardless of extra magic hours. So here I was at 9:10 pm, knowing that there were extra magic hours until 1 am, yet ten minutes late for a churro. To make myself feel better, we headed to Sleepy Hollow, and I got an ice cream soda. And, bonus, we got to see the Main Street Electrical Parade while we ate. Everything was right with the world again.

Before leaving, we hit Buzz with our Fastpasses, and then we were ready to get a good night's sleep before my birthday!

No icicle lights after January 1, unforunately. Luckily the castle is still beautiful all year round.

To see all the photos from our trip to Walt Disney World, click here!

January trip photos!

2011-01-12T01:00:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately I'm back from my January trip, but fortunately, I took some photos for everyone to see! I didn't take as many as I was planning since I got caught up in the moment quite a few times and didn't remember to take any photos. But hey, it happens. My trip report will begin on Wednesday, but in the mean time, here are my photos to whet your appetite! To see them, simply click on the thumbnail above, and you'll be taken to the album on Picasa. Hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year and Happy Disney Trip!

2010-12-31T19:32:00.000-05:00

This will most certainly be my last post of 2010 (there's less than five hours left!), and I'd like to thank all of you for making it a wonderful year. 2010 was the year I discovered the Disney community. 2010 was the year I started this blog. 2010 was the year I met tons of amazing people on Twitter and some in person! 2010 was the year I had my most epic Disney trip to date. 2010 was the year I faced my fears and conquered Splash Mountain. If I have ever spoken to you on Twitter, if you have ever commented on this blog, and even if you've read it without commenting, I am very thankful to have connected with you this year. Here's to hoping 2011 will be even bigger and better! I hope I get to meet even more of my Twitter friends and blog readers! I hope my Disney trips only get more epic! And I hope my circle of friends and readers grows even more so than it has already.

And speaking of 2011 being bigger and better, I'm kicking it off with another trip to Walt Disney World in just TWO days! Follow me on Twitter (@discollegeblog) because I'll be posting tons of pictures! I won't be blogging during this trip at all, but I do anticipate having TONS to blog about when I get back. So I'll see you all then, and I hope you all have a very happy new year!

Review: Pecos Bill's

2010-12-28T00:31:00.002-05:00

Pecos Bill's Ordering Kiosk

I let my sister choose which counter service restaurant I should blog about today, and she chose Pecos Bill's because it's one of her favorites. And it's one of mine too! Previously to our most recent trip, I had only ordered burgers there because they're delicious! But on our last trip, in August, I decided to switch it up and order the infamous "bowl of meat" (more commonly known as taco salad).

Pecos Bill's can get crazy crowded, especially during busy times of year, but the place is huge. They're one of the few places on property with ordering kiosks (see blurry picture to the left), and I found them very easy to use. We simply pressed the buttons for what we wanted, and scanned our card through since we were paying with dining plan credits. Then we took our receipt up to the counter, where they were already putting together our meal. As I said, I ordered the taco salad, and James ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Since we were on the dining plan, we were able to order desserts as well, but they weren't great. The only two choices were yogurt and carrot cake, so we settled for the yogurt. It was good, but it was nothing exciting.

Blurry photo of my bowl o' meat.

Of course the main event of Pecos Bill's is the fixin's bar. And the main event of the fixin's bar is the hot cheese. I love the hot cheese, and I put tons of it on my taco salad. In fact, as a result of the fixin's bar, be warned that if you order the taco shell, you will be given a large bowl of meat in a big tortilla bowl. They expect that you'll top it yourself, so don't be alarmed if your taco salad looks a little naked. I decided to put lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese on my taco salad, while James just took some ketchup for his fries. Other toppings bar options include other condiments, grilled onions, and pickles.

I have nothing bad to say about our entrees at Pecos Bill's because they were awesome! In fact, the only negative I could think about for this restaurant is the "meh" dessert options. But that's certainly no reason to skip it, and most people don't get desserts at counter service restaurants anyway. Entrees at Pecos Bill's range from $7 to $9, and you can see the menu here on allears.net.

What do you think of Pecos Bill's? Love it? Hate it? Say it Peeeeee-kos Bill's like Matt Hochberg? What do you usually order? And do you love the hot cheese as much as I do? Let me know your thoughts on Pecos Bill's in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

This post was featured in the fifteenth DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival! Click the link to see more great Disney articles!

Review: Tangierine Cafe

2010-12-22T01:14:00.000-05:00

Please excuse me if this blog starts to resemble the Disney Food Blog for a week or two. I am by no means stealing AJ's terrific blog idea. The thing is, I have a trip coming up in eleven days, and I still have a few topics left over to blog about from my August trip. And all of those topics are counter service restaurant reviews. They've all been left so long because I tried to space them out, so the blog wouldn't become a food blog. But now the clock is ticking, and I'd like to get all or most of the reviews done with before my next trip. So here's the first part of our two week counter service series: the Tangierine Cafe.


I deemed the tables cute and took a photo.

I was excited to try the Tangierine Cafe because I'd heard many great things about it. I was also a little wary because I'd never had Moroccan food before, and I can be a very picky eater. Nevertheless, after our 12:50 ADR at Le Cellier, we were finally hungry again around 8 pm, and since we were waiting around in World Showcase for IllumiNations, I figured it was the perfect time to try this restaurant.

The first thing I noticed about the Tangierine Cafe is that it's very dissimilar looking to the other counter service restaurants in Walt Disney World. Inside, it looked like what I assume a take out restaurant would look like in Morocco. The second thing I noticed was the absolutely adorable tables and chairs (see the above picture). Anyway, I wasn't feeling overly adventurous, so I decided to try the chicken platter. James was slightly more adventurous, trying the chicken and lamb combo platter. Both platters came with hummus, bread, couscous, and a green salad type thing. The meats were covered with a white sauce. Also, since we were on the dining plan, our meals came with a dessert of baklava.

My chicken platter.

James' chicken and lamb combo platter.

We took our meals to an outdoor table and sat down, listening to MoRockin in the background. My favorite part of my meal was the hummus and bread. The couscous was good, but I wasn't a fan of the green salad. As for the chicken, I didn't love the white sauce too much. Also, the chicken was a little too moist for me (although that might have partially been because of the 99% humidity that day). I wasn't a huge fan of my meal here, and neither was James. Maybe we're just not Moroccan food people, but we weren't thrilled. That said, nothing was bad. It just wasn't our style. I know for a fact that many love this restaurant, but I guess it just wasn't for us.

Tangierine Cafe is located in Epcot's Morocco pavilion, and the counter service meals range from about $9 to $14 or one counter service dining credit. The menu can be found here at allears.net.

What do you think of Tangierine Cafe? Do you love it? Hate it? Never tried it? What do you usually order? Let me know your thoughts on this Moroccan eatery in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Spotlight: Goofy's Candy Company

2010-12-19T23:51:00.000-05:00

Gawrsh! Now that finals are over, I am back again! Getting ready for Christmas, and getting ready for my next trip to Walt Disney World in less than TWO weeks! What a wonderful time of the year! That said, I still have some stuff I wanted to write about from my LAST trip in August, and one of those things is Goofy's Candy Company!

Have you ever been to Goofy's Candy Company? If you love sweets like me, it's awesome! There is a ton of candy and sweets, and my favorite part is the make your own treat section. You can choose your treat base to be an apple, marshmallows, pretzels, and more! My favorite is the "fudge cookie," which is essentially a giant Oreo. Yum! You can then have it dipped in milk chocolate, white chocolate, or caramel. Then there are topping such as peanuts, M&Ms, and sprinkles. The first topping is included, and additional toppings cost extra. Then your treat gets drizzled with even more chocolate! So delicious!

My make-your-own treat! A fudge cookie with milk chocolate and M&Ms!

To make your own treat, simply go to the counter at Goofy's Candy Company in Downtown Disney, fill out a form, and pay for it. Then you get to watch the cast members make them! Prices range from around $3 to $6 for a treat with a dip and one topping. I believe only the marshmallows (you get four on a stick) are included as a snack on the dining plan. But the other snacks are totally worth paying cash! Mine was delicious, and I ate a little each day when we would get back to our resort at night. I highly recommend them!

Have you ever made a treat at Goofy's Candy Company? What are your favorite treats and toppings? Do you buy other sweets and goodies instead? Let me know what you think about this yummy shop in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Wanted: Counter Service Suggestions

2010-12-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

A while back, I wrote a post about how counter service restaurants in Walt Disney World can help you expand your horizons, and I do think that I did expand my horizons on our trip. I tried Tangierine Cafe, Yakitori House, Earl of Sandwich, and more! Reviews of all these counter service restaurants are coming in the future, but for now, I'm gearing up for my January trip. Which means I'm back to thinking about counter service and trying new things. I'd like to try some more new counter service restaurants on this trip, but I really don't know what's the best.

In Magic Kingdom, Pecos Bill's is always our fallback, but I have eaten at Cosmic Ray's as well. I know that Magic Kingdom isn't known for it's food variety, and I'm not even sure that I want to give up our semi-traditional visit to Pecos Bill's (I really do love it there). Then again, who couldn't use a change now and again? As for Epcot, I've tried Electric Umbrella, but I'm looking for something a little... more than that. I thought Tangierine Cafe and Yakitori House were both okay, and I'm not a fan of the Lotus Blossom Cafe. But even if I skip all those, there are so many other choices in Epcot! It's so hard to choose!

I have even less counter service experience in Hollywood Studios. I've honestly, as far as I can remember, only eaten at Backlot Express because there's really nowhere to eat when it's a million degrees in August! I'm definitely up for food suggestions here, since January will hopefully make outdoor seating more desirable. As for Animal Kingdom, I don't recall ever eating counter service here, and I'm not sure that we'll even be in Animal Kingdom for a meal on our upcoming trip. But I'm open to suggestions to eat here as well!

So it's up to you, readers, to help me out here. What are your favorite counter service restaurants in the parks? In the resorts? In Downtown Disney? Anywhere! I'm open to any and all suggestions, so I can make a mental list of places to try. Let me know your favorites in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

January Trip Schedule!

2010-12-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

It's true, another trip is rapidly approaching for us! We have a tentative schedule, but it could change at the drop of a hat with my indecisive self in charge of it. Let me know if you'll be in the area when I'm down; I'd love to have some kind of tweet up! Anyway, on with the schedule!

Sunday, January 2: It's cheaper to fly in on the 3rd, but the 3rd is my birthday, and I insisted that it would be a no travel day. We're flying in on Southwest, and hopefully we'll be at the resort and checked in by 2:30-ish. We'll probably hit Epcot first and eat at Via Napoli or Beaches and Cream for dinner. We want to explore the Boardwalk/Beach Club area (especially the Christmas decorations!), and then we'll head over to the Studios for the Osborne Lights. After our fill of the Lights, we'll probably head over to Magic Kingdom evening extra magic hours for a while until we head back to go to sleep.

Monday, January 3: My birthday! I decided that my birthday would be our Epcot rope drop day, since Epcot is my favorite park. We'll spend at least the first part of the day in Epcot, and then play the rest by ear until dinner. Thanks to all the suggestions from my readers a while back, we will have dinner at the California Grill, which I am totally excited to try! Hopefully it'll be a great day!

Tuesday, January 4: This is our Magic Kingdom day since we have an 8:30 am ADR at Crystal Palace (although I'm secretly aiming to arrive closer to 8:15, so we can get in the park sooner and, after breakfast, on rides sooner). I may face my fears and ride Space Mountain, and I may not. Regardless, it will certainly be an excellent day!

Wednesday, January 5: Hopefully we'll start this day with a Keys to the Kingdom tour! We haven't booked it yet (James should be booking it tomorrow as his birthday present to me!), but we're hoping for the 9 am tour on this day. Other than that, we have no concrete plans besides an ADR at Yachtsman for dinner!

Thursday, January 6: This might be the only day that we really have packed. We decided that we didn't need a whole day for the Studios (we don't do the big, scary, time-consuming-line rides) or for Animal Kingdom, so we're going to combine them. We'll hit the Studios first for Toy Story Mania (which was closed during our August trip), Muppets (which was closed from technical difficulties on that trip), and hopefully some of the shows that we didn't get to see in August (because it's far too hot to sit in those outdoor theaters in August). Then we'll head over to Animal Kingdom to see Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo (both of which I've never seen!). We're not sure exactly when we're going to transition from the Studios to the Kingdom or even if this plan will work. For all we know, we'll need a nap after the Studios part and hit up Animal Kingdom another day. We'll see how that goes. We also have dinner that night at Kona, and I was hoping we could catch the Electrical Water Pageant after, since we've never seen it.

Friday, January 7: This is James' 21st birthday, so I decided that his birthday present from me would be dinner at Bistro de Paris (because he loves French food, and it's a present because I would be paying cash, since they don't accept (our free) dining credits). Other than that, it's up to James. We really have no plans for the day unless he decides to try to drink around the World. If he does, I'll be following him around, watching and making sure he doesn't make any bad decisions. Epcot does have evening extra magic hours this day, so we may be hanging out there for a while.

Saturday, January 8: Our last full day... already? This is really an open book day, but we'll probably spend some of it at Epcot since we have a lunch ADR at Le Cellier (the only restaurant on this trip that we've already been to... well except Via Napoli and Beaches and Cream, but we wouldn't use dining credits for those anyway). Originally I had a dinner ADR at Biergarten for this day (and I still do, but we're not sure if we're going to use it), but we loved our lunch at Le Cellier so much in August, we just needed to go back! Other than the lunch and the possible dinner, Saturday is really an open book.

Sunday, January 9: Now it's time to say goodbye... Disney's Magical Express will be picking us up bright and early to take us back to reality. Hopefully by then we'll have another trip in our minds, to distract us until next time!

So that's our trip! IllumiNations will certainly be in there somewhere (possibly multiple times), and I also really want to see Yehaa Bob. I'm sure we'll also want to go to Downtown Disney for a bit. We'll play all that stuff by ear, though. Again, if anyone will be around between January 2 - 9, let me know!

What do you think of my trip schedule? Too planned? Not planned enough? What do you think of my ADRs? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Check it out: MouseVent

2010-12-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

Hello lovely readers! Sorry it's been a while. Life has temporarily gotten the best of me, but seeing as how I have another Walt Disney World trip coming up in 27 days, I need to finish the blog posts about my August trip! About time, right? But before all that, I have something a little more time sensitive to write about today...

Have you heard of MouseVent yet? If you haven't, you certainly need to read this! MouseVent is an "audio advent calendar for Disney fans." For those of you who aren't Christmas-celebrators, advent calendars are countdowns to Christmas where children often get some type of candy or treat on each day leading up to December 25th. In this case however, every day in December until Christmas day (December 25), there is a new audio clip from your favorite Disney personalities.

MouseVent contributors so far have included the Inside the Magic podcast, the Wedway Radio podcast, and the Disney-famous Yehaa Bob Jackson! With a line-up like that, how can you go wrong? Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you should listen to MouseVent! To listen to MouseVent, either visit mousevent.com each day or subscribe on iTunes. Subscribing is easiest since the new podcasts will download automatically. You can also follow MouseVent on Twitter and read an interview with MouseVent creator Alan Hooper at my friend's blog, The Dragyn's Lair. I'm loving MouseVent so far, and I hope you'll check it out and enjoy it as well!

Have you been listening to MouseVent? Are you going to start now? Who have been your favorite contributors so far? Let me know your thoughts on this innovative advent calendar in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Disney Goes Gowalla

2010-11-18T23:11:00.000-05:00

Image from the Disney Parks Blog

I'm sure you're all aware of this (if the 70 Gowalla friend requests I got in the past 24 hours mean anything), but the Disney Parks Blog announced yesterday that Disney and Gowalla are teaming up together. Yes, this means that my post from last week is no longer up-to-date, since I mentioned Foursquare in depth and Gowalla not at all, but I'm willing to overlook that for this HUGE step that Disney is taking. They are truly embracing technology, and this is one of those times that I really think that Disney does listen to us. We want to check in, we want cool badges, and we think this is awesome! Or at least I do.

The one thing that I wasn't a huge fan of is that they went with Gowalla over Foursquare. I do understand why they did it (thanks to Cliff's insight in the Betamouse Friendfeed room), what with the fact that you can add pictures to your check-ins. Also, there this cool feature on Gowalla called "trips," where you can create a trip that consists of multiple locations, and then (I assume) you get a special badge (pin? stamp? whatever they're called on Gowalla) when you've checked into the different parts of that "trip." And it looks like Disney's created some cool trips, along with tons of unique badges. It's awesome, but I prefer my good old Foursquare.

I was having some issues with Gowalla when I first tried it out yesterday (it wouldn't let me check-in to a place I was at because it thought I was too far away), but I'd like to think that all the bugs will be worked out if you used it in Walt Disney World. I also would like to think that there could, eventually, be real rewards for checking into places, like a discount for checking into a restaurant or store or even a cool real-life sticker or badge. I think this Disney plus Gowalla thing has some real potential, and I honestly hope that Disney does more with it. Though I'd probably be perfectly happy just to use it, even if they left it alone. Way to go, Disney. I'm proud of you.

What do you think about the Disney/Gowalla announcement? Did you join/download immediately like many others? Are you excited to try it out? Or do you not plan on using it? Let me know what you think in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Ride Wimp 2: Space Mountain

2010-11-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

Image from DisneyWorld.com

Some of you readers may remember back in May when I confessed that I was afraid to ride Splash Mountain. I really wanted to ride it because I was in love with the audio, but I was terrified. Somehow I overcame that fear, and I conquered it! I even liked most of it, except for the jerky part in the dark. And speaking of jerky things in the dark, my next fear is Space Mountain.

I almost rode Space Mountain courtesy of a friend's very persuasive children, but a 70 minute wait bailed me out of that one. Nevertheless, it made me think: if a five year old isn't afraid to ride Space Mountain, why am I? Well, honestly, it's the darkness probably. The fact that I can't see where I'm going freaks me out. Roller coasters freak me out in general, and I figure that added to the dark factor just makes it bad news for me. I mean, the short dark jerky part of Splash Mountain sometimes makes me rethink riding that (the long drop, ironically, didn't bother me). Also, I can't sit next to James, so he can't hold me in my seat (I really dislike being thrown around, which is another reason I often skip roller coasters, and I hear Space Mountain is really jerky). So I suppose being alone plus disliking roller coasters plus the darkness. But I am sort of curious what I'm missing. And I do sort of want to conquer it just for the sake of conquering it. And then I could have officially completed the Triple Mountain Whammy.

So what do you think? Should I just stop being a baby and ride the darn thing? Are my fears well founded, and I shouldn't push myself? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Social Media in the Parks

2010-11-10T00:22:00.000-05:00

One of the new great things about going to Disney parks is the social media aspect. Ten years ago, you probably went to a Disney park, shared the experience with a friend or two or your family, and maybe took some pictures. Now, the whole experience is much different.

If you've spent any reasonable amount of time on Twitter, you see that people are always tweeting from the parks. Whether it's Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or a lucky duck in an international park, you'd be hard pressed to find a day where someone isn't tweeting from a Disney location. When you're on the tweeting end, however, it can make a trip so much more fun. There's nothing like tweeting a picture of Spaceship Earth and getting five responses in ten minutes. And who else can really understand how thrilled you are to be walking right down the middle of Main Street USA? And I can personally say that it's amazing how many people that were strangers a year ago care about which Vinylmation figures you bought and traded. My Twitter followers are my friends, and tweeting from the parks is a blast (especially on long, boring bus rides!).

Then there's Foursquare. It hit the big time a few months ago, and now it seems to be fading out a bit. In the parks, however, it's so much fun. I was thrilled to the get "I'm on a boat" badge on a Friendship Boat, and others were thrilled when I checked into my first park of the trip: Disney's Hollywood Studios. My friends could respond if I was checked in at Epcot to get a kaki-gori because they couldn't, and they could wish they were me when I checked into my lunch at Le Cellier. Plus, I could go back to my Foursquare history and see exactly what I did, even if I didn't broadcast it on Twitter. Now that's awesome.

And finally, there's Ustream. Ustream is another big thing I used on my last trip to Walt Disney World. It started with streaming the Main Street Electrical Parade, which, despite a technical issue that caused the first half of the parade to have no picture, was a big hit. I also streamed the Main Street Trolley show and the Voices of Liberty. People at home could see what I was seeing, and when I got home, I could go back and watch the videos I shot. I had decided that I love when people stream from the parks, so I wanted to do the same. And so I did. Hopefully any of you who watched enjoyed.

Twitter, Foursquare, and Ustream are just of the few social media outlets used in Disney parks. Which are your favorites? Do you ever unplug and spend a trip without social media? Do you agree that sharing your experiences on these outlets makes a trip even more fun? Let me know your opinions in a comment, a tweet, or on Facebook!

Food Spotlight: Burgers

2010-11-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

Beaches and Cream burger, healthy stuff removed, of course.

There's nothing like a good burger when you're at Walt Disney World. Although people say that the burgers are the same everywhere, I must disagree. I've had burgers at many counter service locations in the World, and I must say, I have two big favorites.

Beaches and Cream, Beach Club Resort. This is a table service restaurant at counter service prices. I visited this restaurant for the first time in August, and I thought it was awesome. Most people come here for the ice cream, but the burgers are awesome too! You can order a single or double burger, and both are priced quite well. There are also other entrees for the non-burger inclined. The only warning I have is not to use credits here if you're on the dining plan. You can get a much better value elsewhere. At Beaches and Cream, shell out the nine dollars in cash or charge it to your room... you'll be saving yourself money in the long run if you use your credits somewhere more expensive.

Pecos Bill's, Magic Kingdom. This counter service venue is probably a legend for people looking for good burgers. The patties are 1/3 pounders, and you can get the epic Angus burger that has bacon and onion rings on top. Yes, that's right... onion rings on top of your 1/3 pound burger. Plus, there's the famous topping bar where you can top your burger with everything from lettuce to pickles to the deliciously terrible hot cheese. You can not go wrong with a meal at Pecos Bill's, and especially not if that meal is a burger. Another warning for dining plan guests: I have been known to use counter service credits here, but if the dessert portion of the meal is important to you, know that your only choices at Pecos Bill's are strawberry yogurt and carrot cake.

So there are two amazing places to get burgers. Where are your favorite burgers located? Do you agree with my choices, or do you have some different opinions? Let me know what you think in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

A Magical Moment

2010-11-04T23:41:00.000-04:00

In today's post, since I didn't have a very magical Thursday, I just wanted to share a magical moment with you all that happened on our recent trip to Walt Disney World. It was the last night of our trip, we had just eaten at Jiko, and we didn't have the best meal. I was feeling kind of down about the whole thing, since not only was it our most expensive meal, but it was the meal I was most looking forward to. Since it was around 9 pm, and the only park still open was the Magic Kingdom, we'd have to transfer there to get back to our resort (All Star Music) from the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Overall, we weren't enthused about this, especially after our disappointment of a dinner and the exhaustion of the end of our trip weighing on us.

When we saw an Animal Kingdom bus pull up to the Lodge, I thought it might be possible to take that bus back to the Animal Kingdom, so we could transfer there. I knew Animal Kingdom had closed much earlier, but I figured it was a possibility. Unfortunately, once everyone was let out of the bus, the driver closed the doors and stepped outside to talk to those of us waiting outside his bus (us and one other family). The other family spoke to him first, and they asked him how to best get back to Caribbean Beach. He directed them to transfer at Downtown Disney, and I assumed he'd do the same for us. Despite this, we asked him the best way to get back to All Star Music anyway. He looked at us and said Downtown Disney was very far out of the way to get to the All Stars. Then he told us to hop on his bus, and he'd drive us back to our resort. And this kind bus driver proceeded to drive James and I back. This was honestly such a magical moment; I couldn't believe it! For all we knew, this bus driver was probably done with his shift for the day, yet he went out of his way to drive us directly from the Animal Kingdom Lodge to All Star Music. Thanks so much, kind bus driver! It really was a magical moment for us!

Have you had any magical moments at Walt Disney World? What magical occurrences happened on your trips? Share your moments in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Jiko

2010-11-03T00:13:00.001-04:00

The napkin at Jiko

I was incredibly excited about visiting Jiko, but unfortunately, I must say, I didn't have the best time. I'm hardly joking when I said I absolutely dreamed about the oak grilled filet with mac and cheese (note: the mac and cheese is no longer a part of this dish, but it is still a side dish on the menu that can be ordered in addition) before our trip, but this dream turned out worse than expected. This was supposed to be the most amazing meal of our trip, and it was our first signature dining experience. Yes, our expectations were high, but they were also high for Le Cellier, where we were not disappointed. But anyway, on to the review, and you can see where our dinner went wrong...

We arrived at Jiko around ten minutes before our ADR time, and we were seated almost immediately. We learned that the restaurant had the largest selection of South African wines in the world (not that either of us were old enough to drink it), and we were given our menus. Jiko is very romantic, and it is a perfect place for a date night. It's dark but not too dark, and the servers are excellent (or at least ours was). We ordered the Taste of Africa as an appetizer, which is an assortment of breads served with three dipping sauces (one was hummus; I can't remember the other two). We also each ordered the filet with mac and cheese, cooked medium.

The Taste of Africa was excellent. It was so interesting to try the different dipping sauces, and the bread was great. The appetizer was $9, and it was totally worth paying out of pocket, since we were on the dining plan. Then our entrees came out. The first thing I did was taste the mac and cheese, which was awesome. Then I cut my steak open. I had ordered it medium, and it was bright red inside. There is no way to describe it but rare. Honestly, I'd rather them have cook it all the way to well done than eat it rare. I do not like rare meat. I felt bad, but I decided to send it back, and our server was very apologetic. At this point, he brought us little salad appetizers compliments of the chef because of our troubles, but I noticed that many other tables also had that appetizer, also complimentary. Some hadn't even ordered yet, so it couldn't be because of kitchen mistakes. It made me wonder if we were treated differently because we were young, which is not a thought I often have at a place known for it's service like Walt Disney World.

Anyway, my second attempt at the filet came out, and unfortunately, this one turned out to be rare upon cutting it also. I honestly didn't want to delay our dinner any more, so I simply decided I would eat it. This is where Disney service truly shined, however. Our server came by to make sure I was happy with it, and I said I was. I didn't want to bother him with the fact that it was still wrong. But he noticed that it was still bright red inside and tried to convince me to send it back another time. The fact that he was honestly concerned (or at least it sure seemed like it) that I wouldn't enjoy my meal made me a little happier about the situation. I ate the less-rare edges of the filet, and I ate the mac and cheese, but this certainly wasn't the best meal of our trip.

This may be slightly of topic, but many people say Le Cellier shouldn't be going back to two table service credits. I could honestly say that our meal there was 100 times better than our two credit meal at Jiko. The steak there was perfect, and everything was delicious. At Jiko, we were just disppointed. I'm hoping it was just a rough night, and I hope that I do get to try Jiko again in the future. That said, I probably won't be returning for a while. Luckily I'll be trying other signature dining experiences in January.

What do you think about Jiko? Was my experience just a fluke? Is it true that Jiko has been getting more bad reviews lately? What do you usually order at Jiko? Let me know what you think about this restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Nighttime Spectacular Showdown

2010-10-28T23:31:00.000-04:00

Image from AllEars.net

Inspired by episode 790 of WDW Today, I've been listening to music from various fireworks shows all night. And they've gotten me to thinking about all the amazing fireworks in Walt Disney World. Between Wishes, IllumiNations, and Fantasmic, you can hardly go anywhere without seeing fireworks at night (well, except Animal Kingdom, but I get it, animal safety), and fireworks have become such a huge part of the Walt Disney World experience.

First there's IllumiNations. This is my favorite of the three "nighttime spectaculars." The music is epic, the fireworks are epic, it's just an all around epic show. And I truly believe that it has the most repeat value. I can watch IllumiNations every night and never get bored of it. It's always amazing. This was the second Disney fireworks show James had ever seen on our trip in 2009, and after seeing Wishes the night before, he was blown away by IllumiNations. I mean Wishes is good, but for a big fireworks fan like him, IllumiNations is awesome. Plus the boats go on fire! Plus the IllumiNations dance party preshow music! Seriously, you can't go wrong here.

Next there's Fantasmic. Fantasmic and Wishes may be tied as second favorite because I both like them for such different reasons. It's really hard to compare. Plus Fantasmic loses some points because it's so hard to get in to see it. This past August was my first time ever seeing Fantasmic. I had tried so hard the year before, but it rained out. Honestly, this year it was worth the hour long wait in the heat, even if I was way closer than I ever wanted to be to 5000 of my closest friends. When it ended, all James could say was "that was awesome!" But personally it probably doesn't have the repeat value that IllumiNations has for me. Even if I could walk right in and get a perfect seat, I'm not sure I would want to see it every night. One awesome thing about IllumiNations is that you can watch it from all around World Showcase lagoon. For Fantasmic, you have you purposefully walk alllll the way down to the theater. And even though the show is epic, the story is epic, and Mickey, of course, is epic, it just doesn't match up to my classic favorite of IllumiNations.

And finally, Wishes. There's something so quintessentially Disney about Wishes that I just can't truly rank it below Fantasmic. IllumiNations has the fireworks, Fantasmic has the story, but Wishes really has the Disney factor. It feels so magical, and it gives me the chills even just listening to the music. The fireworks are absolutely spectacular, but there's something about ending your night in front of the castle that makes you truly believe all your wishes will come true. And that fact is why I, as well as so many other people, love Wishes.

What are your favorites of the three fireworks shows? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? Let me know what you think in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Food Spotlight: Hummus

2010-10-27T00:36:00.000-04:00

There's hummus in the different platters at Tangierine Cafe

I recently became rather obsessed with hummus, and I couldn't get enough of it when we went to Walt Disney World. Luckily, I came across it no less than three times in various settings, so if you're a hummus lover like me, here's where to look...

First, we had dinner at the Tangierine Cafe one night, since I'd heard great things about it. There's a review on this counter service location coming some time in the future, but almost all of the platters (excluding the wraps) contain hummus. Plus fresh Moroccan bread. Can you say yum? And since it's counter service, this is a great place to get hummus when you don't want to sit down for a table service meal.

A few days later, we had an ADR for Boma. I did a full review of this table service buffet last week, but one of the highlights of the buffet for me was the hummus. There were three different types, and there were many types of breads to sample as well. I went back for the hummus at least three times while we were there! Unfortunately I'm having a hard time remembering the types of hummus, but if I'm not mistaken, one was a black olive hummus. They were all very good, at least from a hummus lover's perspective!

Finally, on the last night of our trip, we ate at Jiko. A review for Jiko is coming in the very, very near future, and although we didn't have the best experience at the restaurant, I loved the hummus! We decided to order the Taste of Africa appetizer, which is described as a "trio of dips with assorted breads and house-made naan." Luckily for me, one of the dips was hummus! I believe the hummus served was one of the same types I had tried at Boma earlier in the week, but that wasn't a bad thing! I honestly can't seem to remember the other two dips (I really have to start taking notes on this stuff!), but they were all delicious! And the bread was great also! The appetizer was $9 well spent for us!

Overall, there are more places than you may expect to get hummus at Walt Disney World. These are just three I came across in one week at the World, perhaps there are more! Are you a hummus fan? Where do you get hummus in the parks or at the resorts? Have you tried the hummus at any of the places I mentioned? Let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Disney's Boardwalk: A College Student's Perspective

2010-10-24T23:25:00.001-04:00

Image (c) James

I had known for a while that Disney had a Boardwalk area at the Boardwalk Resort, but I had never been there until our August trip. I have been to the real Atlantic City Boardwalk many times, and though I knew that's what Disney's was based off of, I also knew that Disney's Boardwalk was a pre-casino rendition of Atlantic City's, which I had never seen. I was sort of clueless about Disney's Boardwalk, so I did what any podcast loving Disney fan would do when they had a question: I emailed WDW Today.

I asked the guys of WDW Today how long they thought two college students, too young to drink, would probably spend on the Boardwalk and what they would do. The guys said we could spend a few hours at most, and we would mostly just walk around, enjoy the sights, and that's about it. And that was pretty accurate. I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe something more like Downtown Disney, but Disney's Boardwalk was just what it said it was - a boardwalk. There were some street entertainers that were quite interesting, but none took very much of our time. We strolled in and out of some of the stores and such, but that didn't take much time either. And we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the atmosphere. It really was beautiful and very romantic as it started to get dark, but it certainly wasn't a huge attraction in itself.

Overall, I think Disney's Boardwalk is a nice area, especially if you're staying at one of the Epcot resorts. It's nice to visit, to take pictures, and to enjoy the atmosphere. It's not somewhere you can spend copious amounts of time, however, if you're looking for something very stimulating. It's sort of relaxing, and I can certainly see staying for quite a while if you were having dinner or spending time at Jelly Rolls or the Atlantic Dance Hall, but the guys of WDW Today were right. We spent about an hour on the Boardwalk, and then we moved on to Hollywood Studios. It was a nice experience, but it wasn't super exciting.

What do you think of Disney's Boardwalk? Do you make it a point to visit every trip or just if you have a reason to be in the Epcot resort area? Do you spend a lot of time there, or do you just spend an hour or two taking in the sights like James and I did? Or have you never been to the Boardwalk area at all? Let me know what you think in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

This post is part of the 13th DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival! Click the link to see more great Disney articles!

Review: Boma

2010-10-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

The only decent picture I took at Boma - boo!

I had very mixed feelings about Boma going in. On one hand, I was excited because many people rave about Boma. On the other hand, I was nervous because I can tend to be a picky eater. That's one thing I like about buffets, though. Even picky eaters can find things they like. Plus they can feel free to try new things without having to order an entire entree.

We were a little late to Boma because of the whole Disney transportation doesn't go from resort to resort thing. Plus it was raining. But despite all that, we finally made it to Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I had never stepped foot in before that day. All I can say is that we'd hardly entered the lobby when I gasped, "We have to stay here one day." The resort is absolutely beautiful, and I'd say it's worth a trip even if you don't have an ADR. Honestly, the resort is an attraction in itself. It's breathtaking, and the savannah outside is just perfect. Full of giraffes - my favorite animal!

Anyway, back to the food, we arrived at Boma a bit late, but we were taken in roughly 10 or 15 minutes. We were seated at around the same time as a mom and young girl at the table next to us, so our server came up to both of us at the same time. They had been to Boma before, but we hadn't, so he explained a little about the different stations and such. Apparently Boma is the biggest buffet in any Disney park around the world, and there really is a huge selection. Tons of different types of meats, soups, sides - anything you can think of! There were three different types of hummus with different types of bread to go with it, and I visited that station several times. Yum! And then there was a fairly huge dessert station in case you weren't already stuffed. This included the famous Zebra Domes, some passion fruit and/or mango domes that James simply loved, and some delicious apple cobbler type food. For kids or less adventurous eaters, there's also a station with foods like mac and cheese and chicken fingers. There's really something for everyone here!

Boma really was quite good, and as I said before, I loved that I could try one bite of this and one bite of that. One of the reasons I usually don't try new things is that I don't want to waste a whole meal if I don't like it. But you don't have to worry about that at a buffet! If you're considering Boma, I'd say it's definitely worth a try if you can afford it (it is rather expensive at $30.88 per adult and $14.99 per child for dinner). As for me, I do hope to return in the near future, though there are some restaurants I'd like to try for a first time before I head back to Boma.

Have you ever been to Boma? What was your opinion on the restaurant or why have you shied away? What were your favorite items in the buffet? Let me know what you think in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook.

Check it out: Disney Tweetwatches

2010-10-19T23:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to lie and say the Disney community doesn't amaze me on a regular basis because it does. But one of the newest amazing things I've learned about recently is Disney tweetwatches. You see, everyone gets together, watches a movie at the same time, and chats (or tweets) about it! I just attended my first tweetwatch on Monday, and it was a blast!

Disney tweetwatches are run by Ryan from the Disney Film Project. His blog is about watching all of the short and feature length films from the Walt Disney Company, and sometimes he shares the actual watching with his readers and friends. He has tons of interesting knowledge about the different films, and he shares his facts during the tweetwatches!

The tweetwatch process is really very simple. First, you are encouraged to "count yourself in" to the tweetwatch on Plancast (that link is for the next tweetwatch: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad). Then you make sure you have the movie. If you don't, you can either buy it, rent it, or watch it on Netflix if it is available. Before the specified time (the next one is October 25 at 8:30 pm), head over to the tweetwatch Friendfeed room or get yourself set up on Twitter. Then Ryan will say go, and everyone starts their movies! And talks about them! And has a great time!

Disney tweetwatches are an awesome time, and I highly encourage people to join in! To get full information about the tweetwatches, follow Ryan on Twitter, follow the Disney Film Project blog, and for information on the Ichabod and Mr. Toad tweetwatch, head over to this page. Then tune in and enjoy!

Have you participated in a tweetwatch? Do you want to? Which tweetwatches have your participated in? Let me know your thoughts in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Food Spotlight: Kaki-gori

2010-10-17T23:36:00.001-04:00

Image (c) James

While on our August trip to Walt Disney World, someone asked me if my visit was different now that I had entered the Disney community. It was, and one of the biggest ways was that I was informed of things I never would have thought twice about otherwise. I never would have tried Tangierine Cafe or Beaches and Cream if I hadn't been a part of the Disney community. I never would have been encouraged to ride Splash Mountain for the first time. And, possibly most important of all, I never would have tried kaki-gori.

Kaki-gori may be essentially a snow cone, but it is literally the most delicious frozen treats I have ever enjoyed in my life. I swear, I dream about kaki-gori! My favorite is the cherry flavor, and I have a goal to buy a kaki-gori every time I pass the stand on my next trip. The kaki-gori is located at its own little stand by the big pagoda in the Japan pavilion in Epcot. According to allears.net, it is $3.28, and it is also a snack credit on the Disney Dining Plan, though, deceivingly, it didn't say that on the sign when we were there.

The kaki-gori stand is extremely easy to walk past without a thought. I wonder how many times in my life I did just that, even though the line can get very long on hot days. But it definitely shouldn't be missed. It is not your every day snow cone. And it's pretty big, so you may want to share with a friend or family member! Enjoy!

Have you ever had kaki-gori at Epcot? Do you love it as much as I do? What's your favorite flavor? Let me know your thoughts on this delicious treat in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Via Napoli

2010-10-14T23:08:00.001-04:00

Margherita Pizza - Yum!

I've been so excited to write this review, and I'm so glad I'm getting to it! Via Napoli was one of our favorite meals this trip. Probably second only to Le Cellier. For those who are unaware, Via Napoli is the new table service restaurant in Epcot's Italy Pavilion. They specialize in pizza (possibly the first really good pizza in Walt Disney World?), but they also serve many other Italian dishes. Though we were on the Disney Dining Plan on our last trip, we chose to pay out of pocket for this meal, so we stuck with only entrees (pizzas!) and sodas. Perhaps next time we'll need to try some appetizers and desserts, but what we had was absolutely delicious!

I should probably begin this post with the fact that I had very low expectations for Via Napoli. In fact, I wasn't sure if I wanted to visit the restaurant at all. All our dining credits already had ADRs, so we would be paying out of pocket. And as New Yorkers, we were used to good pizza and not used to paying so much for it. $16 for an individual pie seemed ridiculous, but a friend told us that the pizza was excellent and the servers were easy on the eyes. So we decided to give it a try on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Quattro formaggi! Four cheese!

At the time, Via Napoli was only accepting walk-ups, and at 1 pm, we waited only about ten minutes for a table. I'm curious how walk-ups are going now that they are accepting ADRs. Once we were seated, we looked over our menus, and I decided on the Margherita Pizza. James chose the quattro formaggi, based on the many rave reviews I'd told him about. Both of us were beyond pleased with our meals. We had planned on sharing the two pizzas, but I didn't want to give up mine, and he didn't want to give up his! We did end up trying each other's meals, but we largely stuck with our own. The pizzas were phenomenal. Nothing like New York pizza, but I didn't expect Margherita pizza to be like that anyway. This was a true, traditional Italian pizza. The quattro formaggi was also delicious - four cheeses with no tomato sauce. It was a fantastic meal!

Once we were really there, the price really didn't bother us. Honestly, where else in Walt Disney World can you get a delicious, sit down meal for $16 per person? Not many places! What I had initially thought would be a rip-off turned out to be a great value! Via Napoli was definitely a place I want to visit again, and I hope you all get a chance to try it! It was molto bene! Check out the menu here!

Have you been to Via Napoli? If so, what did you order, and how did you like it? If not, are you going to try to visit in the future? Let me know what you think about this new restaurant in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Update: Our second trip to Via Napoli was, unfortunately, not as great as the first. I would still recommend it, but beware of inconsistency.

Check it Out: Lines

2010-10-12T23:58:00.001-04:00

One of the things I was most excited to try on our recent August trip was Lines. Lines is a mobile wait time application that you can access on your iPhone, Android phone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, WinMo phone, etc. It's produced by Touring Plans, and it is likely one of your biggest assets on a trip to Walt Disney World, second only to the touring plans themselves.

To access Lines, you can download the app for free in Apple's App Store or Android's Market. On other smartphones, you can access the app at m.touringplans.com. Though the app itself is free, features are limited without a paid account to touringplans.com. The subscription to the site is totally worth it, though, giving you access to the awesome crowd calendar and tons of touring plans, in addition to full Lines access. And you get a 50% discount on the already inexpensive membership if you own a current version of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. (I swear Touring Plans isn't paying me; I just seriously love all their products.)

Once you sign up and sign in, you can truly see all of Lines' awesomeness. The two most important things being that you can see the estimated wait times for every ride in all four theme parks (including FastPass info), and you can see estimated future wait times. In Animal Kingdom and wondering if Magic Kingdom will be crowded later? Just pull out your phones and check Lines. You can also submit wait times, get badges, and post them to Twitter. It's like Foursquare for Walt Disney World! Other functions of Lines include the next ten days of the crowd calendar right on your phone (though remember, you get the full 365 day calendar online with your Touring Plans subscription) and an awesome chat with other Lines users!

Lines is seriously an amazing app, and it seriously helped us in the parks! We could check if the lines were long on the opposite side of a park or in another park completely to decide if it was worth it to head over or not. Now Lines even has show times right in the app, so you don't even need a times guide! With Lines in one hand and a touring plan in the other, you'd better bet you'll be touring efficiently and breezing through queues without waiting.

Have you used Lines? What do you think of it? What are your favorite features? Let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

This post was featured in the twelfth DisMarks.com Disney Blog Carnival! Click the link for more great Disney articles!

Food Spotlight: Dole Whip

2010-10-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

My first Dole Whip float!

Back in April, the month of this blog's birth, I made a confession: I had never had a Dole Whip. I had heard all about them, yet I had never actually tried one myself. For those who are unaware, Dole Whips are practically famous for their deliciousness in the Disney community. A Dole Whip is pineapple soft serve ice cream that can only be found in Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Hawaii (or so I'm told). At Walt Disney World, they can only be found in two places: Aloha Isle in the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland, where they are served in pineapple, orange, and vanilla flavors, and can be floated on top of pineapple juice (called a Dole Whip float), and at the Polynesian Resort's counter service restaurant, Captain Cook's.

Most people get their Dole Whips at Aloha Isle because it is much more accessible for the average park guest than Captain Cook's. I was lucky enough to have a Dole Whip Float at Aloha Isle and a Dole Whip at Captain Cook's on our recent August trip. I must say, the hype is definitely true! They were absolutely delicious... a must-try for anyone who likes pineapple! I preferred the Dole Whip without the pineapple juice, but the juice was good as well, especially on a hot day. In fact, the only downside to getting a Dole Whip at Aloha Isle is having to eat it outside, where the ice cream tends to melt instantly. The Dole Whip was much more filling than I had expected, and both times I actually had to throw it out partially eaten because I was full before I finished it!

A regular Dole Whip is $2.89, and a float is $3.99. Both are one snack credit on the Disney Dining Plan, and you can get a regular Dole Whip as your dessert with a quick service credit meal at Captain Cook's. As I said, you must try a Dole Whip if you're at the Magic Kingdom or the Polynesian. You won't regret it!

Have you had a Dole Whip? What do you think of them? Do you get the classic, pineapple version? Do you prefer the regular Dole Whip or the Dole Whip float? Let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Review: Akershus

2010-10-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

Akershus was James' and my first character meal since we were kids, so we (or at least I) were very excited to dine with princesses! Once we checked in to the restaurant (a bit late, due to a bus issue), we were taken in immediately to a nook inside where Belle stood, waiting for us. We took a picture with her and were then escorted to our table. If there's one thing that I'm not a huge fan of at Akershus, it's that Belle's the one that you take your required picture with. I wish she'd come around to the tables for more interaction! She is my favorite, you know!

Anyway, Akershus does a family style breakfast with a buffet element. To start, you are encouraged to visit the cold buffet that features pastries, cold meats, fresh fruit, and Lingonberry muffins (yum!). The muffins are amazing, and I enjoyed having some of the meats as well. Once you've satisfied your cold buffet cravings, a hot plate is brought out to your table, as seen in the picture to the left. It contains bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and some kind of home fry/hash brown thing. The plate is to share with your party, although I assume larger parties would get more than one plate, and I'm sure there are seconds for those that desire them. Plus you can always go back up to the cold buffet for more Lingonberry muffins (seriously, delicious!).

The hot food at Akershus was your average Disney breakfast food... nothing special there. The buffet, however, is where you get your diversity. The cold meats include some fish, salami, and other types of meats. The pastries included some danishes, breads, and of course, the muffins! If you're looking for real diversity, you'd be better off visiting Akershus for lunch or dinner. On the other hand, if, like us, you want a princess meal without being nervous about the Norwegian food, breakfast is where it's at.

And the princesses are the main event, of course! We were very lucky to be able to meet Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella! If you include meeting Belle during our entrance, we got the fab five of princesses! Each princess came over, signed my autograph book, got pictures with us, and commented on how James better be a good prince. So cute! Plus, Belle "gave us a gift" of an awesome photo package, featuring the photo from our entrance. The package included four 4x6 photos and an 8x10 in a cardboard frame! Honestly, this may beat Cinderella's Royal Table. For breakfast, we got a buffet/family style meal, a pretty extensive photo package, and five awesome princesses for $28.99 or one table service credit per adult. Can you say worth it?

Akershus was an amazing character meal, and it was an amazing chance to meet some characters that you're not super likely to find in the parks without hunting them down. I mean how often do you get to see Belle in her golden dress without waiting on line? We got autographs and pictures, and although we were on the dining plan, I believe it's worth the cash as well. You can find the menus for Akershus breakfast, lunch, and dinner at allears.net, and even the least adventurous eaters will have a blast at the breakfast. Now we can't wait for our next character meal: Crystal Palace in January!

Have you ever been to Akershus? What did you think of it? Was it worth the money to you? Let me know your opinions in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!

Christmas in January?

2010-10-05T23:37:00.003-04:00

Our next trip to Walt Disney World will be at the very beginning of January, but it falls at the very end of the "Christmas season." We will be missing Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and the Candlelight Processional, but many decorations will likely still be up, including the Osborne Lights. Also, Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade will be playing during the first two days of our trip. Which makes me ask the question, how can I best see the remaining Christmas things before they are taken down? This will definitely require prioritizing, since I will likely have only a day or two to see all the Christmas decorations before they start becoming fewer and fewer. But what do I prioritize?

The Osborne Lights are a definite. I've heard that they are awesome, and I definitely want to see them. We'll likely do that on our first night at Walt Disney World. As for the other things, I'm sort of unfamiliar. I've never been to Disney during the holiday season, and since I have to prioritize, as well as fit two birthdays into the (already busy!) trip, I'm not sure what to do.

As for Magic Kingdom, the castle lights will likely still be up for the first few days of our trip Since I plan on being at the Magic Kingdom at least one night for sure, I'm not worried about seeing that. At Epcot, I know there is a Christmas tag to the end of IllumiNations, but I'm not sure if that will still be going on in January. (Do any of you know?) Hollywood Studios has the Osborne Lights, and Animal Kingdom has Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade. This parade is really throwing me for a loop. I know the seasonal parades tend to be awesome (Boo to You anyone?), but I'm not sure I want to take time out of my birthday to go over to the Animal Kingdom just to see this parade. My birthday, however, is the only possible day to see this parade on our trip...

Then there are the resorts. We'd likely be checking out the Beach and Yacht Club as well as the Boardwalk on our first day, regardless of whether or not there were decorations. Luckily, these resorts will hopefully have great decorations. Additionally, I've heard that many other resorts have great decorations as well, but it's hard to clear out time so early in our busy schedules for resort hopping just for decorations. Is it really worth the time to see the decorations at various resorts?

This blog post is all over the place because my thoughts on this topic are all over the place. There are so many Christmas-y things to fit into just a few, already busily planned, birthday filled days. Which are the most important to see? Is Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade really worth the trip over? Will IllumiNations still have the Christmas tag in early January? Are there any absolute must-see resort decorations? I really do need your help with these questions, so please let me know in a comment, on Twitter (@discollegeblog), or on Facebook!