vacation – Five Feet High Thoughts

Staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs

March 16, 2019 manda_faromeiro

In all the excitement of going through my photos and blogging about each day at the different parks, I completely forgot to talk about staying on Disney property during this past Disney World vacation! I had some friends ask about the differences between staying on property at Disney versus staying at a hotel or other condominium/resort, so it inspired me to touch on it in a post. Now, when I booked my trip originally, the plan was not to stay at a Disney Resort; quite honestly, I never imagined being able to stay on one because I always thought about it being out of my price range. However, my wonderful travel agent from Pure Magic Vacations came to the rescue when our flights got cancelled a few weeks out from our trip and was able to find us an awesome deal to stay on Disney property at Coronado Springs.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, before my last trip, I had the privilege of visiting Disney World twice before. Both of those trips I was staying on a hotel/resort that was approximately 15 minutes from Epcot. This resort offered shuttles to the parks, but only 4 times a day, and pick up from the park only 4 times a day as well. The resort itself had good amenities, several pools, a gym, fun activities and a gaming centre, as well as grocery shuttles to the local shops (all the rooms in this resort were suite style so there was a full kitchen in our suite as well as a living room, and separate bedrooms.) As I mentioned, we were intending to stay at a resort similar to the ones we had already stayed at prior, so we knew we would be well situated and familiar with the nearby shops and things in the area. Heading into this next trip, we were planning to rent a car, so we were going to have the option to hit up Disney Springs but also go to and leave the parks whenever we wanted to versus having to catch the limited shuttles that were available. However, once we found out we were now going to stay on Disney property, there were changes afoot.

What some people don’t know about staying on Disney property, though I am sure they can assume, is that there are many perks. For starters, your shuttle from/to the airport is included; this is called Disney’s Magical Express. When you arrive you have the option to check your bags and enjoy the resort (if arriving before your check-in time and your room is not yet ready), or if your room is ready you are given your complimentary magic band, park button, and if you haven’t done so already, you can talk to a cast member about adding some dining reservations or fast passes to your stay. Your magic band is loaded with benefits: it is your park tickets, room key, photopass scan, and if you wish, you can even have your credit card information saved on it so you can tap it to make purchases while at the park so you don’t have to carry your wallet. When you book your stay at a Disney resort, you also get to book your Fast Passes 60 days in advance instead of 30 (though this did not apply to us as we already had ours booked). To our surprise, one of the Disney cast members granted us an additional 3 Fast Passes for each of the 4 days we were at the parks; these fast passes didn’t have to be ride specific and could be used whenever we wanted throughout the day; an phenomenal special addition to our trip, which was just getting started!

Disney’s Coronado Springs is a Spanish influenced resort, celebrating “the daring spirit of great Spanish explorers, artists, writers and architects.” There are three main restaurants, as well as a poolside grill and bar, snack bar, giftshop, and three pools (one of them with a waterslide). There are also 4 bus stations around the resort, each one located no more than a 2 minute walk from rooms in that section of the property. Remember when I said earlier about the other resort’s shuttles to Disney being four times a day? When you stay on Disney property, the shuttles come every few minutes to and from the parks, and about every 10 minutes to Disney Springs. You never are stuck waiting for a ride, and honestly, after walking over 20,000 steps at the park, you’ll be relieved when you aren’t waiting around for long to get back to your room.

Speaking of rooms, the resort rooms were quite nice. There were two queen size beds with plenty of pillows and blankets. Our room had a lot of storage as well. The bathroom had a large vanity with two sinks, and the shower/toilet were separated from the vanity area so it made getting ready a breeze. Disney Resorts also have special shampoo, conditioner, and soaps, so you don’t have to worry about bringing your own. Also, there is aloe gel as well as moisturizer, a small first aid kit (a few bandaids), and travel size tissues. The little details made you feel right at home. If you were spending any time in the room, you wouldn’t be cramped or crowded doing so!

The resort itself offered a lot of fun activities. Each night between 5:30-7pm there was a campfire where guests could roast complimentary marshmallows. You could also purchase a smores kit for only $3 or $5. Most nights, there were also movie nights under the stars with free popcorn. Two of the nights also featured karaoke. During the day, there were games by the pool like BINGO and Name that Tune. Also, there was an arcade area as well as a games area (ping pong, connect four and bocce) and beach volleyball. Needless to say, there was not a shortage of activities to keep you entertained while you were away from the parks.

Another great perk about staying on Disney property is about shopping. When you buy merchandise while at any of the parks, instead of carrying the items around with you for the day, you can have your purchases sent back to your resort room. This is especially convenient if you don’t plan on bringing much with you to the park, or if you end up buying a lot of things and don’t want to lug them around all day. Sometimes, I save my purchases for the end of the day when I am leaving the park, but I didn’t have to worry about it this time, and honestly it was a great option to have this trip. Just another thing to keep in mind!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed staying at Disney’s Coronado Resort. Despite the resort undergoing some refurbishments, they were of no disruption to us whatsoever and when completed, I am sure will add greatly to the overall atmosphere and entertainment factor of the property. If you are planning to take a Disney vacation, I highly recommend speaking with a Pure Magic Vacations travel agent, or any agent who specializes in Disney Vacations to make your trip as magical as possible and to ensure you get the most for your money. With each Disney Resort offering something different, there are many great options to consider when planning a Disney vacation.

Thanks for reading my blog! I would love to hear about any of your own Disney experiences.

The Wilderness Must be Explored! A Day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

February 25, 2019 manda_faromeiro

Alas, our final day at the parks arrived and we were off to find adventure in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Much like Epcot, one cannot help but feel as though the Animal Kingdom does not get the love and appreciation that it deserves. Often coined as merely a “half-day” park visit, it is often said that apart from seeing the wildlife, there isn’t much fun to be had. Again, I disagree because the Animal Kingdom provides you with the perfect opportunity to do what you should be doing at all the parks, soak in every detail and moment, and enjoy your time!

We arrived at the park around 9 am and immediately made our way towards Pandora: The World of Avatar. The newest addition to the park, and arguably the hottest attraction at Disney (alongside Toy Story Land), Pandora captivates your senses and invites you to step foot into a stunning land of remarkable flora and landscapes. Our first attraction was Avatar: Flight of Passage – an unbelievable 3D experience allowing you to feel what it would be like to ride on the back of a banshee and navigate through the stunning landscapes of Pandora through the Valley of Mo’ara. Yes, this ride has been open for two years and the wait time is still about three hours. With all things Disney World, pack your patience. However, there is much to look at while waiting in line; once again Disney does not skip the details. There are so many beautiful trees and plants to admire, and the higher up you get in the line, the more beautiful the views you see of the park. Our wait was about 2 and a half hours, and honestly, it was worth it. The ride is mindblowing; you truly feel the wind on your face and the dips and dives of riding the banshee; it lasts about 5 minutes and there are about 16 riders allowed in each section, so it’s understandable why the wait is so long. It definitely is something you’ll want to experience, even if you never watched Avatar back in 2009.

When we exited the ride, we decided to explore Pandora a little more. As we were exploring, a group of drummers and performers had started in the middle of Pandora; their crowd interaction and engagement was wicked and my friend even got to do some drumming. After having some fun with the drumming and dancing, it was time for lunch. Once we filled up on pizza, there was more fun to be had. It wasn’t quite time to use a Fast Pass, so we managed to find Pocahontas and snag a picture with her and discuss our spirit animals, alongside our appreciation for Meeko because who doesn’t love that little raccoon? It was then time for the Festival of the Lion King!

The Festival of the Lion King is a spectacular 30-minute production full of sing-along songs, dancing and incredible performers and acrobatics. All your favourites are there: Timon, Pumba and of course Simba; they also get the audience involved. I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but it really is amazing how engaged you are in all the experiences. We used a Fast Pass for this experience, usually, the wait is about 30-50 minutes, depending on when you get in line and when the last show started. It is a show I would recommend time and time again, and I truly think the more you see it, the more you enjoy it! I also am obsessed with the robotic Simba… don’t ask until you see him swaying his head to the beat. Bahaha…

The Festival of the Lion King was followed up by dancing in the streets of Africa; incredible live music and dancers always speak to us so we were happy to sway and dance alongside the performers in the crowd. Our next fast pass was Kilimanjaro Safaris; a 25-minute jeep ride throughout the safari within the park. We got to see some of the animals wandering about, and this trip we got quite close to some of the animals!

After the safari, we stopped to grab a snow cone and headed off to Expedition Everest; a thrilling rollercoaster ride. We were able to use a fast pass here and that allowed us to catch the last show of the day of Up! A Great Bird Adventure (a 20-minute live-action performance with Dug and Russell showcasing a variety of different bird species). This is a newer addition to the park, so it was a new experience for us alongside all the Avatar attractions. By this time, it was after 5:30pm and there were still a few things we wanted to do. Utilizing another fast pass, we were able to see It’s Tough Being a Bug (the A Bug’s Life attraction) and made our way back to Pandora to ride Na’vi River Boat Ride. Once again, this Avatar inspired ride was so visually stunning, it was worth the hour and twenty-minute wait.

The sun had set on another magical day at Walt Disney World and our vacation was coming to an end. We left the Na’vi River Ride and began to make our way toward the exit. We stopped at a few shops and stood to admire the Tree of Life one last time before catching the shuttle back to our resort. I really appreciated having the Animal Kingdom park close out our trip because it allowed us the time to slow down and enjoy everything around us. Weather-wise, it was a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius throughout most of the day, and we probably had the most consistent sunshine that we had seen throughout the entire trip. Leaving Disney World is always a bit sad, but I had such a phenomenal trip with my bestie that I couldn’t feel sad at all; we had the chance to try new things, reunite and relive some old favourites it was impossible to be sad.

Thank you to everyone who continues to read my blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed reliving some of my Disney adventures with me, it has been really fun to recap and revisit some of these moments. I can’t wait to start planning my next trip to Disney World, whenever that may be!

Discovering Disney Springs

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 manda_faromeiro

While on my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, my friend and I took a day off from the parks to visit the highly anticipated Disney Springs. For those who don’t know, Disney Springs, formally known as Downtown Disney is a massive outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment hub. While there are many Disney themed shops, there are also several other stores not affiliated with Disney whatsoever. There is so much to do and see here, and lots of money to be spent (if you’re not careful) and I will give you a rundown of just how our day was spent discovering Disney Springs.

After 3 long consecutive days at the parks, Saturday was a much-needed sleeping-in day and a day which we needed to simply go at a slower, less scheduled pace. While I mentioned before that I don’t pre-plan a ton of my trip when I go to the parks, with dining reservations and fast passes, you are bound by some sort of time keeping a schedule for part of the day; yet none of that was happening today! We were able to sleep in and get a good rest, and we didn’t head over to Disney Springs until about 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

Upon arrival, we headed to D-Luxe Burger restaurant for lunch. This is a coined as a family-friendly spot for burgers and fries in a rustic atmosphere (though there is plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the water and other shops). For about $30 you get two gourmet burgers loaded with toppings, a generously sized fries for sharing, and two beverages. Of course, my friend and I shared this combo. D-Luxe also offers this delicious garlic-mayo for dipping; it was so good! They will cook your burger to your liking whether that is medium rare or well done etc. It was a really gorgeous day, so we definitely took advantage of eating outside; probably the nicest weather of the whole trip, a high of about 24 degrees Celcius.

After lunch, we began to walk about the docks at Disney Springs and check out the shops. Of course, instant favourites of ours were: Market Place Co-Op, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, Disney Pin Traders, Candy Cauldron, World of Disney, Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (yes we snagged some delicious ice cream and free chocolate samples!), Disney Style, and Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories. Unfortunately, Saturday was the day where I was feeling ill, and quite frankly, couldn’t really take advantage of all that Disney Springs had to offer because we had to leave a little earlier than we had planned. Nevertheless, we did have great success shopping! I was able to score a fantastic Star Wars sequence jacket & a Loungefly Star Wars bag; I had limited myself to only 2 items for the trip so I was really happy to find these.

There really is so much to do and see at Disney Springs; they have a movie theatre as well as live entertainment, mini golf, and so much more. When the weather is great, it is so easy to spend the whole day roaming the grounds and checking out all the shops and stops. I know that many people take 2 or 3 days out of their trip to explore Disney Springs, and it is easy to see why. Luckily, we were able to return to Disney Springs on the last day of our trip to do a few more things and indulge in Sprinkles Cupcakes! I would say that the shops at Springs offered some items you couldn’t find in the parks, which was nice to see. On that same note, if there was something you saw at the park you absolutely wanted but didn’t get, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to pick it up at Disney Springs. One way to check for sure is to ask a Castmember (Disney World employee) at the park if the item is available anywhere else; they have a handy app that tells them where the items are located. Also, on your My Disney Experience App, under the shopping section, you can look for items by name or franchise and the map will show you what other locations have it. For example, if you absolutely need that Mary Poppins bag, the app will tell you if you can get it at Epcot, Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs. Keep it in mind, next time you’re searching for something but remember that technology isn’t perfect. For example, the app didn’t say that my bag was available at Disney Springs, and it was! So sometimes you gotta roll the dice or take your chances; you may be in for a surprise.

Before you head to Disney Springs, check out their website for a list of all the shops and entertainment events going on. I recommend planning out at least a few of the things you want to see, and getting an idea of where they are located in relevance to each other. For dinner, almost every place requires reservations, so keep this in mind. You can call ahead, or use the Open Table website to look at some available timeslots (if any). Last, but certainly not least, have a budget! It’s so easy to get caught up in everything Disney Springs has to offer, but you don’t want to break the bank doing so!

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for my next blog on our adventures in the Animal Kingdom.

My Magical Day in the Magic Kingdom

February 16, 2019 manda_faromeiro

Day 3 of our Disney World vacation landed us at one of the most magical of all Disney Parks; Magic Kingdom. Yes, you probably recognize it from all those glorious castle photos, but my post will share with you many of the wonderful sites and sounds (and smells) that come from spending the day at the Magic Kingdom!

There is so much to do and see at the Magic Kingdom, you want to ensure you get there as early as you can; this might not be rope drop, but getting there before 10 am is ideal. We arrived at 9 a.m, and our first Fast Pass wasn’t until later in the day, so we immediately headed over to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse! For those who don’t know, Mickey turned 90 recently, so he and Minnie are sporting special birthday outfits, and there are special things going on to celebrate his birthday. Ironically, my past few visits to Disney seldom included visiting Mickey Mouse, but this time we simply had to go do a character greeting. We were told from many people that this was the most anticipated character greeting in the kingdom so we would be waiting awhile; yep – the line was already an hour wait at 9 am. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find that once inside, we only waited 35 minutes! What a fabulous way to start off a magical day.

Celebration Mickey and Minnie Character Greeting

After saying goodbye to Mickey and Minnie, we made our way up Main Street, ran into Mary Poppins while listening to the quartet welcome everyone to the park, getting a whiff of delicious candy and baked goods, oh and snapping a few pictures in front of the castle. We headed over to tour the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, and finally got to ride Big Thunder Mountain (the ride was closed for refurbishments my last 2 visits!). I must say, Big Thunder Mountain is a wicked ride; we were able to use a Fast Pass here but I would have gladly waited in line for it – it was a lot of fun! Before our next Fast Pass at the Haunted Mansion, we zipped over to Gaston’s Tavern to indulge in a decadent cinnamon roll that we paired with LeFou’s Brew; frozen apple juice with hints of marshmallow, topped with a creamy passion-fruit froth. Honestly, I could have had 2 or 3 of these they were so crisp and refreshing; we even had a few people stop us as we were walking back towards the Haunted Mansion what it was we were sipping. After using our Fast Passes for the Haunted Mansion, it was time for lunch.

Landing a reservation at Be Our Guest restaurant used to be next to impossible; the restaurant is right inside the Beast’s castle and during dinner service, the Beast will actually come out to see guests. Recently, they changed Be Our Guest lunch service to a quick service, which means that dining here doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, but it also allows for more guests to be able to eat inside the castle. We were able to snag lunch reservations, and while there were no characters coming around during our meal, it was really neat to sit inside the castle and get to explore the iconic rooms from the film. For about $20, I had a carved turkey sandwich with a side and a beverage; my friend and I shared the Master’s Cupcake, you know, the one with the grey stuff; it was delicious! Everything about the meal was good, and after snagging some pictures inside the castle, it was off for more adventures.

Once we left Be Our Guest restaurant, we stumbled upon Anastasia and Drizella, the step-sisters from Cinderella. I was excited to see them, as in past visits they had only ever been in the parades. I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t one of the top 3 moments of the day, perhaps even the trip. These ladies were such a hoot. Interacting with them was so much fun, and they were all about taking photos, especially selfies, after all, the attention was finally on them and not Cinderella. These gals had everyone in line laughing and made you forget about ever considering them to be ugly, evil or nasty step-sisters; they were amazing!

Meeting Anastasia and Drizella

We said goodbye to the sisters and used our next Fast Pass to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride; a favourite of mine for many reasons. Next, we headed over to the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger character greeting; my best friends’ most beloved characters. We left the Hundred Acre Woods and headed for the Mad Tea Party, where we took a spin on the teacups! After the teacups, we headed over to Storybook Circus and met our pals The Great Goofini and Donald Duck. It was a busy afternoon of character greetings, but we weren’t done yet! Next up was my favourite character greeting in all of the Magic Kingdom: Merida (from Brave)!

Apart from being one of my favourite characters ever, Merida is one of the best character greetings in all of Disney World for many reasons. As adults, we know that there are several actors who portray these characters, and sometimes you can really point out the great ones from those who are mediocre. Each time I have been to Disney, the characters portraying Merida have been spot on. Everything from the accent (which is a hard one), down to the details in conversation and interactions with the guests, Merida always knocks it out of the park. She is my favourite Disney princess because she is brave, bold, daring, courageous, loyal, stubborn, rebellious and headstrong, but also kind, compassionate and loving; and who doesn’t love that hair! Thus, meeting Merida always brings me great joy.

By this point, it was already after 4pm and there were still a few things we had to do. The rest of our day consisted of riding Space Mountain, grabbing a snack in Liberty Square (I made it my mission to ensure I got to have that Churro Ice Cream Sandwich), taking a few more castle pictures, meeting Rapunzel and Tiana, defeating Zurg at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, riding those Mad Tea Party teacups again, and hitting up some of the shops. Before long, the sun had set on another day at Disney.

The next two days of our trip were spent out of Disney Parks, as we finally got to visit Disney Springs. I’ll recap that in my next blog. Thanks for reading. Have a magical day!

My Adventure in Epcot at Walt Disney World

February 12, 2019February 12, 2019 manda_faromeiro

The second day of my vacation to Disney World was spent at Epcot. The common belief amongst many avid Disney World vacationers is that Epcot is not a park which requires an all-day visit, but I strongly disagree. My favourite thing about visiting Epcot is that you can really take your time exploring all the different pavilions at the world showcase, and honestly, because of all the vast cultural experiences that are available, the amount of delicious food you can eat is unmatched! Let me tell you more about my day at Epcot.

Firstly, for anyone who is unfamiliar with Epcot, it is one of the four parks that make up Walt Disney World. The core of Epcot is the World Showcase; a section of the park dedicated to immersing you in the culture of other countries around the world. While touring the showcase, you feel as though you’ve stepped into Mexico, Italy, France, Morocco, China, England, and more. Each section of the showcase provides not only delicacies from these countries, but you’ll find buildings and streets similar to those you’d see there, as well as music and other performers based off of that culture. You really feel as though you’ve stepped into the streets of those places all over the world. The showcase offers shops where you can buy authentic merchandise and items from these countries as well; England has the most dope tea and biscuits collection, while China offers an amazing selection of artwork, jewelry, and collectables. There is more to Epcot than the world showcase, but this is definitely a section of the park you’ll want to dedicate much of your time!

Another interesting thing to mention about Epcot is that it constantly has special events going on. For example, in the fall, it offers the International Food and Wine Festival, and while we were there recently, the Festival of the Arts was happening. The Festival of the Arts provides not only different foods and special performers to Epcot, but it allows artists to showcase their work and visitors of the park to purchase all sorts of art pieces. Sometimes, the artists were even there to talk about their work or sign a piece for you when you purchased it. As you journey through the park, you could stop and look at some amazing variations of artwork both Disney and non-Disney related.

Alas, we arrived at Epcot around 10 am on Thursday morning; allowing ourselves to sleep in a little after such a busy day at Hollywood Studios. We had some time to spare before our first Fast Pass at Mission Space, so we decided to stop and say hello to Pluto who was the first character greeting only steps away from the park’s main entrance. After this, we decided to grab a quick snack for breakfast and roam around the park for a bit to check out those art exhibits I was mentioning previously. We stumbled upon some cool real-life statues that symbolized the elements and snagged some pictures with them; one of the statues kept tickling my friend and it was pretty hilarious. After some other quick browsing, we headed over to Mission Space for our first Fast Pass. We selected the Green mission over Orange; we weren’t ready for such intense astronaut training before lunch.

After a successful Space mission, we stopped quickly at one of the gift shops, then headed over to San Fransokyo to meet Baymax. With a less than 20 minute wait, we were satisfied with our care and headed over to say hello to Joy and Sadness. These two are always fun to interact with, especially since they are polarizing emotions of one another, but Sadness always tries her best to be a trooper and never says no to a picture or two. After these character greetings, we made our way to Spaceship Earth for our second Fast Pass of the day. Once our trip around the earth was complete, it was time to head to Italy for lunch!

I had heard so many amazing things about Via Napoli restaurant in Italy within Epcot’s world showcase, so I was looking forward to trying the traditional woodfire Italian pizza. My friend and I were able to share the individual size pepperoni, and it was everything great pizza should be! An interesting fact about the world showcase is that every employee who works at the different countries is actually from there; all of the staff at Via Napoli were from Italy and our waitress even spoke some Italian to us. Again, another way that Disney will immerse you in the experiences! After lunch, we had some time to spare before our next Fast Pass, so we took the opportunity to walk around some of the countries and take some pictures as well as browse the shops and artists’ booths.

Before long, we found ourselves travelling past China and Morocco and in Norway; it was time to ride Frozen Ever After (yay for a fast pass), and upon exiting we stumbled upon some Vikings! Just a note, Vikings don’t like hugs or photographs, but they are very entertaining! We fled from the Vikings with roaring laughter and walked right into the Sommerhus to meet Elsa and Anna; literally, there was no wait or line at all. Elsa and Anna were a delight. After meeting these gals, we were feeling like having a snack, so it was time to grab a bite to eat from Mexico!

Mexico is one of my favourite spots in all of Epcot’s World Showcase, so I am always sure to stop here and grab a snack. This time we indulged in empanadas and margaritas, and of course my favourite, churros! I love Mexico because the entertainment and artwork and collectables are most fascinating to me; I always have such a wonderful time looking through all that the Mexican Pavillion has to offer. Of course, we made sure to say hello to our friend Donald Duck while in Mexico too!

With churros in hand, we left World Showcase to go utilize some more of our Fast Passes. We were able to ride Soarin’ and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Ralph and Vanelope were also doing character greetings, so we waited for a short time to snag some photos with them. By this time, the sun was setting but we had more of the World Showcase to see! We headed over to France, England and the UK, and a few other spots. By sunset, you get to hear some amazing bands and watch some wicked displays; not to mention roaming the “streets” of France at nighttime is magical!

Our day at Epcot was coming to an end; it was almost 9 pm. Our stomachs were full of incredible food and our feet were sore from an epic day of adventure. There was sunshine for most of our day, and the temperature was steady around the 16-18 degree mark, an improvement from the previous day. It was off to get some much-needed rest for tomorrow’s voyage to the Magic Kingdom!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my next blog…

My Adventure at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

February 9, 2019February 13, 2019 manda_faromeiro

Hello Everyone! It’s been a while since my last post, and for that, I apologize. Between getting ready for my vacation to Disney, and travelling out of town for my friends’ wedding, plus trying to make sure all my work was taken care of before it was time to go- things kinda got a little crazy there! Alas, I am back and ready to blog about my travels to Disney World, and I am going to start with the first park we visited; Hollywood Studios!

Our first full day at Disney was a balmy 11 degrees Celcius, rising as high as 14 once the sun came out, which didn’t happen until much later in the afternoon. This wasn’t going to stop us from having a magical time, as we came prepared with the appropriate layers and sweaters etc. The park opened at 9am, and we were basically there right for rope drop. Due to the popularity of Hollywood Studios’ latest edition of Toy Story Land, we recognized and understood that it was going to be a long day of waiting in lines and taking in all the sights. We were quite excited to start our adventure.

Apart from snagging a photo or two in front of the signs, my friend and I headed straight for Toy Story Land; an entire section of the park which is staged to look just like Andy’s backyard full of all the beloved toys and characters from Toy Story. The rush of excitement flooded our bodies and instant smiles ran across our faces; the impeccable detail Disney showcases from everything big to small is unmatched. You truly felt like you were immersed in the land of Toy Story! We rushed over to Slinky Dog Dash, the rollercoaster you’ll find immediately as soon as you enter that section of the park. To our surprise, the wait was only about 85 minutes or so. Some of you might read this thinking that’s a long time, but when it’s a new Disney attraction, that’s actually pretty quick! Wait until I blog about the Animal Kingdom and the Avatar Flight of Passage Ride… The rollercoaster was a great thrill ride, it had good speed as well as a decent amount of hills and turns – nothing too scary or anything that would make you ill!

Next, we headed over to the Alien’s Swirling Saucers for another moderate wait of about 45 minutes. While in line, we were able to watch some of the Green Army Men do some tricks and their march; it was pretty cool! After making ourselves a bit dizzy, we headed over to go meet Woody and Jesse. Character greetings are one of the coolest things about Walt Disney World! It sounds silly, but you’re never too old to do a character greeting at Disney; many of the characters can be really fun to talk with and do an excellent job interacting with you. This time, my friend and I planned our outfits to be similar to the characters of Woody and Buzz from our “Mickey Ears Headbands” down to our shirts, pants and shoes! Many people commented how much they loved our “Mickey Ears” and the details we put into our whole look from head to toe.

After meeting Woody and Jesse we headed over to our next attraction, Toy Story Mania; a fun interactive shooter-style arcade game. For this ride, we snagged a Fast Pass which allowed us to by-pass the long line up and we only waited about 3 minutes to get on the ride. For those who don’t know, everyone is entitled to 3 Fast Passes per day that can be scheduled anywhere from 30-60 days away from your trip; the fast pass gives you a dedicated one hour window to arrive at that ride or attraction. Fast Passes allow you to go into the faster line, where your wait time won’t be any longer than 5 minutes. These must be booked ahead of time if you want to take advantage of it, you can’t just jump on a ride and use them. After scoring approximately 90,000 points in Toy Story Mania, I had worked up an appetite, so we headed to Woody’s Lunch Box for lunch.

One of the neat things about Disney is that much of the food is based on characters or themes from their movies; the food will often be shaped like or look like the character or movie it is based on. Again, they really immerse you in the whole experience. My friend and I were able to share the BBQ Brisket Melt and Totchos with the Alien Mystic Portal Punch. The portion sizes were great, and we were able to get all this food for $25, and we were more than satisfied with the quality and portions!

If you’re on Instagram, you may have come across some pretty awesome photos people take in front of various walls, corners and spots throughout the Disney Parks. Remember when I talked about how immersing the atmosphere is at Disney? They seriously never cut corners or slack anywhere! There is always a fun spot to take photos around the park. Whether you’re on Instagram or not, you’ll find some really cool places to snag some pictures! My friend and I definitely enjoyed finding these cool spots and striking a pose or two. We made sure to take some time out of our busy day to capture some great photos.

After spending about 5 hours in Toy Story Land, it was time to venture off to galaxies far far away; well okay, not that far just off to the other end of the park. We rode Star Tours, got to meet Chewbacca, BB-8, and Kylo Ren! Also, we were able to catch Muppets 3D, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Aerosmith’s Rock n Roller Coaster, and did some shopping. Just when we were feeling a bit tired, The Incredibles Dance Party was there to perk us up! Here we got to dance along with Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, while also pitching to the broadcasters about how amazing Jack Jack’s Num-Num Cookie was (yes, of course, you could buy this giant novelty cookie to eat and enjoy!) We also met Edna Mode, who wanted us to remove our hoodies immediately (too close to capes she says!) but was willing to strike a pose with us; she absolutely loved my Incredibles bag.

My favourite character greeting of the day was Mike and Sully from Monster’s Inc. I am totally biased here because Monster’s Inc is my favourite movie, with Mike Wazowski being my most beloved character ever, yes it’s true, come at me! So while they don’t talk, they do their best to interact with you through gestures, and Sully gives the softest and best hugs (sorry not sorry Olaf!) I was really glad that we got to see them this trip because I hadn’t seen them since 2014!

The sun was beginning to set, it was just about 6:30 pm, but there was still fun to be had. We made our way back over to Toy Story Land so we could snag our photo with Buzz Lightyear and ride Alien’s Swirling Saucers one more time, before heading out to catch For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-a-Long Celebration (oh and sing-along we did!) After that performance we ran quickly to grab warm hugs from Olaf then made our way to the main stage to catch the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular nighttime show. If there is anything that Disney does bigger than anything else, it is their fireworks shows! While it was quite cold, once the show started, being chilly was the furthest thing from our minds. Our day at Hollywood Studios was coming to an end, but we couldn’t complain; we had so much fun and made so many great memories.

The last time I was at Disney World was September 2016, but more specifically, I had not been to Hollywood Studios since 2014, and Toy Story Land was a new addition to Hollywood Studios in June 2018. Needless to say, there was a ton of hype and expectations about the changes to the park and the rides. Overall, I was blown away with how detailed Toy Story Land was and how every other section of the park offered something for everyone. What I appreciated about Hollywood Studios was that there was a lot to do and see, but you never felt like you were rushed or had to rush before missing out on anything. Hollywood Studios offers rides and attractions with different intensity levels. Between the Star Wars march and the Green Army Men, it was difficult to miss either of these troops walking around the park while you were walking by, waiting in line, or taking a break for food or drink. With many character greetings, there is sure to be someone for everyone to meet; if the Disney princesses aren’t really your scene, I highly recommend Hollywood Studios.

Stay tuned for my next Disney blog where I will review our day at Epcot! Thanks for reading.

My First Disney-Themed Blog Post

January 14, 2019 manda_faromeiro

I’m leaving for Walt Disney World in 15 days and I cannot contain my excitement! If you’ve ever had the privilege of going away on vacation, remaining focused at work can be difficult once your trip is “officially” booked and all that is left to do is pack & get to the airport on time. Waiting to leave for Disney is no different, and I’ve been officially booked for this trip since almost 200 days ago.

We’ve all met those people who are crazy about Disney. Those people who have seen (almost) every film, have a Rolodex of endless quotes and lines from the movies, can beat you at any Disney-themed trivia game, and just love talking about any and all things Disney. I don’t claim to be the biggest Disney fan ever, because I know that Disney has a very universally shared love and appreciation, and most people at one point or another grew up with something Disney-related in their household. Now, this doesn’t mean that I won’t talk Disney with you for hours on end, or share my thoughts and opinions of films, merch, the parks etc. but I am by no means an expert, and having the privilege to visit the parks more than once in my lifetime has affirmed that Disney really does resonate with almost everyone, that’s pretty special. And no one cares what you know and how much you do know, no one needs to be if an expert!

Since I was young, I adored all-things Disney. I remember having a collection of all the Seven Dwarfs plushies (Snow White was my favourite), as well as various princess pencil cases and school supplies, Lion King toys, and of course Disney clothes! One of my favourite items was a Pocahontas piggy bank that I received for one of my birthdays, and I kept it for so many years (even as a teenager) until it broke in my early 20s; sad day! I even remember getting the Disney video games; does anyone else remember how difficult that one level in the Aladdin game was for Sega Genesis? I remember seeing The Lion King on Broadway in New York during my Grade 12 Arts trip in High School; it was such an incredible show. Oh, the memories!

It wasn’t until 2014 that I had the chance to visit Walt Disney World for the very first time. I was in my mid-20s and I was probably as excited as a six-year-old to be finally visiting the famous castle and theme park. I honestly did not know what to expect. Going back to that whole being an expert thing, it’s amazing how much advice you can get from people as soon as you tell them you’re going to Disney World for the first time; I must have received 20 pages worth of advice on where to eat, what to do, what characters to meet, how to get the most of your time and money, and whatever other expertise people wanted to give me. Honestly, while it was a nice gesture, none of it was very helpful. In fact, it made my trip quite overwhelming, and I had not even started packing yet! Everyone who had been before wanted to help give me tips, but the trouble is that they all had a different idea of the best things to do, see, eat etc. Alas, I decided to take it upon myself to do as little planning as possible.

Yep. Being someone who naturally loves to plan and organize, not planning out all the details was a little challenging, but I made sure to make only a small checklist of things I really wanted to do, and then the rest would just fall in place, if possible! I did my own research and very quickly skimmed the recommendations given to me from friends, coworkers, etc. and came up with a list of 2 or 3 things at most that I wanted to do at each park. I wanted to go into the parks and really just enjoy the experience, take my time walking around and coming across anything that intrigued me, not going off of a schedule and having to check things off my list. I didn’t want my vacation to seem like a chore or task list, so I stuck to my 2-3 things, and the rest just fell into place!

During my first trip, I visited the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios only. I was blown away by how amazing both parks were. It was neat to see things from my childhood come to life and to feel like I really had stepped inside those beloved books and films. Oh, and not to mention how incredibly cool it was to interact with some of my favourite Disney characters. One of the cheesy-but-true things about Disney World is that it really is the happiest place on earth. It’s difficult to be in Disney World and not be smiling, laughing, or in good spirits. Yes, there are miserable people walking around, whether that be screaming kids, hot and bothered patrons sick of waiting in line, or whomever, but the overall atmosphere is really a pleasant one. There are always parades, little performances/acts, characters or things to see, rides to go on (for all intensity levels), and honestly, just the aesthetics of the parks are very pleasing. I honestly believe that you don’t truly appreciate the park until you are older, but of course, that can be said for most things! Also, I recognize my bias because I never went as a child.

Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival – September 2016

My next trip was in 2016 and this time I visited Epcot, Animal Kingdom and returned to the Magic Kingdom. Once again, I travelled with an open agenda (apart from 2-3 things I wanted to do). Luckily we were attending some pretty special events happening at the parks: Food and Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. For anyone who doesn’t know, Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival showcases special dishes and drinks from all over the world, and you can get a specially priced passport to try items from every kiosk. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is an after-hours event at Magic Kingdon where you can dress up in costume, ride some of the rides, and go around collecting Halloween treats at various stops in the park. The coolest thing about the Halloween party is that many of the Villains come out and you can meet them, and there is also a wicked parade showcasing Disney’s best villains. I recommend both of these events to anyone interested in an awesome experience at the parks, especially because dressing up for Halloween never gets old!

The Aliens (from Toy Story) – MNSSHP September 2016

I could dedicate many separate blogs for all things Disney and Walt Disney World, this entry was just a chance for me to openly discuss how I’ve been reflecting about my upcoming trip. This will be my third time at Disney World, and I am happy to say that I have had the opportunity to visit the parks with my BFF each time. For all the fun vacations can be, they can also be tiring and uncomfortable at times. Yet, when I travel with my BFF, we never have a dull moment and quite literally are the perfect travel companions. We have travelled so much together that we understand each other’s behaviours and patterns and travelling with her really takes any worry out of the travelling process. Partaking in an adventure like Walt Disney World can be quite the ordeal because there are so many things to consider (like dining, how long you want to stay at the parks, what kind of rides or attractions you like) and what you want out of your experience. Since we are BFF’s it is easy for us to stay on the same page, while still knowing that the other one will get the most out of our trip. As I’ve said in prior posts, the company you keep is SO IMPORTANT!

I will definitely be writing about my trip, probably in more detail, when I get back, but preparing for my vacation has given me the opportunity to really relish in what makes a vacation to Walt Disney World so magical. I truly enjoy the little moments and details of Disney World, and capturing everything I can in photos and video! I love getting swept up in all the magic and getting lost in the moment. When I visit Disney World, I am reminded of why I love Disney so much; it allows me to adventure to a far off place and forgets my worries! Hakuna Matata – it means no worries

(until the end of your stay- when you get your credit card statement!) Bahaha!