Walt Disney World: It's Not Just for Kids » Uncategorized

Merry Christmas!

Hedy — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:54:15 +0000

Merry Christmas

Shopping Saturday: Disney Parks Go-er

Hedy — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:25:21 +0000

If the adult Disney fan in your life is a Disney Parks fan, there is no end to the great gift ideas out there.

If you are looking for books, my first choice is the Passporter series: they have a Kindle version of Fast Tips, iBooks, or a Dead-tree version of their other books. The Imagineer Field Guides are also great, as is the Hidden Magic of Disney World.

In terms of gear for the parks, I highly recommend picking up a Baggalini Messenger, although you can see my full list of park bag recommendations. A Gorillapod is great for photos, as is an Xshot for those of you who are solo travelers.

For smaller stuff, I highly recommend picking up some locking pin backs, Crystal Light Packets, or sunscreen sticks.

See all Shopping Saturday posts.

Disney Things for Which I am Thankful (in no particular order)

Hedy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:33:35 +0000

Popcorn from the Magic Kingdom
The upcoming opening of the Art of Animation hotel
Tangled and Disney princesses in general
The Disney fan community
Boma
The new Fantasyland
Wifi at selected resorts
Pins
Cast members
Magical Express
Frozen Grand marnier slushies
My family, and the adventures we had in August

Sheer awesome…

Hedy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:50:36 +0000

No Friday Favorite this week; however, Pixar is on my to do list for Friday Favorites. As such, when I came upon the awesome that is this picture, I had to share.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Hedy — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:18:07 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! I celebrated with my own mother this morning, and I hope all of you have a happy day!

Happy Easter & A Blessed Passover

Hedy — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:40:35 +0000

WDW vs. Universal: Royal Pacific Resort vs. the Polynesian

Hedy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:42:34 +0000

We are starting off this comparison with a visualization. It’s July in Orlando. You land in MCO, and get into a cab as your sweat is sweating and your sunglasses are steaming up. You hop in a cab to get to your Universal Resort, Royal Pacific Resort (RPR). As you walk down the entranceway, and into the air conditioned lobby, you are transported to another world, where a picturesque fountain is nearby.

Elephant Fountain at the Royal Pacific

Much like the Polynesian, the Royal Pacific Resort is a breathtakingly beautiful resort that makes you forget you’re in Central Florida. RPR is themed after an old hotel from the “Golden Age of Travel,” and the hotel truly reflects it. From the airplane at the pool to the ship in the lobby, this hotel feels like something out of a black and white movie. This is the least expensive of Universal’s three on-site resorts, although NOT cheap (especially if you stay at a mod or value when at the World). Unlike the Polynesian, all RPR rooms are in the main building. Room-size wise, I found my room at RPR to be on par with a room at POFQ.

I found the service at Royal Pacific Resort to be Disney-caliber, with great amenities (the free torch-lighting ceremony is a must-see!) My one complaint is that there is not a dedicated counter-service, as there is at the Poly (and the other two Loews resorts in Orlando.

A model of a "Royal Pacific" ship

Happy Memorial Day!

Hedy — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:04:48 +0000

Happy Memorial Day

Activities for an adult couple with ONE kidless day?

Hedy — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:50:28 +0000

I recently received the following e-mail from a reader: Since my kids have been born, I’ve only ever gone to WDW with them in tow. Next week my husband and I will be spending ONE day alone in the parks to celebrate our 11th anniversary. We already have dinner reservations at the Poly to watch the fireworks from there. What would you suggest that we do in the rest of the time that we have to make the most of our “adult only” day?

Grand Marnier Slush in Epcot, December 2007

I have a few ideas, and I’d also like to lob it out to the peanut gallery.
As you all know, I’m a solo princess ;) However, I have a few ideas about things I like to do in an “adult time.” My first suggestion would be that she and her DH check out any attractions that her kids might not be into-Expedition Everest springs to mind. Secondly, in my book nothing says “adult” like walking around World Showcase (if you wanted to toss in a little “fun,” I’d take the monorail either to or from the Poly there). You could explore stuff you can’t do as easily with kids-the fountains in Italy, the decor of the UK, the gardens in Canada. If Off-Kilter is playing, they’re really good, and often do songs you may enjoy, such as Summer of 69. You could then stop for a Grand Marnier slush :). From there, I’d head onto Jellyrolls. Incidentally, I recent learned via my brother that Jellyrolls is now non-smoking, which makes for a nicer atmosphere. The beer is cheap, the popcorn is free and keeps on coming, and you can enjoy anything from singing along to requesting a song (with tip) to just sitting there and enjoying a little non quite so pixie-dusty fun. If Epcot and Jellyrolls doesn’t appeal to you, I’d head over to Downtown Disney. Do some grown-up shopping at Tren-D, check out some Disney Dooneys, go up in Characters in Flight. Then, head over to Paradiso 37 or Raglan Road for entertainment and drinks.

Now, two of my brothers and their wives have their own night out at WDW traditions. For the night where all adults go out, and the kids are at the kids club, they have their own traditions. They usually eat at a restaurant in DTD. From there, they walk around and window shop in DTD. One of my brothers was fond of buying CD’s at the Virgin Megastore-while obviously you can’t do that now, the idea of doing some activity such as that kids free (Basin? Ridemakerz?). They then concluded their night out at Jellyrolls, and entertained themselves making interesting song suggestions (one brother may or may not have request Metallica-he got his dollar back).

ETA: Thanks to lissacam, I have the suggestion of a tour-these are awesome. I’d check out one that fits your interests (a Keys to the Kingdom tour before dinner? Wild by design first thing in the morning?) I did the Yuletide Fantasy tour and loved it.

How about you? Do you have any ideas? Tweet me or leave a comment!

Welcome, Mint.com readers

Hedy — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:57:56 +0000

Welcome to Walt Disney World-It’s not Just for Kids! Feel free to browse around, but I would like to point you to a few featured posts on this blog:

If you’re interested in learning more about the Disney Dining Plan (DDP)m check out my post about it.

Should saving money on a Disney vacation be more your alley, check out these posts. There’s a few great food-related discounts at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Alternately, check out my page on Easy Ways to Earn Extra [Disney] Money.

For my usual readers, please see that I am quoted in “Prepay your vacation meals? The skinny on dining plans.” Please show them some love-thanks!