Downtown Dis.....Er, I Mean Disney Springs

It's going to take me a while to get used to that name change. I still call Hollywood Studios "MGM", so we see how well I do with change. They haven't officially changed the name yet, at least not that I have heard, so I've got a little time to get used to it. I'm sure there are still people who call it Disney Village Marketplace ;-)

So what is going to be available in the new Disney Springs. Mainly, shopping and restaurants. The old Pleasure Island spot is being transformed into more restaurants and more shops. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping and dining out as much as the next girl, but I really do miss Pleasure Island. The clubs were awesome, but I digress...a topic for another day.

They do have some new offerings in Downtown Disney. One of which is a new, pretty large, Starbucks. Allowing Starbucks on the property is also a topic for another day...still not sure how I feel. The Starbucks building is actually pretty cool though. Check out the review here from Disneyfoodblog.com. They have a lot of pictures of the new Starbucks and some of the features are really interesting. For instance, they have a grass roof that where they use recycled coffee grounds to help grow the grass. The other really cool feature is the interactive screen. Here you can actually see what is going on at the Anaheim Starbucks and they will be able to see a chalk version of you! I will definitely have to check that out the next time we are there.

Picture from disneyfoodblog.com

Another new addition to Downtown Disney is the Food Truck Park. I don't know when food trucks became such a "thing", but they are. So much so that Disney has given them their own space Downtown Disney actually has them listed on their website, so you can see more information of the food trucks here. My husband is a fan of food trucks, so I'm pretty sure this will be a stop on our next trip. New shops will be opening up throughout the process as well. One new shop is the Marketplace Co-op and I can't wait to check it out! Here is some info on it.

When we were there in January 2014 the construction for the transformation to Disney Springs had already begun...and it was a mess. From what I am hearing it's pretty bad around Downtown Disney these days and people are recommending that take Disney transportation instead of driving yourself. We are planning to go next fall and construction will still be going on then and I'm sure it will still be a mess. They are looking at 2016 for completion and the full transformation to Disney Springs. Here are some renderings from Disney Parks Blog when Disney Springs was first announced.

Town Center and The Landing

The Landing

Family-Friendly Marketplace

It looks like it is going to be nice and I can't wait to see all the new shops and dining options! I have to say, though, that I am glad they are keeping The Marketplace. I love walking around there and love all the shops! Plus, that little train that the kids ride on is super cute. 

The Lego Dragon

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Display From the Christmas Store

Fulton's (love this place!)

Happy Holidays!

Rainforest Cafe

The train in the Marketplace at Downtown Disney.

What do you think? Are you excited for the changes being made to Downtown Disney? I won't lie, I'm excited for more shopping options...not sure my wallet is though ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

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California Grill Review

Yesterday, on the Main Street Wishes Facebook group, I put out the question as to what everyone's favorite restaurant at Disney is. I always love the responses, because there is usually a place we haven't tried on the list and it's always fun to try new restaurants!

One restaurant we really enjoyed on the last trip was California Grill. It is located at The Contemporary resort on the 15th floor and the views are absolutely amazing! You get to look out over the Magic Kingdom as you are dining on some very delicious food. Our group (we traveled with friends) had four kids in the group and all four of them loved being able to see the castle as we ate.

Some Christmas decorations were still up! Nobody

does Christmas like Disney!

                                   

The view from California Grill.

 It was so nice to be able to see the Magic Kingdom

 and other parts of Disney as we dined. 

You can see the Grand Floridian in the distance.

When you arrive at the Contemporary, make your way inside and you will find the desk for California Grill. There, they will take your name and check on your reservation. If it is time for your reservation, one of the cast members will escort you to the California Grill elevator. This part was pretty cool. The elevator goes directly to the 15th floor. I love that the restaurant has their own elevator :-)

Once you have been escorted to the restaurant, you can wait in the lounge and look over the menu, get drinks, and check out the view. This was the first time at California Grill for everyone in our group and I think everyone was pretty impressed with the view from the restaurant. It is lined with huge windows so you can see out from any point, no matter where you are sitting. We were lucky enough to have a table right by a window, so the kids were entertained the entire time with the view. We were going to the Magic Kingdom the next day, so they were pointing out different things they wanted to see. As it got dark, the view only got better!

Trying out the panoramic view on the phone.

Our friend Steph took this beautiful picture.

You can't go wrong with a view like this.

Thanks to our friend Jay who took this great picture

of the Magic Kingdom all lit up.

Now for the food. All I can say is...delicious! I had the sweet potato gnocchi and, wow, was it delicious. Unfortunately, I wasn't writing these blog posts yet, so I didn't take any pictures of anyone's meal, but trust me when I say that everyone enjoyed their food immensely! We each ordered different meals (except Steph and I, we both got the pasta), but whether it was pasta, steak, seafood, or something off the sushi menu, everyone was very pleased with what they ordered. I can also say that the martinis were very good ;-) 

Another bonus? The kids loved their meals! They do have a separate kids menu, so you can definitely bring the kids here. They all ordered the pizza and it was a success all around! The pizzas came with a choice of water, milk or apple juice and a choice of fruit, ice cream, or yogurt parfait for dessert. We had some pretty happy kids after that meal!

I always like to check out the dessert menu (sweet tooth!) to see if anything sparks my interest. Since I have a sweet tooth, I can usually find something. My husband isn't into desserts as much as I am, so he just ordered a scotch for dessert and I think he was very happy with his choice. For me, I ordered the Sundae Sampler (our friend Jay did too). I had been doing research on the different restaurants we were going to dine in while on vacation and I kept seeing pictures of this Sundae Sampler at California Grill. After looking at the dessert menu, I was happy to see it was still on there. Talk about yummy! It was delicious and just enough food for dessert! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a good dessert to follow up a delicious meal. Plus, the mini Coke bottle was super cute. I wanted to sneak it in my purse, but I figured they might notice ;-)

My Sundae Sampler

A different view of Jay's Sundae Sampler

Once you have finished your meal and paid the check, make sure to hold on to your receipt. If it is not time for the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom yet, you can come back later and show your receipt. This allows you to go back up to the restaurant and watch the fireworks from their observation deck. What a great view! Not only can you see the fireworks, but they pipe in the narration as well! You get the full effect of the show, without having to deal with the crowds. We had an hour or so before the fireworks started, so we just did the monorail loop. The kids loved it because it was like another ride to them! Once it was time, we showed our receipt, took the elevator back up, and comfortably watched the fireworks. It was amazing and the kids had the best time. This is an especially good option if your kids don't like loud noises. The fireworks are far enough away where they shouldn't get scared, but you still get to see the whole show.

View of the Christmas decorations from 

inside the Contemporary as we wait

for the monorail.

My husband and daughter watching 

the fireworks from the observation deck.

Part of the Wishes fireworks show from

the observation deck at California Grill.

Everyone had such a good experience at California Grill! So much so, I believe it is definitely on the list of reservations to be made for next year. It is a splurge for us, but it's worth it. Between the good food, the amazing view, the fireworks viewing, all the smiles from the kids...it's definitely worth it for the memories. 

Feel free to share your experience in the comments if you have dined at California Grill. It's great to hear different experiences!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

Fireworks from the observation deck. 

The castle is to the left and 

Space Mountain is to the right.

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Weekly Tip #2

Time for the Weekly Tip! Here we go!

Staying on Disney Property: Why it is Worth the Price

Yes, staying on Disney property is expensive, but is it worth it? If you can swing the cost, I would definitely say yes and I will tell you why. It's all about the perks!

Staying on property gives you extra perks, like the ability to take advantage of Disney's Extra Magic Hours, which allows you to either get to the park earlier than opening time or stay after closing if you are a guest staying on Disney property. If morning Extra Magic Hours are available you may be able to get all your rides in before the park starts to get really busy. Which means you could be enjoying a nice swim back at your hotel for the afternoon while everyone else has to wait in longer lines for the rides you already got to see in the morning.

Complimentary transportation to and from the theme parks, water parks, and Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs) is also available in the form the monorail, buses, and boats. It's always nice to let someone else do the driving!

Disney's Complimentary Transportation

The Monorail, Buses, and Boats

If you have a car, it might not be as big of a deal, but you will have to pay for parking if you are not staying on property. If you have a car and are staying on property, you can park for free .

If you are not staying at a Disney resort hotel and are using their transportation system, make sure you take note of when the shuttles runs. Many of the non-Disney resort hotels do not run shuttles as often as Disney does, so you will want to make sure you get back to your shuttle stop in time. Also, the non-Disney resort hotel shuttle stops tend to be far away, which makes sense. Why would they have competitor shuttle stops close to the Disney ones? 

On our last trip, one person in the party was staying at a non-Disney resort hotel for the whole trip. The shuttles for their hotel stopped running earlier than Disney's and they didn't run as often. Plus, when it was time to go back to the hotels, our shuttle stop was always so much closer than the non-Disney one. At the end of the trip I think they wished they had taken my advice and stayed at a Disney resort hotel. You don't have to spend a fortune for the hotels, you can stay at one of their value hotels. I have stayed at Pop Century 3 times and it is my value hotel of choice in Disney. The theme throughout the hotel is so much fun! There will be a separate blog on Pop sometime soon. 

A (Big) Big Wheel at Pop Century

Also, if you are staying on property the MagicBands are included in your stay. If you are staying off property and want to use a MagicBand, you will have to purchase it separately.

Something else to consider when deciding whether or not to stay on property is if you want to use the dining plan. The dining plan can only be purchased when you are staying at a Disney resort hotel, so if you were considering one of the dining plans then you will have to stay on property to take advantage of it. 

The next perk for staying on property involves dining reservations and FastPass+ (FP+) reservations. If you are staying on property you can make dining reservations 180 days from the first day of your trip. If do not have Disney resort hotel reservations, you will not be able to take advantage of this and chances are the more popular (Cinderella's Royal Table, Be Our Guest,etc.) will be booked during your stay. I know, it seems ridiculous to book dining reservations 6 months in advance (and it is), but because of the dining plan it is necessary for the more popular restaurants. 

FastPass+ is available to book 60 days from the first day of your trip if you are staying on property and 30 days for those that are not staying on property (angering many locals). It means a lot of planning on your part, because you are going to have to figure out what park you want to go to on what day and hope you can get your FPs for that day. We'll see how this plays out, because this idea is still fairly new. In all honesty I'm hoping it doesn't work out and goes away, but it's here now and if you want to ride the popular rides you have an extra 30 days on the people not staying on property.

Another perk is that you are completely immersed for your entire trip. Staying at a Disney resort hotel means that you never have to leave the "magic". There are some hotels that will give you a little more quiet than others (Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village), but you are still receiving the Disney treatment. The cast members are wonderful and if there are problems they will take care of them. We had issues with our MagicBands when we stayed at Kidani Village and had to go down to the Concierge 3 nights in a row, because of this they gave us an extra 3 FastPasses per person, per day for the rest of our trip! 

Beautiful (and quiet) Kidani

That service doesn't end when you leave the hotel either. I had a not-so-magical experience with  a couple of cast members (but that's out of hundreds of great cast members) and I emailed my complaint when we got home. I honestly didn't expect to hear anything, and if I did I figured it would be a general email apology, but to my (happy) surprise I received a phone call a few days later! Her name was Beth and she was wonderful! She listened to me, apologized, and explained to me the steps they would be taking to resolve the situation. It was wonderful to have a company actually care about what you think and to talk to someone who didn't sound like they were rolling their eyes on the other end of the phone. Thank you, Beth!

So, while it can be expensive to stay at Disney (don't forget about the values!), if you can swing the cost, I would definitely recommend staying on property. There are so many different perks to take advantage of! Plus, you feel the magic throughout your entire trip and if you're going to Disney, don't you want to feel as much of the magic as possible? :-)

Thanks for reading! 

Liz ⁰O⁰

One of the fun signs found around Pop Century.

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Cape May Cafe Review

Good Morning!

Since the first Weekly Tip was about character dining and Cape May Cafe was mentioned, I thought I would do a review for the next blog. So today's blog is about the character breakfast that they offer at Cape May Cafe (we haven't had dinner there yet, hopefully next trip!).

Cape May Cafe is located at Disney's Beach Club Resort and is right off the lobby, very easy to find. The cast members are very helpful and there is usually someone standing outside the lobby door who you can ask for directions. They also have a greeter right inside the lobby, who is very helpful, but the restaurant really is easy to find. When you enter the lobby make sure to take a look around. Disney is very good with details. The chandeliers were pretty impressive.

When you are done checking out the lobby, you can make your way to the podium in front of the restaurant. They will take your name and, if there is a wait, they will give you a buzzer to let you know when it's time to eat (like most other restaurants do). If you do have a wait and you have little ones that might get impatient, they have a waiting area for kids. It comes complete with little comfy chairs and a TV that plays cartoons. If you would rather they not watch TV, you can walk them around the lobby and look out the windows at Crescent Lake, it's a pretty nice view. 

Once you have been buzzed, check out the theme of the restaurant as you are walking in. The beach theme is pretty fun. They have beach umbrellas as decorations and they have a sand castle in a case that we were lucky enough to sit by. The kids loved looking at this in between eating and meeting characters!

You can see some of the beach umbrellas

 in the background. We all really loved the 

theme of this restaurant!

The food offerings are standard for a breakfast buffet at Disney, with a few special things thrown in. There was a Hollandaise sauce that was delicious! They had four cheese scrambled eggs with chorizo, a carving station, the Mickey waffles (of course), cheddar cheese grits, fruit, oatmeal and cereals, pastries,and a lot more. You can see some of the offerings on Disney's website, Cape May Cafe Breakfast Menu. To be honest, as big as Disney is, they lack when it comes to details on their website. So, the menu is not complete by any means, but it will give you an idea. 

While you are eating the characters will come to your table to visit, one at a time. The characters are dressed in beach attire and they all look pretty cute. The three characters that were there when we visited were Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. They all took their time at the table and made sure to sign all three of the autograph books and take lots of pictures. My friend's son didn't want his picture with the characters, so they just signed his book and he was happy with that. Their daughter wanted to have her picture taken with the characters, but she was a little nervous and shy. So when Minnie came around, she sat next to her and just gently held her hand to get her feeling comfortable. We have some pretty cute pictures of this. The characters are so good and so patient with all the kids, that's reason enough to visit Cape May Cafe! 

Donald signing autographs. Donald #1! ;-)

Once we were done with breakfast and meeting the characters, we packed up and headed outside to look around. It is a beautiful resort! I loved walking around the lake and you can see The Boardwalk Inn across the way. The Yacht Club is right next to The Beach Club, so you can wander over there and look around too, it's another beautiful resort. Plus, there is a boat launch from the Yacht Club that will take you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios (you can also walk to both these parks from The Yacht and Beach Club).

So, would I recommend Cape May Cafe? Absolutely! The food is good (again standard Disney breakfast buffet with some special items mixed in) and the characters are fantastic with the kids (and adults)! We will definitely have Cape May Cafe on the list of reservations for our next trip and I'm hoping to try dinner there too. The cost is listed as $15 to $29.99. The range in cost probably depends on what time of year you go and child price vs. adult price. If you do eat here, make sure to poke around the resort after! It's fun to explore all the different Disney hotels. 

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

The Beautiful Beach Club

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Weekly Tip #1

Time to dive in with the blogging! I decided to try to do weekly tips that I have found to be helpful when we travel to the World. So here is my first Weekly Tip:

Character Dining: Fun and Helpful for First Time Visitors With Little Ones

On our last trip we traveled with another family. It was great because all the kids got along so well, but we were not sure how they would react to the characters. My daughter has always been freaked out by Santa (stranger in a big red suit and white beard...can't say I blame her) and my friend was not sure how her kids would react. 

So, to avoid some major meltdowns and wasted time of waiting in lines to meet characters, we booked breakfast at Cape May Cafe at The Beach Club Resort as a test before we hit the parks. We were all so glad that we did this! My daughter ran up to every single character (Minnie, Donald, and Goofy in beach attire) and gave them a hug. My friend's son did not want a picture with them (no freak out though) and her daughter was nervous, but let Minnie sit next to her and hold her hand (by the end of the trip she was running up to characters and hugging them). So, this helped us to see their reactions and we knew that it would be okay to wait in line to meet the characters. My daughter only had one freak out when we met Mike and Sulley, but I can kind of understand that one. 

If you are traveling to Disney World and you are not sure how your child will react to the characters, I highly recommend booking a character dining experience before you visit the parks. That way if they do freak out, you can ask the characters to just skip your table and enjoy the rest of your meal. Also, you won't waste precious park time waiting in line to meet a character only to have your child be afraid of the character. Plus, the character meals are just fun, even if they have to skip your table. I will say that Minnie was absolutely wonderful with my friend's daughter, who was clearly nervous. She just sat next to her and gently held her hand for pictures. They are so wonderful and patient with the kids!

So, there you go! The first ever Weekly Tip. If you are nervous about your child's reaction to the characters, book a character dining experience. It's worth it! There will be an actual review of Cape May Cafe in another blog.

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

Photo of Cape May Cafe from https://disneyworld.disney.go.com

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