Isn't it Romantic...?

I blog a lot about things to do with the kids at Walt Disney World. I mean, it is Disney World, right? The happiest place on Earth! Characters and rides, and ice cream and treats and kids everywhere! But did you know that Walt Disney World isn't only for the kiddos? Party of two adults? No problem! Wedding? Honeymoon? Disney specializes in these events... and how many couples have gotten engaged there? I don't think we could count. It's one of the most romantic places on Earth as well. Today I am going to talk a little bit about an option that most couples don't know they have while there, and it came to my attention that I hadn't blogged about it yet while I was suggesting it to a client myself.

Did you know that there are six Children's Activity Centers at various resorts on property? These are places that are open from 4 pm until midnight each night where parents can drop their kids off to be watched by responsible, certified, cast members and get some alone time to themselves. Just so the vacation that they've spent thousands of dollars on is for them as well. :) How it works is you can call 407-wdw-dine (939-3463) and set up a reservation for however many kids you may have at whichever center you would like. Requirements include that each child be between the age of 3 and 12 years old and be potty trained. It is $11.50 per hour per child and there's a minimum of 2 hours per child charged. This means that if you drop your kids off for an hour you're still going to get charged for two so you might as well stay out a bit longer.

While the kids are there they play games, watch (Disney) movies, have snacks, and really don't even notice you're gone! The most popular one is probably The Neverland Club at Disney's Polynesian Resort that has a whole Peter Pan theme. The lobby where you check in looks like The Darling children's bedroom and to enter the club, the kids can go through Wendy's window into Neverland. Very cute.

Now, back to you adults. After you give your kisses bye and reassurances that you'll be back soon.. you have so many options as to what you're going to do! What to do, what to do?! My suggestion is a Sweetheart Dinner for Two. Eight restaurants on Walt Disney World property offer this fantastical, romantical, unforgettable dinner that's specifically designed for couples in love. You start off your dinner by ordering a prix fixe meal from your personalized menus; each of you get an appetizer and entree, and then you share a specialty dessert. You also get a glass of champagne each that comes in beautifully etched champagne flutes that are also yours to keep.

The restaurants that participate in the Sweetheart Dinner for Two are:

-The California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort

-Narcoossee's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

-Citrico's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

-The Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort

-Jiko-The Cooking Place at Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort

-The Hollywood Brown Derby at The Disney Hollywood Studios

-Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's Boardwalk

-Artist Point at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

The cost for the Sweetheart Dinner for Two is $150.00 (total) for all the restaurants that participate with the exception of The California Grill which is $170.00. These prices do not include tax and gratuity. These are all signature dining locations. If you were to eat at one of these locations and you were on the regular Disney Dining Plan, they would all take two table service meals each (person).

There's nothing wrong with dropping the kids off at the Children's Activity Center and heading over to a character meal of your own. Everyone knows my husband and I have done it (see above pic). But if you're "in the mood" for more than a (great) buffet and would like to spend some time with your hunny; the Children's Activity Center/Sweetheart Dinner for Two combo is a fantastic way for the two of you to make your own magic...even if just for a few hours. :)

A Jolly Jolly Holiday With You!

No one has answered my trivia question from the last post yet!! Does that mean there's no one reading?? I sincerely hope not! But I will give you a clue... the answer to the question is in today's title!

As much as I love blogging about the Fall Festivities at Walt Disney World, it is the travel agent in me that has to help all my readers and clients 'plan ahead.' So it is time to start thinking about the holiday season. This applies to whether you're thinking about a holiday vacation to Walt Disney World this year or 2011. The specifics might not be exactly the same for 2011, but reservations for 2011 vacations are currently available for arrivals between January 1 and December 31. So onto the holiday information we go!

There are so many fun things to do at Walt Disney World during the holidays. One of the most asked questions I get is "when do the decorations go up?" The holiday celebrations start there in November. Usually how it works is there are non-specific dates that the Christmas decorations start going up, typically around the 1st of November. The first date of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party this year is November 8, 2010... so the decorations have to be up by then!

The Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is at the Magic Kingdom and works on almost the same parameters as the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. On the days that the party is taking place, Magic Kingdom will close for regular park guests at 7 pm and re-open for the guests who have the tickets for the party that night from 7pm -midnight. During the party they'll have holiday parades, holiday fireworks, and holiday stage shows in front of Cinderella's Castle forecourt. They'll be selling hot chocolate and cookies and you'll see the characters all decked out in their jingle-wear. Also the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions are open during the party. :)

A lot of locals like to visit Walt Disney World property during the holiday season just to visit the resorts! All of property is decked out from the parks to the resorts to Downtown Disney; and you don't have to be a local to spend a day riding the monorail, buses, or boats from resort to resort to take a look at the glorious decorations. Another cool feature of visiting the resorts is to get pictures in front of the gingerbread houses!! In some of the resorts you can see huge gingerbread houses (and yes, they're made of real gingerbread) that give the lobby a sweet sweet holiday smell!!

Tomorrow I will delve into the holiday festivities at EPCOT...

"I'd Know That Silhouette Anywhere..."

Have you been on the Disneyworld website and seen this? Are you a local or Florida Resident that has perhaps driven past Downtown Disney West Side, looked up in the air and wondered 'are they doing hot air balloon rides now?' Yes, sort of! This anchored hot air balloon ride is called Characters in Flight and one of the newest recreational attractions to Walt Disney World. I was fortunate enough to visit Downtown Disney last time I was there on a clear day and took some pictures. I definitely am going to have to experience this one first hand so I can tell all of you about it in January!

*And for you Disney trivia fans...leave a comment if you know the movie the title of today's entry is from!

I have written about recreation at Walt Disney World before to let my readers know that there are many, many things to do there for guests who don't want to spend their entire vacation at the theme parks. There are also holiday-themed recreational activities which are very popular and even though many people have no idea that they're going on, they're usually sold out when we try to call to book them closer to vacation time! You have to jump on these things, people..ha!

During the month of October there's a haunted carriage ride at Ft. Wilderness. You sit in the horse-drawn carriage at night and take a spooky stroll through the woods while listening to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. So cooooooool (trying to sound like a ghost) :).

In retrospect during the month of December the same location offers a holiday sliegh ride complete with jingle bells on the horses to put you in the holiday mood. Ok, so it's unlikely that there will be snow at Walt Disney World, but they make up for it the best way that they can... tomorrow if you stop by I'll tell you about it :)

Fall is in the Air...

I think this picture is so cute and this is one of the attractions at the Magic Kingdom that always amazes me. It's a carousel, right? An everyday run of the mill carousel that you can go on at any county or state fair, or at any amusement park anywhere in the country. Right? Well then why do people still queue up and wait for this one? I'm not going to discount the first reason, there is something about a carousel that gets kids and adults alike excited. But this is Prince Charming's Regal Carousel. Note I didn't call it Cinderella's Carousel as it is not called that anymore. Her Prince Charming has taken over the name. And with it's glorious Disney-themed music pumping from the organ and gorgeous polished horses, this carousel is of Disney standards. Actually, a fun fact for you to know here is that Walt Disney himself picked the carousel to go in Disneyland in California, an American staple at amusement parks in the 1950's, and we all know that Walt Disney was as American as apple pie.

Speaking of apple pie... the season that it is associated with is in full swing at the Walt Disney World Resort. A lot is going on there right now! End of year events have begun (how many times have I mentioned Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party?!), the weather is cooling off and the parks are decorated for Fall. Now when I say cooling off I mean for Florida weather of course, people from the rest of the country will still think it's pretty hot. But hey, that's why we go to Florida, right?

I saw the cutest things when I went there a couple of weeks ago...caramel apples that had two marshmallows stuck to the top and doused in orange caramel ... and who were they decorated as? None other than Mickey Mouse jack-o-laterns! I'm sure my description would have been better had I tasted one; but I have to admit that caramel apples, pumpkin Mickey or no pumpkin Mickey are not my favorite sweets.

We visited the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney while we were there and there were sprays of orange and yellow colored fall foliage everywhere and even though I was in Florida it still gets me excited for my favorite time of the year.... INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL!! LOLOLOL! You thought I was going to say Autumn or something sappy like that, didn't you? No way! I love the Food and Wine Festival and I think if you take a poll of cast members currently working anywhere on Walt Disney World property and ask them "what time of year do you visit the parks most?" the majority of answers will be "EPCOT" and "during Food and Wine". So... Much... Fun.

Bottom line, September, October, and the beginning of November are fantastic times of the year to plan a Walt Disney World vacation (hopefully through yours truly...wink wink). If you're not going this year and trying to decide when to visit in 2011, I highly recommend considering the Fall.

A Whole New World

You know one of the things that I love most about Walt Disney World? Attention to detail. Never is it just a boring wall with a "Please Pardon our (pixie) Dust" sign attached. But instead, it looks like gave some very lucky artists the job of ..."We need a 'wow factor' for the wall separating the construction from the guests..."

I took this picture from the queue of Dumbo The Flying Elephant in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom last weekend when we were there to show this. it sounds silly, but this wall makes me want to jump inside the picture and frolic around Belle's little French town spinning around with my arms out in the air...

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand, to have someone understand, I want so much more than they've got planned...."

Ok, my nerd moment is over.

:)

But really, the point I am trying to make is that nothing is every dull or boring at Walt Disney World; and if you didn't happen to go on Dumbo and walked by this wall, you would be more intrigues with looking at the wall rather than wondering what is going on on the other side of it.

And that, my dear Watson, is precisely the point. :)

What is going on on the other side of the wall? Work has commenced on the first ever since the parks opening in 1971 'Magic Kingdom Expansion' project that's scheduled to be completed in 2013. Very exciting stuff. I'm sure many of you, my readers, have already heard about this news. But as a lot of you are first timers or haven't been in many years, I thought I would share. If you're interested in learning more about it, simply google the phrase 'Magic Kingdom Expansion' and hundreds of sites and stories will appear. There's going to be an all new Dumbo attraction; bigger and better, not to mention an entire area designated for just those fab-u-lous Disney Princesses. You go girls!

A Much Needed Recharge!

Hello again! I feel like it's been ages since I've blogged, and I was starting to go through withdrawl...lol! But we took a quick trip to Florida this past weekend and went to The Magic Kingdom for a few hours one day and then to Downtown Disney another day and it was exactly what I needed!! I took some great pictures and have lots to tell you (my readers) about! So stay tuned! Once we got home mid-week I have been spending the rest of it catching up on work... so I will be back to writing this weekend. I just wanted to give you an update! I took this picture this past Friday when I was there and really tried to pay attention to all the things going on and changing! I love that kid sleeping in the stroller in the front.. ha ha! Thanks for reading!