My Disney Diary: Planning in the Early Stages

We have been planning another trip with our friends (and Disney buddies) for next fall. On the last trip we stayed at Kidani Village and we loved it there. Kidani is a beautiful resort and it is quiet. You don't have a lot of people just passing through your resort, like you would at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resorts. Everyone loved the animals and one day we are going to go back to stay in a Savannah view room. For the next trip we agreed to try a new resort, so we are going through David's Vacation Club Rentals again to (hopefully) stay at the Beach Club.

Kidani's Viewing Area

Zebras on the Savannah

Giraffe on the Savannah

Chandelier in the Lobby

Balcony Off a 2 Bedroom Suite

Television and Table in the 2 Bedroom Suite

The only downside to renting points is that you have to depend on a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member selling their points to the point rental company. If no one joins with the number of points you need for a certain resort, then you have to wait until the 7 month window and chances are your chosen resort will be gone by then. The reason for this is that DVC members buy their points for a certain "home" resort and are able to book 11 months out at that resort, but have to wait until the 7 month mark to book at another resort. In other words, if you buy your points at Kidani then you can book Kidani 11 months in advance, but if you want to stay at Beach Club Villas you have to wait until you are 7 months out from your trip to book, because Beach Club is not your "home" resort.

Beach Club Pool Slide

Beach Club

Beach Club Pool

View of Boardwalk Inn from Beach Club Pool

Beach Club Pool

Sand Bottomed Part of the Beach Club Pool

Chandelier in Beach Club Lobby

Beaches and Cream

The Arcade

That is the point we are at right now. We are just waiting for someone with Beach Club Villa points to sell their points to David's. I will say that David's has been phenomenal with communication. They were great with communicating the last time we used them, as well. So, we knew we were going to use them again. I have been emailing them each week for an update and they have been so quick to respond! It is great to work with a company that you know will address your questions in a very timely manner.

So, for now we wait. Our trip is still almost a year away, so we have time. I just love to have the reservation all set, because that means we are definitely going! For now though, we are looking at which restaurants we want to dine in while we are there.

I'll probably be posting more about our upcoming trip as the planning starts to get more intense. There is always something you can start to plan and it's fun planning all aspects of a Disney vacation. I'm sure I will find something to hold me over until the reservations are secured ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

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Cooking the Disney Way: Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill

During our last trip I was specifically looking for a Disney cookbook to bring home with me. They actually have a few to choose from, so I looked them over and ended up with "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs." Here is what the cover of the book looks like, in case you want to buy it.

I picked up mine in the Animal Kingdom

Lodge gift shop, but they are available 

all over Disney property.

This cookbook has recipes from Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Disney Cruise Line. I love it, because if you found something you liked at a restaurant, and it's in the book, then you can make it whenever you want! Also, if you have an idea of what restaurants you want to dine in on your next vacation and that restaurant has a recipe/recipes in the book, you can sample the food before you go. That way when you get there you will have already tasted a menu item or two and know whether you want to order those items.

So far I've made the Cheddar Breakfast Potatoes from The Crystal Palace Restaurant and the Coconut Curried Chicken Stew from Boma. Unfortunately, I had not started the blog yet so I didn't take pictures of the finished products, but both recipes got rave reviews from the family.

The recipe I tried last night was the Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill. For legal reasons, I cannot actually post the recipe for you, it being copyrighted material and all. However, I can give you reviews of the recipes and show you pictures of the finished products. At least with a review and some pictures, you will have some added information if you are looking to buy a Disney cookbook.

Now, for the review. My husband picked out this recipe, because we had already decided on fish for dinner and he thought the risotto would compliment the fish. I have never made risotto before, so I was a little nervous about how it would come out. I will say, you definitely have to keep an eye on it while it is cooking and it involves a lot of stirring, so that it does not burn. Also, there is some chopping involved with this recipe, so make sure you have everything chopped up before you start cooking. It is much easier if it is all chopped ahead of time and things are less likely to burn.

How did it come out? It tasted delicious! I am so pleased with how it came out. My husband loved it and, here's the kicker, my kids loved it too! My (extremely) picky 3 year old ate a good amount of it and my 1 year old had a bunch too. That is what told me this is a good recipe. If it can get my 3 year old to eat (and enjoy) something other than pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I am all for it! I will definitely be making this again. Plus, I know we are going to make reservations at California Grill for the next trip, so I am excited to try the Lemon Grass Risotto as prepared by the chefs!

View from above.

There was a nice lemony flavor that complimented 

the risotto. It was really good!

This is a good way to sample some of the restaurant food from Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line before you take a trip to any of the Disney locations. They even have a recipe or two from Victoria and Albert's!

If you are looking for a fun cookbook or you have a favorite food from a Disney restaurant check out this cookbook. The reason I bought this book is because it has a recipe for Tonga Toast from Kona Cafe and this was one of my favorite dishes from our trip. I still have to make the Tonga Toast, but when I do I will let you know how it comes out. For now, high marks all around for the Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill in the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰
mainstreetwishes.com

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Souvenirs That Won't Break the Bank

I know when people hear the word souvenir preceded with the word Disney dollar signs usually start to appear in their head, but not all Disney souvenirs have to be expensive. Of course, it also depends on how many souvenirs you end up buying, but individual souvenirs don't have to be that expensive. So, here is a list of some of the less expensive mementos you can bring home from your trip.

5. Pressed Pennies

Not long ago I wrote a post about all the pressed penny machines that Disney has on property, but it definitely fits in this post, as well. At 51 cents this is pretty much the cheapest souvenir you can get (unless you count the free pens, pads, and bath products you can take from you room). There are hundreds of these machines to choose from all over Disney property and each one has three or four different images to choose from. We loved the pressed penny machines and my daughter loved picking out the image and helping to turn the crank. It's fun, cheap, and kids love these things! Check out the post for more info.

Chip 'n' Dale Pressed Penny

(From the Land pavilion)

4. Pens

These are relatively cheap souvenirs too. Depending on the style and detail of the pens they shouldn't cost more than $5 or $6. On our last trip my daughter really wanted an Ariel pen. The one she ended up with had more detail than some other ones and the cap is actually the bottom of Ariel's fin. So, it did cost a little more than some other pens, but only a $1 or so. It's really cute and she loves to use it! Years ago, way before my daughter was born and before I got married, I went to Disney with a friend and bought a pen as a souvenir on that trip. It just so happens to be an Ariel pen too. Like mother like daughter! Only, the one I picked has feathers on it, because one cannot have enough feathery and sparkly items ;-)

If you are staying on Disney property your hotel room should have pens, so you can always take one of those as a souvenir too. I would say it's free, but you paid a decent amount of money to stay on Disney property, so it's not really "free", but it feels like it's free and that works for me!

Mother/Daughter Ariel Pens

"Free" Hotel Pen 

3. Mugs

If mugs are your souvenir of choice then Disney has you covered. It's hard to go into a Disney store on property and not see a selection of mugs. I love getting new Disney mugs! The designs are always fun and a lot of them have the year on them, so you can have a timeline in your kitchen of your Disney travels. 

This is a fun mug I got during my 2008 trip.

They have different sizes and shapes. They have mugs shaped like characters and mugs that are understated, for those that don't like the in-your-face Disney styles. Sometimes there are little details on the inside of the mug. My Tinker Bell mug has a cute design on the inside and it's fun to see that as I'm drinking my tea, it makes me smile. 

Tinker Bell design.

I love the added detail inside the mug.

If you have enough Disney mugs, you can switch it up every time you use a mug. One of my Disney mugs is my designated hot chocolate mug and then I alternate with the other ones depending on what my mood is that day. The mugs usually don't run that much, it depends on the style and size, but I would say probably $10-$15 is the norm. It brings a little magic to your morning cup of coffee or tea and that is a good start to the day in my book!

My hot chocolate mug.

2. Plush and Other Small Toys

This category can be for both children and adults. There are plenty of toys and plush dolls and animals that adults love too! It is Disney after all, where you feel like a kid again! Most stores will have a decent selection of toys and plush that are not too expensive. Again, it depends on what you go for. If you want a huge plush or a toy that has a lot of electronics or parts, then the price might not be so inexpensive. I'm telling you though, there are a ton of reasonably priced toys and plush available all over Disney property. 

I have bought plush on past trips and now have passed those on to my daughter and son. The collection just continues to grow! On the last trip we bought an Ariel pillow (which my daughter loves!), a flying Buzz Lightyear, a Mickey safari remote control car, as well as some other plush. All of those items fell in the $10-$20 category. That's really not bad, considering there is a remote control car in the mix. Our trip was in January 2014 and everyone is still having so much fun with the toys and the plush that we bought on that trip! 

My daughter loves her princess plush dolls!

Some of these are my old plush 

and some are new ones for the kids. 

I love how the collection grows!

The Mickey car and Buzz Lightyear we got on the

last trip. They are so much fun to play with!

A video of Buzz flying.

My daughter's Ariel pillow.

Here is the other side of the pillow. I love how

the signature is the same on the pillow as it is

when the character signs autographs. Details!

1. Headgear 

In my mind, this is the best Disney souvenir, because it is most associated with Disney souvenirs. Plus they are so much fun to wear! I say "headgear", because I am not just talking about Mickey ears. There are so many different options that are offered now!

On the last trip I bought a pretty fancy looking headband and, yes, it has feathers and it's sparkly. On another trip I bought a safari type hat (I cannot currently find this hat, which is why there is no picture of it), my husband has an Indiana Jones hat he bought on our 2011 trip, there is a Tinker Bell baseball cap from my 2007 trip, and each of the kids have their own set of Mickey ears.

The ears, hats, and headbands are all over Disney property. It is really hard to get too far anywhere in Disney without running into a store or cart that has headgear for sale and the number of styles that are available is amazing. Seriously, it is crazy how many styles there are to choose from. That can make it a little hard to pick just one, but it is so much fun too look at all the styles and designs!

My fancy headband from the last trip. 

Notice it is feathery, sparkly, and purple. 

It's my perfect headgear!

This is my daughter's first pair of ears 

from our 2011 trip.

My son's first pair of ears from our 2014 trip.

My husband's Indiana Jones hat and 

my Tinker Bell hat. 

That purple, sparkly, springy headband is

from my 2007 trip. 

So, there you have it. My list of inexpensive souvenirs that can be found at Disney World. Everyone's list will be a little different, but I hope this helps if you are looking for ideas. It is nice to know that there are inexpensive options for good, fun souvenirs that won't break or lose the interest of the kids the second you get home. Plus, it's just fun to go in all the stores on Disney property to see all the fun souvenirs available!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

mainstreetwishes.com

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Weekly Tip #6

Off Peak Travel: Why it is Worth it to Go During Low Periods

I am not a person who enjoys crowds. My friend and I once spent the day in New York City tracking down the building that was used in the opening shot of the show "Friends" (another obsession of mine) and somehow we ended up near the Rockefeller tree. If you have never been to see the tree, let me tell you that the crowds are insane! It was awful and all I wanted to do was get away from the huge crowd of people who were pushing their way past us to get to the tree. It was a mess, I just don't like being in a huge crowd like that. People will inevitably start to shove and push their way to where they want to go, then you end up pushing and shoving back, and it just doesn't make for a happy time. Luckily we found the building we were looking for before all the pushing and shoving.

The "Friends" Building

(Sorry for the quality of the photos.

This was before smartphones)

"I'll Be There For You"

The Street Sign  

(In case you want to find it)

Okay, sorry, back on track. Sometimes "Friends" can make me get as sidetracked as Disney. My point with all of that is...I don't like crowds. So, when we make Disney plans, the crowd levels are what help us decide when to go. Our last trip was in January 2014 around marathon time. We had two friends running the Goofy, so we got there the Thursday before the races and stayed until the following Thursday. The crowd levels were definitely low after the races. We didn't do any parks the weekend of the races, because (1.) our friends were wiped after running a half and full marathon back-to-back and (2.) weekends tend to be a little busier. 

The first thing I will do is buy The Unofficial Guide to Disney World. They have crowd calendars and use research and statistics to write these books every year. I have found them to be pretty reliable. No one can be 100% right when you are trying to predict something, but if it is close then that's good. When we went in January the crowds were predicted to be low and they were low, so our group was pretty happy.

Image from Amazon

The Pros

If you go at an off peak time everything is much easier. The lines for the rides are shorter, so you can get more rides in during your visit. Plus, if it's a low time and you go when the park opens you will feel like the park is empty. It's great!

Dining reservations are also easier to get if you go during off peak times. Some restaurants (e.g. Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Royal Table) will be hard to get a reservation for no matter what time you go, but your chances of securing a reservation time will increase greatly if you go during an off peak time. Another dining bonus for low crowd times? It is easier to just walk up to restaurants and not have a ridiculously long wait. Again, some restaurants will be a long wait or not excepting walk-ups at all no matter what time you go, but it is easier to be a little more "go with the flow" during an off peak time.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

(Image from Disney)

Cinderella's Royal Table

(Image from Disney)

During low crowd times your chances of a room upgrade may increase as well. There is no rhyme or reason as to why some people get upgrades and others don't. I would assume it depends on how many extra rooms are available, the mood of the cast member, and the attitude of the guest. It just makes sense that your chances would increase during an off peak time, because there will be more empty rooms than during busier times. People have been upgraded to presidential suites at Disney. That's some serious pixie dust!

The biggest bonus for me is just the low crowds. Even if nothing else comes from the low crowds (no shorter lines, no walk-ups to restaurants, and no upgrades) I am still happy about the low crowds. This means you don't have to fight your way through the crowds in the parks and you don't feel like you are going to get run over if you are not walking as fast as the person behind you. Plus, if you go to the food court or cafeteria in your hotel, the crowds will be less there and it will be easier to find a table. If you need a wheelchair, scooter, or stroller, the low crowd times make it so much easier to maneuver around the parks. Not having to worry about being in huge crowd of people is a major bonus for me.

Low crowd levels will also make it easier for you to get Fastpasses, because the lines at the kiosks won't be as long. Some rides will have long waits no mater what time of year (e.g. Soarin', Peter Pan's Flight, Toy Story Midway Mania!), so it is good to know that you actually have a chance to get a Fastpass for these rides.

Toy Story Midway Mania!

Toy Story Midway Mania!

Toy Story Midway Mania!

Even if you go during an off peak time, you can still enjoy some of the extras that are associated with busier times. For instance, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) started on September 1 this year and the Food and Wine Festival started on September 19. So if you planned your trip right when the Food and Wine Festival began, the crowds will probably be lower than once you get farther into October closer to November, and you will still be able to experience both MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival. Though I did hear that this year the crowds were much busier than usual, they are still lower than the crowds will be later this month and into December. It is possible to enjoy some of the special events Disney offers without having to go during the busy times.

The Cons

When you go during an off peak time you will have to expect that there will be some rides and attractions down for refurbishment. When we went in January, my favorite ride (Splash Mountain) was down the whole time we were there. I checked a refurbishment list before we left for the trip, that way I wouldn't be disappointed by any surprises when we got there. The water parks will close down (one at a time) for a couple of months at a time during the winter for refurbishment. So if you go in the winter, expect one of the water parks to be out of commission. Definitely check the refurbishment schedule before you leave for your trip, because at least you will have a warning if a favorite ride won't be open when you are there. 

During the busy times Disney has more events taking place. If you go during low crowd times, while you can still work it so you can attend the events, it will take more planning on your part to be in Disney during a low crowd time while the event is being offered. If you do work in an event during a low crowd time, there may not be as many extras offered at the event during an off peak time. Just make sure to do your research if things like that are important and a must-do for your trip.

If you have kids, a big con might be the fact that you will have to take them out of school to go during an off peak time. Everyone has their own views on this, but if you don't mind taking them out of school for the trip just make sure you communicate with the teachers. We have a lot of friends who are teachers and some family members that are teachers and most of them feel the same way. They don't mind if you take the kids out, just work with them and let them know the details of how long the student will be gone as far in advance as you can. This will give the teacher plenty of time to work with you and come up with schoolwork the student should be doing while on vacation. Don't leave it all up to the teacher, work with them. If you tell them five months in advance, that's great (and the advanced notice is preferable), but they won't be able to tell you right then and there what will be covered the week the student is gone. So, just make sure to have communication with the teacher about the trip and work with them. They will appreciate it and it will help the child as well. If you don't want to take your child out of school, then don't worry about any of that :-) Just be prepared for big crowds.

Another downside to traveling during the off peak time could be the weather. If you like the Florida heat then you might not want to travel in the winter months. The winter months can be a toss up between warmish weather and cold weather. We had highs in the 80s when we were there in January, but our last day went down to 55. Even though we are from an area that experiences pretty cold temps in the winter, we felt cold during that 55 degree day because we had become used to the 80 degree weather. If pool time is important to you that may outweigh the advantage of the low crowds in the winter months. Again, the warm weather is a toss up, so you might not get as much pool time as you would like. 

Something else that might be hard to take advantage of if you go during off peak times is the Christmas decorations. There are ways to see some of the decorations without big crowds, because Disney usually leaves them up into the first week of January. However, even though they leave the decorations up, all of the special shows and activities that come along with Christmas/Holiday times at Disney will not be offered. 

Icicle Castle from 2007

Christmas Decorations from 2007

Christmas Decorations from 2007

Christmas Decorations from 2007

Christmas Decorations from 2007

There are so many factors when you are deciding what time of year to go to Disney. Off peak is usually the first factor for me. Our kids are still small, so taking our daughter out of school is not as big of a deal as it might be when she gets older. I can deal with having to make dining reservations so far in advance and I can deal with rides and attractions being down for refurbishment when we are there, if it means low crowds. I find the low crowds to help with a relaxing, but fun vacation. You don't feel as rushed and busy, because you are not trying to be the crowds. Everyone has their own feelings on when is the best time to travel. For me, low crowds trump pretty much every con (though I'm hoping for warmer weather on the next trip for more pool time). If you are not sure, I would sit down and just make a pros and cons list. It helps, trust me! :-)

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

mainstreetwishes.com

Toy Story Midway Mania!

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