2023 Destination D23

I had an amazing time attending Destination D23 this past weekend!  It was my first time attending any D23 event!  I had so so so much fun.  I can’t wait to do it again in a couple years.  I don’t think I will be able to get to the big D23 Expo in California next year, so I’ll have to wait for the next Destination D!   

Here is a list of all the announcements made at Destination D23!  If you want me to try to elaborate or explain anything, please ask questions in the comments and I can do my best to help.  

*You can meet Figment NOW at Epcot!!!

*Soarin’ over California will be played on the attraction starting sometime this month

*Luminous- the symphony of Us will be the new fireworks show at Epcot starting December 5, 2023!

*Moana, Journey of water is opening October 16!

*Hatbox ghost will appear at Haunted Mansion In late November

*There will be some sort of expansion at Magic Kingdom behind Big Thunder Mountain.  They said the expansion will be the biggest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom, even bigger than the new fantasyland.

*World Celebration will open in EPCOT in December!!!

*Ahsoka will perform a part in star tours ride 

*Country Bear Jamboree will get a revamp

*Adventureland at Magic Kingdom is getting a pirate themed lounge

*Test Track will be getting reimagined with Disney working with Chevrolet

*Disney Cruise line is getting a new ship named Disney Adventure

*The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom will be getting a Zootopia themed projection show

*DinoLand at Animal Kingdom will be reimagined into something to focus on Rainforest type ecosystems like in South America and will feature Encanto and Indiana Jones. (Artwork was shared that showcased these two shows but they didn’t necessarily say it was 100%)

Michigan Renaissance Festival 2022

Michigan Renaissance Festival is a place where you can step back in time and experience Medieval and Fantasy life.   Located in Holly, Mi.,it is open on weekends only (except Labor day Monday and Friday Sept 30) Beginning August 20, 2022 and runs until October 2, 2022.  You can purchase tickets online or at the box office when you arrive.  Parking is free.  Rain or Shine, the show must go on!   I was able to attend the opening weekend and had a great time. 

The entertainment at the festival is fantastic! There are magic shows, all kinds of music, comedy shows, acrobatic shows, jousting, sword fighting, mermaid meetings, and more! I wish there was more time in the day so I could experience every show, every day of the festival. While all the entertainers are worth watching, a few shows stand out and I would say are a MUST see: The Idiot Ric Roc, The Washing Well Wenches, Knights of the New Order Jousting (of course), Pictus music, Tartanic music, The Amazing Flec, and Acrobellum. NOTE: take cash with you to tip the performers, this is their paycheck…

While I know that prices of things are on the rise, I feel like the food prices are quite high. I got cheaper Mac and Cheese and Turkey Legs at Disney World. There is a pretty wide variety of food options, though. I think they have some of the best Pierogies I have ever had! We also found soup in a bread bowl, Stuffed Soft Pretzels, Chicken Fingers, French Fries, Wood Fired Pizza, and Dill Pickles are EVERYWHERE!!! This list only scratches the surface of what food vendors you can find. Don’t forget your drinks! Soda and mead are also available! (as well as ciders, wine and cocktails) NOTE: you are only allowed to bring in one unopened 16oz bottled water with you to the faire.

Restrooms/Bathrooms at the Faire are called Privy’s.  At the Michigan RenFest, you will not find running water and toilets but a plethora of Port-a-Potties.  Vault toilets are disgusting to begin with, but after a rainy busy day, these get so filthy it is ridiculous.  I know there is only so much the Faire can do to keep port-a-jons clean, but maybe buy some mulch, stone, wood planks etc. to fill the walkways around the area or so they don’t get so muddy.  They do have hand sanitizer and the foot pumped sinks to wash, but the paper towels are overflowing and it just is a whole mess in every Privy area. My biggest complaint about the Michigan RenFest is the bathroom situation and the trash.   I strongly believe that someone should be paid to walk around and pick up trash that people leave laying around (the joustings stands were full of trash) and i passed several overflowing trash bins.  Granted, I did pass some empty ones as well so someone, somewhere was doing something…just not enough. 

Most people at the Michigan RenFest dress in some sort of garb.  Whether it is a fairy, fawn, knight, Elizabethan dress, Steampunk, or a character from a show that is fantasy or set in the time period. There are patrons that wear regular street clothes, though, so don’t fret.  While you are at the Faire, you can find all kinds of shops to begin your collection of garb, accessories, and medieval paraphernalia.  You can also get face painting, henna tattoos, palm and tarot readings. 

I hope you enjoy these photos, however, I have tried my hand at Video and would love for you to check out my very first video upload on YouTube! Please give me feedback about the video as I could use all the help I can get to make the next one better. Thanks for reading! (and watching) Cheers!

Glen Arbor, Michigan

Glen Arbor is a small lakeshore town in the North West part of Michigan.  Nestled along the Sleeping Bear Bay of Lake Michigan, this quaint town features many lovely places worthy of patronage.  There are several Bed and Breakfast’s and AirBnB properties in the  Glen Arbor area.  We chose to spend an afternoon in Glen Arbor while we were camping in a nearby campground. 

This small town is perfect for leasurly stroll through shops, art galleries, and wineries.  We enjoyed several novelty shops and clothing stores with your typical touristy items.  Most shops had a nice selection of unique and interesting things.  There are a lot of outdoor activities like canoeing and mini golf as well.  

While this entire little town is beautiful and welcoming, the following places really stood out during our visit.

Cherry Republic Great Hall and Winery is a beautiful little village of buildings that house gift shops, candy store, gifts, and wine.  They make  a huge amount of Michigan Cherry items including chocolate covered cherries, BBQ sauces, jams, baked goods, soda pop, and cherry wine and beer.  There is even a cherry pit spitting contest area.   Grab yourself a little cup of cherry pits and show your spittin’ skills then have a seat and enjoy a wine tasting flight.  I would visit Glen Arbor just for this wonderful establishment.  You can visit their website here.

Enjoy these photos of Cherry Republic:

Lake Street Studios houses a gallery of amazing artwork located directly across from the Cherry Republic property.  This is a privately owned art center.  There are four Galleries and a stage that hosts a music festival.  They host many visiting artists as well so there is always something new to see.  You can learn more about the history of this Studio here.  

Enjoy these photos of Lake Street Studios:

If you are in NorthWest Michigan, I highly recommend stopping for a spell in Glen Arbor.  Please enjoy these photos of our visit:

Have you ever been to Glen Arbor?  Do you suggest any other places that are a MUST DO when in the area?  Please comment below!  Don’t forget to like and share this post.  Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Camping at Harrisville State Park

Harrisville State park is located on the North-East Coast of Michigan between Oscota and Alpena.  From our home in Southeast Michigan, it is about a three and a half hour drive.  This was our third time visiting this campground and it remains one of our favorite.  

There isn’t much to do outside of the campground without a little bit of a drive. This time we planned to chill out by the fire and lakeside the whole time. The campground itself has a plethora of things to do.  The sites are nice and large with lots of trees for hammocks and privacy.  There is only one bath house which is centrally located. We never had to wait long for a shower and not at all for a toilet. They do keep the bathrooms pretty clean. But, keep in mind that it is a beach with sand so the bathrooms tend to be wet and sand/mud on the floors. I honestly think that there isn’t much they can do about that.

First, I want to give a shout out to Pat with the DNR!!! She was AMAZING.  She had all kinds of activities for kids and adults alike.  There were activity sheets, scavenger hunts, and educational materials for kids.  She taught us how to hunt for petoskey stones and explained the kinds of other stones we may find and how to polish them by hand, providing us with the sandpaper we needed.  She then told us about Yooper stones (aka Yooperlites) and lent us some black light flashlights to go hunt for them after sunset.  She was super nice and helpful.  Thank you, Pat!

The Beach is very rocky.  I would suggest wearing some sort of water shoes.  Even though it was July, the water was still very cold.  It was fun hunting for rocks.  We found plenty of petoskey stones and some other really neat looking ones.  There is a day use area that has more sand but still has a lot of rocks nearer the water.

There are hiking and biking trails which are easy to follow.  One trail will lead to the edge of the campground to a quiet road that you can continue to walk to get to ‘town’.  I walked down to Main Street then back to the Campground on the main road, almost like going around the block.  Once I got to town, I found an ice cream shop, coffee shop, grocery store, and pizza place.  It looked like a new restaurant went in on the corner of Main St and State St. I couldn’t find the name of it.  We got the pizza on our first night from Harbortown Pizza and it was delicious.  We did have a hard time calling them, but it is so close to the campground that you could walk there and order in person (which is what we did except we drove).  

On my way back to the campground, down State street, there is a Hardware and Lumber store. I wanted to get a new flashlight so I entered the front door but,  I saw it was dark like half of the power was out and there was no one around.  There were cars outside and it was only 4:00 and they are open until 5:00.  The aisles were jam packed and very close together. I said ‘hello’, but no one answered.  I didn’t get past the entryway because I was creeped out, like I was in an end of the world movie, so I turned around and kept walking.  Halfway back to the campground I came to a Dollar General and found a flashlight. (tip – the small bag of ice is cheaper at the campground) 

Other amenities at the Campground include a sand volleyball court (at the day use area), basketball courts, horseshoe pits, and sand boxes.  There are 195 campsites and also some cabins you can rent.  

We had a fantastic time visiting this campground and we will definitely be back.  Please enjoy the following photos of the campground.  Have you ever camped here?  What did you like?  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments!  Be sure to like this post and as always, thanks for reading!  Cheers!

Disney Genie Ride List

Below you will find a list of all attractions in each park sorted by Genie+ Lightening Lane, Individual Lightening Lane, or Standby Line only.   Hopefully this list will help you decide whether or not the purchase of Genie+ is right for you.

  • Magic Kingdom
    • Genie+
      • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
      • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
      • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
      • Haunted Mansion
      • “It’s a small world”
      • Jungle Cruise
      • Mad Tea Party
      • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
      • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor 
      • Peter Pan’s Flight
      • Pirates of the Caribbean
      • See Mickey at Town Square Theater
      • See Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytall Hall
      • See Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
      • Splash Mountain
      • The Barnstormer
      • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
      • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
      • Tomorrowland Speedwat 
      • Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
    • Individual Lightening Lane
      • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
      • Space Mountain
    • Attractions that do NOT have a Lightening Lane
      • Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
      • Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
      • Astro Orbiter
      • Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
  • Epcot
    • Genie+
      • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
      • Journey into Imagination with Figment
      • Living with the Land
      • Mission SPACE – green/orange
      • Soarin’ Around the World
      • Spaceship Earth
      • Test Track
      • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
      • Turtle Talk with Crush
    • Individual Lightening Lane 
      • Frozen Ever After
      • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
    • Attractions that do NOT have Lightening Lane
      • Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
      • The American Adventure
      • Awesome Planet
      • Beauty and the Beast Singalong
      • Canada Far and Wide
      • ImageWorks
      • Impressions de France
      • Reflections of China
  • Hollywood Studios
    • Genie+
      • Alien Swirling Saucers
      • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
      • Disney Junior Play & Dance!
      • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
      • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
      • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
      • Muppet*Vision 3D
      • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
      • See Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
      • Slinky Dog Dash
      • Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
      • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 
      • Toy Story Mania!
    • Individual Lightening Lane 
      • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
      • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
    • Attractions that do NOT have Lightening Lane
      • Vacation Fun – An Original Animated Short with Mickey & Minnie 
      • Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
  • Animal Kingdom
    • Genie+
      • Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King
      • DINOSAUR 
      • Feathered Friends in Flight
      • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
      • Kali River Rapids
      • Kilimanjaro Safaris
      • Na’vi River Journey
      • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
    • Individual Lightening Lane 
      • Avatar Flight of Passage
    • Attractions that do NOT have Lightening Lane
      • TriceraTop Spin

I am happy to answer any questions you have.  You can either leave your questions in the comments below, or email me at themousetraveler.kim@gmail.com   Don’t forget to like and shear this post, thanks for reading! Cheers.

My thoughts on Disney Genie Service

The biggest talk of the town is the new ‘fast pass’ system at Walt Disney World. Disney Genie Service – which includes: Genie, Genie+, and Individual Lightening Lane. Everyone is trying to figure out if Genie truly gives you the best Disney day, if Genie+ is necissary, and if Individual lightening lanes are worth the extra expense. With our visit during one of the busiest weeks of the year, we tried it and here are my thoughts.

First, its good to understand that there are three ways to use this service. The first way is “Disney Genie” – this is a free service that will plan your day for you by making suggestions of what to experience throughout your day based on your interests that you enter into the system. The next way is “Disney Genie+”. This is a pay per day service that allows you to skip the line on select attractions. It does not include all rides/shows, but it does include a lot of them. The third way is Individual Lightening Lane. This is a pay per ride service for the most popular attractions at each park. There are way too many rules and caveats with the two paid features to mention them all in this post. Molly at All Ears does a fantastic job explaining it. Check them out here.

We used the Genie+ service two out of 7 days of our visit and we used Individual Lightening lane once.  We purchased Genie+ for use at Hollywood studios.  We did park hop to Epcot and used it there on the same day – that was nice.   We also purchased Genie+ at Magic Kingdom on New Years Eve.   The Individual Lightening Lane we purchased was for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

What I learned:

  • You do not need to purchase Genie+ for every park or for every day of your trip – I suggest making the decision of purchasing it each morning. 
  • I would purchase Genie+ for Magic Kingdom, but wouldn’t bother for Animal Kingdom.  Epcot and Hollywood Studios are a maybe…
  • Purchase Genie+ early in the morning and choose your first Lightening lane early… don’t wait until you get to the park
  • Learn the 120 minute rule and use it!
  • Familiarize yourself with navigating Genie before you need to, you want to be able to have fast fingers.
  • Refresh to find better times
  • Individual Lightening Lanes are not necissary if you rope drop the big rides during Early Theme Park Entry for all Disney resort guests.
  • You probably don’t need Genie+ at all if you are staying at a Deluxe resort and have the Extended Evening Hours
  • Individual Lightening Lane is fantastic for Rise of Resistance. (And probably Remy’s since the virtual queue is gone now)
  • Unfortunately, unlike the old fast pass system, you can only ride each ride ONCE through Lightening Lane.  
  • Genie recommendations don’t make a lick of sense.  I would think twice before blindly following its suggestions.
  • Genie+ Lightening Lanes are not always available and will ‘sell out’.  There were several rides we could never get a LL for… refreshing COULD make one pop up, if you are lucky…

I knew it was only a matter of time before Disney started charging for a ‘skip the line’ service.  Every other amusement/theme park that I know of has been charging for this type of service for a long time.  Most of them charge a lot more than $15 per day per person.  I am glad they came out with something because I like skipping the lines and didn’t like the lines I had to stand in when they didn’t have anything at all.  I hope they make it a little more user freindly, though.  

What are your thoughts? Do you have any questions about this that I can answer for you? Leave a comment below, I would be happy to help. 🙂 Don’t forget to like and subscribe. As always, thanks for reading.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Our most recent adventure took us camping in northern Michigan.  We were able to get a reservation at Platte River Campground.  Let me tell you, that was no easy feat.  National parks run on a rolling 6 month reservation system.   You can book up to ten days starting on the 6 month mark from your first day.  I had to try about 12 times in order to score a reservation. I reserved 6 days even though I couldn’t go until Friday because when I tried to book with a start day of Friday, everything was already booked.  I booked from Tuesday through Sunday on a Non-Electric site.  We wanted to get an electric site, however, those were even harder to get.  Regardless, We got a spot and we were VERY happy!

Platte River Campground

Platte River Campground sites are very spacious and wooded.  The bathrooms and showers are very nice and most of the time they are pretty clean.  It is also very quiet.  This campground is a National Parks campground.  There is a ranger station at the entrance of the campground which is where you check in.  There is no camp store in this campground.  Also, there isn’t a gate nor guard station to check in/out when you come and go.  Rates are reasonable for both electric and non-electric sites. Check out the campground website here. 

You must get a National Parks pass for your vehicle.  This will also get you into the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb area, parking at the lakeshore down the road, as well as any other Sleeping Bear Park areas.  The cheapest pass is a 7 day pass for $25.  You can also get an annual pass for $80.  Seniors can get a Lifetime pass for $80 or an annual pass for $20.  If you are Military Active duty or retired, you can get an annual pass for free. Check out the Park Pass information here.

Hiking and Lake Michigan Beach

There are nice trails around the campground, one leading directly to Lake Michigan.  It is quite a hike though, this is not close to the beach at all.  (1.8 miles from the closest loop). However, you can ride your bike down a trail to a dirt road that leads to a day use beach area. It is only about a 6 minute bike ride away.  The other option to go to the beach is to drive down to the end of Lake Michigan road (M708) where the Platte river empties into Lake Michigan.  Platte River Point is a nice beach area as well.  Check out a map here.

Canoeing, Kayaking, Tubing

Just up the road is a fantastic livery called Riverside Canoe Trips.  This livery is a short bike ride away from the campground and has everything from gas to souvenirs to camping essentials to grilled burgers and beyond.  We rented canoes and kayaks for a quick fun river trip.  There are so many options to choose from and have experienced staff to explain everything and get you the right option to fit you and your family.  If you need any camping supplies, this is the place to get it.  If you want a souvenir, they have a ton of choices and styles.  The staff are super friendly and helpful.  From the first interaction on the phone to the last stack of wood for our fire and gas on the way out, every single interaction was pleasant.  You can check out their website here. 

Sleeping Bear Dune Climb

There isn’t much to say about this, other than it is pretty amazing and fun! Pictures say it all. We only climbed to the top of the first big dune. You can hike all the way to Lake Michigan, but that is a long tiring hike and the only way to get back to your car is to hike all the way back. A ton of people make the journey and spend the day at the lake, but we were not that adventurous. Check out more information here.

We had a great fun and relaxing time at Sleeping Bear dunes and Platte River area.  I highly recommend staying here and visiting this area.  We have been camping at several places throughout the state of Michigan over the past few years and this campground is probably the best so far.  Everyone in my family agrees.  So pack up your camping gear and head to the dunes!  

Where are your favorite camping spots?  Leave a comment below, I would love to check out some new places.  Cheers and thanks for reading!

Plan your Walt Disney World vacation during the 50th Anniversary Celebration!

Walt Disney World in Florida opened October 1, 1971, and has been a destination on the top of many families’ wish list ever since.  I believe that ANYtime is a GREATtime to visit Walt Disney World, however, the extra magic during an anniversary celebration is definitely worth experiencing.  

There have been a lot of changes around Walt Disney World lately.  Even an old pro will need to take some time to understand how things work now. Fortunately, all the information you need is out there on all Social Media outlets. I have been planning Disney vacations for my family for over 15 years.  This past year has been stressful and hard because of all the new tools, new rides/dining, new deadlines, new countdowns, and COVID.  

Here are some key things I have learned about Disney Vacations and planning (past and present)

  • Stay on Disney property
    • You will be as close as you can be to all the parks
    • Complementary and convenient transportation to/from parks  (note that off property hotels usually have transportation also, but they don’t run as often and the pick up locations are usually out of the way)
    • Extra time in the parks 
      • Early park entry – enter any park ½ hour before opening (available to ALL Disney resort guests)
      • Extended Evenings – stay at select parks up to 2 hours late (available to Disney Deluxe Resort guests)
    • Magical Resorts – all Disney resorts are full of magic, from the decorations to the customer service.
  • Download the “My Disney Experience App”, where you will be able to:
    • Use Mobile Magic – no more magic bands, you will use your phone to open your resort door and enter parks.(or use a card.) – you will link your hotel and tickets .
    • Make Theme Park reservations
    • Make Dining Reservations
    • Access Disney Genie Service 
    • Check Ride times
    • Join Virtual Queues
    • And much more…
  • Take masks!  Be prepared to wear them.   At this time, Disney is still requiring masks indoors.  
  • Be ready (anywhere) at 6:59a to ‘join’ the Virtual Queue for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Disney’s newest attraction in Epcot) – if you don’t succeed, be ready to try again at 12:59p while inside Epcot.
  • Make your Theme Park reservation as soon as possible- Once you purchase your ticket, you must reserve a park for each day of your ticket.
  • Park Hopping is only allowed after 2:00pm – (keep that in mind when considering the park hopper option on your ticket.)
  • There is a new planning tool called Disney Genie.  (This is a free service) Guests select which experiences they like and Genie will tell you where to go and what to do first. (similar to any map app on your phone, it will reroute you depending on wait times,crowd levels, etc.) This takes the guesswork out of what to do first.
  • There are no longer Fast Passes. Now there is Lightening Lane. You must purchase Disney Genie+  to utilize Lightening Lane. ($15 per day per person) Lightening Lane for the top attractions in each park are pay per ride with a limit of 2 purchases per day. (Prices vary and are in addition to Genie+)

We can always count on Disney to come up with something new and inventive, so I am sure things will change again in the future. There are many new experiences already in the works. Tron coaster, Guardians, and Star Wars: Galactic StarCruiser to name a few. You can find many more tips, tricks, and planning tools online. Happy Anniversary, Disney World. Here’s to a Magical Year! Cheers!

Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass – Our Experience

The big ticket attraction right now at Walt Disney World is Rise of the Resistance.  Everyone wants to know the tricks to be able to experience this attraction.  It is, in fact, worth all the hype.  This isn’t just a ride, it is an experience.  You can read about our first time riding it HERE.  In order to experience this attraction, you must join a virtual queue.  You must have the My Disney Experience App on a smartphone in order to enter the queue.  

When the attraction first opened, you and your party had to be in the park (ticket scanned) in order to enter the virtual queue. We were among the people who got up before the crack of dawn and headed to the park super early. Our entire crew entered the park an hour before opening and anxiously awaited the time we could try our luck to refresh our page and enter the queue.  There were crowds of people waiting in line to get into the park and once they let you in, they corral you in designated areas to wait.  Finally, an announcement comes on over the parkwide speakers counting down “In just one minute, you will be able to join the virtual queue”.  Here we go.  We got in on our first try!  Of course, we all cheered and gave high fives after our success!  Looking back, this was such a fun experience.  The park was full of eager people in the dark on their phones.  As the time came, you heard cheers randomly throughout the park when people got assigned their boarding passes.  Things have since changed.

Now, you can enter the queue from anywhere in the world as long as you have a valid park ticket.  (You will also need a park reservation at this time as well.) At 7:00am you can try your luck to get a boarding pass on the My Disney Experience App no matter where you are.  This means that all the annual pass holders sitting at home could be trying to get a boarding pass as well as anyone else who has a ticket and wants to try.  So, there are always many, many people trying to get a pass at this time of day.  It is very frustrating for some.  There is a second chance to get a boarding pass at 1:00pm but you must be in the park for this one.  I have heard it said that it is easier to get in during this time.

Back in October 2020, my parents went to Disney and my dad tried to get a boarding pass 4 different times.  Twice at 7:00am and twice at 1:00pm inside the park.  He was not able to get a pass at any of these times.  He tried a few different tricks that we had read about but they didn’t seem to work.

In June 2021, we were back at it and were really nervous and anxious to get a boarding pass since several people in our group had never experienced this attraction and we really wanted to have them experience this fantastic attraction.  My dad and I got up early.  Had our coffee and got our phones ready. I turned my WiFi off and found a spot that had the most bars of my LTE data.  I had My Disney Experience open on my phone and he had a world clock open on his phone.  Once his phone hit 6:59:59 I refreshed my page and hit join…. got an error message, no boarding group, no second join button.  We were very sad, however,  we headed to Hollywood studios anyway and waited for our chance at 1:00pm.

We had fun experiencing other attractions at Hollywood studios all morning.  At 12:05 we were at Toy Story Land and our group wanted to ride Toy Story Mania.  Wait time was 25 minutes and it is a 11 min ride, so my dad and I thought we would be safe getting on and off that ride fast enough in order to try our luck at 1:00pm.  We got on the ride at 12:40 and were a little nervous.  Then the ride stopped and we got really nervous.  Luckily, we were smart enough to sit together on this ride just in case we had to try while we were still on.  But, our data service wasn’t so great where we were.  We got moving again and it was 12:55 when we rounded the corner to exit the ride.  12:56….. 12:57….12:58 we finally get out of our ride car.  Our hearts were pounding.  We had to find good service fast!  We started walking, no, running down the exit corridor…12:59…. Wait, full stop! Just before the exit doors, Full Bars of service.  World clock pulled up 12:59:50.  My Disney Experience pulled up…ready.  12:59:58. Pulled down to refresh the screen, click join, click join again and …..BOOM!  Boarding group 121!!!! YASSSSS!  We all started cheering and high fives all around.  We started to exit and heard some cheers in the distance… another success for another family.  It was fantastic.  

Later in the week, we had another park reservation for Hollywood Studios so we decided to try our luck again.  My dad and I tried to recreate what we had done in the park.  We got up early.  Had our coffee.  Sat together on the balcony of the Riviera… best Cell service right there… World clock pulled up waiting for 6:59:58 and My Disney Experience pulled up to the virtual queues page.  When the time came, I pulled down to refresh, clicked join, clicked join again and BOOM. Another boarding group.  Group 42 this time.  I think we found the magic combination.  

I am so thrilled that we were able to experience this hard to get experience, not just once, but twice during our June trip.  I am really looking forward to our next venture to Hollywood Studios in December and see if our magic combination will work for us again.  If you haven’t been able to experience this attraction, I highly recommend you try to get a boarding pass.  It is a really amazing experience.  Try our magic combination and let me know if it works for you. 

Do you have any tricks to get a boarding pass that are different from what we found? Comment your experiences below. Feel free to ask me any questions as well. Don’t forget to like and share this post. Thanks for reading!

We Have so Much Disney to Talk About!

We had a fantabulous time at Disney World a few weeks ago!  But wow!  Since we have been back, it has been a whirlwind of things happening both personally, here in Michigan, and at Disney!  There have been changes to Disney’s Covid guidelines and they have announced many changes that are coming.  It is so exciting!  

My son just graduated high school and will be going off to college soon.  We had his Graduation Party 5 days after we got back from Disney.  Then, we had our family reunion the weekend after that.  Both parties went on without a hitch and we are so grateful for the opportunities to celebrate life and family!  I am grateful for the ability to have grand gatherings again!  

I will have a separate blog regarding our June Disney vacation and tell you all about it.  But, two things that I really missed while we were there are Fast Passes and Extra Magic Hours.  I admit that we have been very spoiled by these two amazing ways to avoid waiting in line.  I hated the fact that we actually waited more than 60 minutes for a couple rides. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel though and am excited about some recent Disney news!  The mask mandate was lifted for Vaccinated guests 2 days after we left.  I believe that if you are not vaccinated, then they ask you to continue to wear your mask while you are in line for an attraction or inside any building. 

While I haven’t heard any rumors about FastPasses returning, Disney just announced that the Early Morning Entry for Resort guests will begin October 1, 2021!  This is fantastic.  It is like Extra Magic Hours at every park, every day!  On top of that, if you are staying at a Deluxe resort on property, you will be able to go to certain parks for extended Evening Hours.  There are not any details of times or what to expect with this, but it sounds like it is Evening Extra Magic Hours for Deluxe Resort Guests only… (It is a great time to be DVC members!)

Disney also announced that the Dining Plan will return but didn’t give a date.  Best news yet, is that Ohana is reopening!  WITH THE NOODLES! If you haven’t experienced Ohana’ for dinner, you are really missing out.  It is a MUST do dining experience.  

I am speculating that with the opening of more resort hotels and more dining options opening, this would mean there will be more guests at the parks.  If this is the case, they will have to add a fast pass option back into the mix.  The lines will be outrageous if they don’t.  Even if it is a paid option, like they have at Disneyland and at Universal and SeaWorld, it’s better than a 3 hour wait for a ride and I would pay for it.  

I also speculate that more shows like Finding Nemo and Beauty and the Beast will open back up as well as regular Parades. Disney already announced the return of Fireworks starting July 1, 2021! The rollout of new Firework displays will be October 1 to add to the 50th celebration.  I am excited for this as we LOVE spending New Years Eve at Magic Kingdom… that firework show is intense!  With the return of these shows and parades, some of the ride lines should thin out since the shows are crowd swallowers.  On the other hand, they might not make a difference if they are adding more crowds…

The World of Disney is starting to get back to normal and I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to visit again soon! What are your thoughts? Leave a comment down below… don’t forget to like and share :). Thanks for reading!

10 Days until Disney

With our most recent trip quickly approaching, I am getting so very excited.  Planning a Disney vacation is always a lot of work but is also a lot of fun.  The last trip I planned, I was a pro!  It was February 2020 and the pandemic hadn’t hit the United States yet and travel was business as usual.  Never did I think that Disney planning could change so much in such a short time.   Here it is just over a year later and there is so much more to Disney planning as there was before.   Even pre-Covid there was a lot of planning, but there was a possibility of going “on the fly” and not really planning anything in advance.   Those days are gone and it doesn’t look like things will get back to ‘the old ways’ any time soon.  

This particular vacation is for my son.  He is graduating high school and this is his senior trip.  So the planning is a little different for this vacation than what it would be for just a family trip.   Background information regarding our group is as follows:

  • 4“kids” (18+, 2boys/2 girls) – 2 Moms – 1 set of grandparents
  • Disney Vacation Club Members
  • Retired Military

Planning began last summer when Disney parks re-opened and my son chose Disney as his senior trip destination.  I booked a 3 bedroom grand villa at Old Key West for 2 nights and a 2 bedroom villa at the Riviera, both of which are our home resorts so I could make the reservation 11 months in advance.  I chose the second week of June as Seniors are usually done in May and graduation ceremony is at the end of May.   I thought I would be safe.  However, this year, Covid changed everything.  The high school here decided to start one week late.  It wasn’t long ago that they finally released the date of the graduation ceremony.  Which happened to be the day we were supposed to check in to our hotel.  I got on the phone with Disney Vacation club and I was able to push our reservation back by one day.  But I had to downgrade to a two bedroom villa at Old Key West.  They were fantastic about getting our rooms changed by just one day.  So now our hotel is all set.

We originally planned to drive from Michigan.  It seemed the most economical way to get everyone there.  The grandparents were planning to drive down also, which left 7 of us to fit into one mini-van and have a fun road trip.  A few weeks ago, the gas pipeline crisis happened which got us thinking about possibly flying so we wouldn’t have to worry about how to get gas in the states that were affected.  We got an amazing deal on tickets and chose to fly!  It was a totally unexpected change in plans but we are very excited about not having to be in a car for 18 hours! I signed us all up for Disney’s Magical Express, which is the free transportation from the airport to the resorts.  (This benefit is expiring at the end of the year and will not be available starting January 2022)

We plan to use the full kitchen in our DVC villa in order to save money on food.  We will be taking food for breakfast, lunch, and 3 nights of dinners.  Deciding to fly could have put a damper on this plan, but the grandparents still plan to drive down, so we are packing a lot of food in their vehicle.  If they had decided to fly, DVC does have a grocery delivery service we would have used.  While the prices are a little higher than at a traditional grocery store, it would still have been cheaper than eating out for every meal.   We did get a reservation for the San Angel Inn at the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot.  The theming is super cool there so we just want to be able to experience the ambience.  I did try to get Oga’s cantina and SciFi Dine in Theater but I wasn’t able to get a reservation for those locations.  I have tried several times each day and still nothing has popped up.  There are plenty of reservations at Disney Springs restaurants at the time of this article but I can’t find any for inside any park.  Maybe we will get lucky and someone will drop (cancel) a reservation and I will get to pick it up.  I will let you all know how this goes.  I did notice that on the MDE app, you can join a walk up list for several restaurants throughout the parks so we will try that as well.  It is available for SciFi but not for Oga’s.  We shall see.

Military members are able to purchase special discounted tickets for themselves and family members.  Because my dad is retired army (thanks dad, for your service), our family was able to get those special priced tickets.  For the rest of the group, my dad was able to purchase standard tickets for them.  This helped keep the cost of the tickets as low as possible for us.  If you are using the Military tickets, the military member MUST be present at a guest relations window prior to anyone entering the park.  They will verify their military ID before the tickets are activated.  

Once you have your park tickets, you must make your Park Pass selections.  This is where you choose which park you want to go to each morning.  This is pretty difficult for us to plan, but we just kind of randomly chose since we can park hop starting at 2.  We did make a park pass for a couple days for Hollywood Studios so we will have at least two tries to get into the queue for Rise of the Resistance at 7:00am.  

I used the online check in service, so hopefully when we get there, we will be able to head straight to our room. I will be checking my app for our room number as soon as we touch down at MCO. I think that is all I have for now. I will be posting when we get back, telling you all about it! Until then, CHEERS! Thanks for reading!

My Favorite Things – Epcot

In my opinion, I saved the best for last.  Out of all of Walt Disney World, Epcot is definitely my favorite park.  While Magic Kingdom has that magical and iconic feel that makes every person feel like a kid again, Epcot just has this feeling I can’t describe but love so much.  If I had to choose only one park to visit, it would be Epcot.  

There is a massive change happening at Epcot right now which is very exciting for things to come.  So I will have to revisit this and change things, I’m sure, in the near future… or distant future, depending on how COVID has been interrupting this change and causing delays.  

There are two sections of Epcot:  Future World and World Showcase.  I prefer to spend most of my time in World Showcase.  I feel like I am traveling the globe while walking around the lagoon.  

When you enter the park and head to the Right, you stumble across The Seas, The Land, and Imagination! Pavilions.  My favorite attraction on this side of Future World is Soarin’!  You feel the wind in your hair as you ride your hang glider across several terrains and smell all the wonderful aromas.  An amazing experience.  We don’t usually eat anything in this area because all the World Showcase food is so appealing, we hold out for all that wonderful food.  But if I had to pick somewhere, it would probably be Garden Grill inside The Land pavilion.   I do have to give a nod to Figment (Journey into Imagination with Figment) who is a favorite character of mine. The ride has diminished over the years, but we always have to find time to visit our beloved Figment.  Also, be sure to look for the flavored popcorn for your bucket refill over near Figment. 🙂

If you head to the Left upon entry to Epcot, you will find Mission Space and Test Track.  Soon, you will find Guardians of the Galaxy attraction.  We just don’t know when that will happen.  Out of these rides, I would pick Test Track as my favorite.  There are no real dining options on this side of Future World, but there is usually some sort of snack cart in the vicinity should you be desperate for something.  

Spaceship Earth sits right in the center of Future World and is a very iconic ride that  is a must do.  Refurbishment of this ride was scheduled but then postponed and I haven’t heard any news regarding when the attraction will close for that.  I am hoping to ride it one more time before they change it. 

There are several attractions in World Showcase, most of them being some sort of Screen Show.  There are two rides, Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico and Frozen Ever After in Norway.  Both are great rides and we always have to ride both, but my favorite out of the two has to be Frozen Ever After.  There is so much theming in the queue and throughout the ride, it’s pretty spectacular.  Now, when Ratatouille opens, this will likely change and Remy’s adventure will likely be my favorite ride.  I’m very excited about this addition to the World Showcase’s France pavilion.  As far as shows go, you HAVE to experience The American Adventure.  The use of animatronics is jaw dropping and the music and feel are moving.

Food in World Showcase is overwhelmingly abundant.  We like to eat around the world when we go in order to experience all the flavors of the world.  I could narrow down my favorite spots to three:  Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in Norway, Les Halles Boulangerie &Patisserie in France, and Katsura Grill in Japan.  Don’t miss the Maple popcorn for your bucket refill in Canada! 

Epcot has so many fun things that this was very hard for me to narrow down to my ‘must do’ attractions and food.  What are your favorite things in Epcot?  What changes are you looking forward to?  Be sure to like this post and comment down below to tell me your thoughts.  Thanks for reading 🙂

We went to Indiana!

Ok.  So I’m sure you thought something like “oh, Indianapolis.”  Or “oh, Fort Wayne”. But, hold on to your pants…. We went to Hillsboro and Crawfordsville.  Yep, they are small little towns in the middle of nowhere.  There are some pretty big things here!  From war stories to professional theatre, this small town area is pretty interesting and I really encourage you to check it out for yourself.  Here are some of the things we found and were able experience in just one day.  

There are several major hotel chains to choose from right in Crawfordsville so you won’t have any trouble finding a nice, safe place to stay.  We chose the Holiday Inn Express in Crawfordsville and were satisfied with our stay.  It wasn’t perfect but it was ok.  Pro’s = Decently Clean, Close to highway and attractions, pool and hottub, friendly staff.  Con’s = thin walls (teenage girl birthday party next door was loud until 2am), Shower Gel was empty and other bottles looked uncleaned.

We chose to eat at a local burger place called The Barefoot Burger.  Super cool theming in the bar area.  There is a dining room that is very plain, but when you walk into the bar area and the outdoor seating area, you feel like you just stepped into a Jimmy Buffet themed fun spot.  My daughter claimed that the burger she got was possibly the best burger she had ever had!  I had some loaded fries which were also fantastic.  Their fries are fresh, house made fries and so good!  Everything was decently priced and well worth it.  I would love to come to this restaurant in the summer on a nice day to sit outside, it looks like a really fun place.  

We found there is a lot of history in this little town. Our first stop was the Henry S. Lane House where we saw some cool wartime memorabilia and other interesting things including Abraham Lincolns cracker jar. We then visited General Lew Wallace’s Study and Museum. General Wallace was the author of Ben Hur. This is truly a spectacular building with amazing art and really neat stories. There are also other places that we did not have time to visit including the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, and The Rotary Jail Museum. Just a short drive away you can find other treasures like The Fowler House Mansion.

The Henry S. Lane House, 212 S. Water St. Crawfordsville, IN 47933. Visit their website HERE

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 200 Wallace Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933. Visit their website HERE

To wrap up the day, we headed down the road to Hillsboro.  There is literally nothing here but a blinking light and an amazing Theatre Production.  Myers Dinner Theatre produces professional theater and is definitely worth the drive!  Currently they are showing The Marvelous Wonderettes.  The lineup for their 25th anniversary season include Hello, Dolly, Oliver, The Drowsy Chaperone, Nunsense, Our Town, and A Christmas Story.  I would have never thought such huge talent and quality theater would come out of such a small town.  This is a Dinner theater where they serve home style food like Ham, Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and fixin’s.  Now if the menu isn’t what you fancy, you can also just purchase show tickets that do not include dinner.  

Myers Dinner Theater, 108 Water St. Hillsboro, IN 47949. Visit their website HERE

What about Covid-19?  Masks don’t seem to be required in the state and up to the individual businesses to require them, or not.  The museums all required masks.  The restaurants did not require masks.  The theatre workers wore masks and gloves to serve you, required masks and provided gloves for you to walk through the buffet.  Social Distancing wasn’t super great while seated, but they did try their best by keeping a chair empty between families.  All in all, about 60% of people were wearing masks in stores and other public areas. If you are not comfortable where people aren’t masking up then I would wait to visit, but if you are vaccinated and comfortable, I highly recommend you plan a fun overnight visit to this interesting little town.

Please let me know in the comments below if you plan to visit Crawfordsville or Myers Dinner Theater.  Also, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, leave those questions in the comments down below as well!  

We had a fantastic time and would love to come back and see some of the places we didn’t have time to see and maybe catch another amazing theatre production!  Don’t forget to like and share this post and thanks for reading!! 

My Favorite Things – Animal Kingdom

From Bangal Tigers to Flying Banchees, Disney’s Animal Kingdom mixes animals (real and fictional) and nature with magic.  Before you head over to Discovery Island, be sure to look around the Oasis to find my favorite stilt walker DiVine!  

Discovery Island only houses one attraction, It’s Tough to be a Bug.  This is actually a must do attraction for us.  It is fun and filled with surprises, not to mention a nice cool place to sit for a spell.  Believe it or not, my favorite dining in the Discovery Island area is NOT the Starbucks location, Creature Comforts.  (I know…gasp). Rather, I will have to go with Flame Tree Barbecue!  Unfortunately, my favorite pulled pork fries are currently not on the menu… we really hope they bring them back soon!  Not many things are better than French fries topped with pulled pork, bbq sauce, and cheese sauce. 

Pandora – The World of Avatar is an amazing spectacle.  As amazing as it looks during the day, it is even more amazing at night.  Avatar Flight of Passage is my favorite ride in this area.  It is almost a given considering that this ride is one of the most popular in all of Disney World.  Rightly so, it is phenomenal.   At Satu’li Canteen, you can get some really unique and non-traditional theme park cuisine.  My favorite are the Cheeseburger Steamed Pods- Bao Buns.  (Pro Tip – the kids meal comes with one pod, a choice of side,  and a drink which allows you to try it and still have room for more food from other fun places)

Festival of the Lion King is by far one of the best stage shows on Disney Property.  Therefore, it takes the title of “My Favorite” in Africa.  At the time of publication, this show is not currently in production.  The Disney website indicates that the show will Reopen Summer 2021.  A must have snack in Africa is the Dole Whip of course!!!  You can find this at Tamu Tamu Refreshments.  My goal for our June trip is to try an alcoholic version called “King’s Cooler” – DOLE Whip Pineapple with Watermelon, Strawberry and Coconut-flavored syrup served with Plantation Dark Rum or Parrot Bay Coconut Rum.  Doesn’t that sound fantastic?!

It is so hard for me to decide my favorite ride in Asia.  Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest are both super amazing rides.  But, because of the adrenaline factor, Expedition Everest will have to take the lead on this one.  Watch out for the Yeti!  Just outside of Kali River Rapids, you will find the Yak and Yeti walk up counter.  At this location, you can find a wonderful snack.  I really love the Chicken Fried Rice. This side item is plenty enough to count as a nice lunch and won’t break the bank either. 

Dinosaur, the ride, is my favorite attraction in DinoLand U.S.A.  It is based on the animated movie, Dinosaur.  Have you seen it?  It is a fantastic movie.  I highly encourage you to watch it!  The Ice Cream Sandwich cookie from Dino-Bite Snacks is the way to go for a snack in DinoLand.  But, just so you know, just across the bridge to Discovery Island is where you will find Flame Tree BBQ…hint, hint.  

What are your favorite things at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?  Let me know in the comments below!  Do you agree or disagree with my choices?  Why?  Please share!  I love hearing from you.  Please like and share this and don’t forget to like my facebook page :).  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!

My Favorite Things – Hollywood Studios

In this second installment of “My Favorite Things”, I will be sharing my favorite dining and attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  I would like to point out that Rope Drop has never been a favorite thing for me.  Without fastpasses, though, I may have to force myself to get up a little earlier than usual.  From what I have gathered, it seems that if you head directly to Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror at park opening then wait until later in the afternoon to get in line for the other popular rides (i.e. Slinky Dog, Smugglers Run) you will have less of a wait time for all of them.  So, with that being said… on with my favorites!

Sunset Boulevard hosts two of the most popular and iconic rides at Hollywood Studios (Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror).  Tower of Terror has impeccable theming but because I get sick on drop rides, my favorite attraction here is Rockin’ Roller Coaster!  The launch of this ride is so fun!  Dining here is limited, but you can find your typical theme park food… My favorite in this area is the Trolly Car Cafe’  (AKA Starbucks! … noticing a theme here? lol) it is actually on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard.  

Echo Lake/Animation Courtyard areas are the home to the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which I have yet to ride (Review coming in June!)  I am thinking this will be my favorite attraction, but until it can prove itself, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Is my favorite!  It is a great experience to see some cool stunts and how movies are filmed.  You may even be chosen as an “extra” (hot tip..make yourself stand out when they are looking for extras…dance around, act goofy… whatever to catch their attention)   Favorite Dining in this area is 50’s Prime Time Cafe.  This dining experience takes you back to ‘50s kitsch and boasts fun theming of that era.  Make sure to take your hat off at the table or you may be forced to stand in the corner. 🙂 

Toy Story Land (and Pixar Place) is so immersive and amazing in and of itself.  Just walking through this area is fun.  Favorite attraction here is Toy Story Mania.  Much like Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin over at Magic Kingdom, my competitiveness makes this ride really fun for me.  It is an interactive 3D carnival game ride!  I could ride this several times in a day if I had fastpasses…:(   Food at Woody’s Lunch Box is pretty good!  I like the Lunch Box Tarts (which are their version of poptarts)  and the  Breakfast Bowl (loaded tater tots!)

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge….what can I say but “wow”.  It is my favorite area of the entire park.  Within this area, my favorite ride is Rise of the Resistance.  I can’t even describe how awesome this ride is!  Do whatever you can to experience this while you are there.  Whatever it takes….   And you HAVE to try a Ronto Wrap at Ronto Roasters.  It is very very good!

Grand Avenue and Commissary Lane hosts a couple attractions.  Star Tours is my favorite, but somehow I feel like that should be wrapped into Galaxy’s Edge somehow.  Which leaves Muppet*Vision 3D which is a fun experience.  Favorite Dining here is  Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.  I just love the atmosphere of this restaurant.  It is so fun.  The food isn’t anything to write home about, but the milkshakes are fantastic!  

Please let me know what your Hollywood Studios Favorites are in the comments below.  Please don’t forget to like and share this post.  Also follow me on Facebook and Instagram!  Thanks for reading! 

My Favorite Things – Magic Kingdom

Working our way around Magic Kingdom clockwise, I will share my favorite attractions and dining in each “area”. A quick little favorite thing regarding the whole park is that when everyone goes right, I go Left. It isn’t a telltale way to avoid crowds but I think it works. So I always start my day in Adventureland.

The first area is Main Street USA.  This area mimics an old fashion downtown area that you would see in a small town.   My favorite thing here was Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.  This attraction recently closed permanently, though.  Which makes me very sad.   This was an interactive hunt to save Magic Kingdom from the forces of evil.   So with that being gone, and Covid-19 keeping character meet and greets closed, there are not any attractions on Main Street.    

My favorite dining on Main Street is the Main Street Bakery aka Starbucks (because…COFFEE)  second favorite is the Ice Cream Parlor.  (Which, sadly, hasn’t reopened yet).  

On to Adventureland.   There is absolutely nothing that can beat out Pirates of the Caribbean!  Although Tiki Room and jungle Cruise take a close second.   

Dining in Adventureland has to be Aloha Isle for a Dole Whip of course!

Onward to Frontierland!   Two mountains reside here and it is very tough to choose a favorite but it will have to be Splash Mountain taking the win.  There has been news that this ride will be refurbished to become a Princess and the Frog ride and we will have to say goodbye to Splash Mountain forever.  I think it will stay my favorite because who doesn’t love Princess and the Frog?!   Country Bear Jamboree needs a shout out though because it is a classic.   

 Pecos Bills Tall Tale Inn and Café is my favorite dining location in Frontierland.  Other than food carts, it is your only option for food here.  But it is great food and something different than your typical theme park Burger.  

Liberty Square hosts one of my all time favorite rides, Haunted Mansion.  This is one of the best themed rides in the world.  Seriously.  It has all the makings of an all emersive ride.  Although there isn’t really any thrill to it like big drops or anything.  It takes the cake on theming and effects.  

I will have to be honest and say I have yet to experience Liberty Tree Tavern, which I’ve heard is fantastic.  So I have to say my favorite snack here is the Nutella Waffle at Sleepy Hallow.  

Fantasyland has had an expansive growth and it’s not fair to have to pick only one thing as a favorite from the entire Fantasyland area.  So since I’m making the rules for this, I’m saying there is Fantasyland and New Fantasyland as two separate areas.  Savvy? 

Peter Pan’s Flight is my one must do attraction in Fantasyland.  Even though this section of Magic Kingdom has some iconic rides, like Small World and the Teacups, we cannot go without riding Peter Pans Flight.  

Winner of my favorite dining choice in Fantasyland goes to The Friar’s Nook!   The Loaded  Buffalo Chicken Tots are so very good.  They used to have my favorite loaded Mac n Cheese but have changed it to loaded Tots. I’m not mad.  

In NEW Fantasyland my favorite attraction is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!   This newer coaster is so fun.  Don’t forget to rock your cart while riding.  It makes it that much more fun! 

Of Course dining at Be Our Guest is a must do. Only for the theming alone. The food isn’t super fantastic but the castle is amazing!!!

Tomorrowland has a new attraction coming soon that may become a new favorite for me  (Tron Coaster) and there is the iconic Space mountain as a contender.   But my all time favorite ride here has to be Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin.  I love the Toy Story series and I’m competitive so I like to try for a high score.  I also have to give a shout out to the People Mover, it is a fun vantage point to see things and it is nice and relaxing.  

I am not really fond of any dining option in Tomorrowland. I would encourage you to try somewhere in a different area, but, if you HAVE to get something, I would get ice cream from Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies. 

What are your Must Do attractions and dining choices at Magic Kingdom? Leave a comment with your Magic Kingdom favorites. Don’t forget to like and share this post. Thanks for reading!

Disney Dining Options and How to Choose Where YOU Should Eat!

Dining options at Walt Disney World in Florida seem endless.  From Dinner Shows to Snack carts and dozens of options in between.  It can be hard to decide where to eat.  

There are several different types of dining at Disney World.  Dinner Shows like Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.   Signature Dining like Victoria & Alberts.  Table Service like Liberty Tree Tavern.  Character Dining like Chef Mickey’s.  Counter Service like Satu’li Canteen.  Snack Carts like Cheshire Cafe.   There are dozens of each of these types of food options, so where to begin?

  • FOOD

First, you must understand what each category of Dining is and figure out which type of dining you want to experience.   Dinner Shows are just that, you sit at a table where food is brought to you and you eat while watching a fun stage show.  Signature Dining is top of the line “fancy shmancy” sit down restaurant, some even with a dress code.  Table Service is your typical sit down type restaurant, no frills but usually cool theming.  Character Dining is a table service meal option. It is either a buffet style or table service style meal, but you get characters coming around to meet and greet you.  Counter Service (aka Quick Service) is like your fast food option. You order from a window and they give you a tray with food that you take to a table yourself.  Snack Carts are those little carts tucked here and there around the parks and some permanent structures that offer things like pretzels, ice cream, fresh fruit, hummus snack cups, etc.  

Now, think about your budget.  Dinner Shows and Signature Dining are going to be your most expensive options.  You are looking at about $75.00-$185.00 per person for these experiences.  Table Service and Character Dining are going to run you about $40 per adult.  Counter Service can be anywhere from $10.00 per person to $28 per person, depending on the venue.  All those snack carts have the widest range from $3.00 to $12 per snack.  So how much do you want to spend on food?  There is also the Dining Plan to consider… see the blog about that here.    You could also consider sharing plates.  Some places give you so much food it is definitely enough for two people.  However, other places, like the all you can eat, dinner shows, signature dining and character dining,  will not allow sharing.   

Also consider your picky eaters or those with dietary restrictions. Do you want to spend the money on a signature dining experience when your picky eater only wants mac and cheese?  Disney is actually really good about allergies and dietary restrictions and in some cases, you will get the chef to pay you a visit to your table to clarify your restrictions and make you something off the menu.  

Research is key.  To know before you go will make your life so much easier.  When you get there, you will already have in your mind what restaurant will fit your expectations.  Read reviews online and get to see the recommendations of others.  There are quite a few blogs and vlogs out there that strictly talk about dining.   My favorite is the DFB!  Disney Food Blog!  Check them out. 🙂   And Check out our dining reviews page for our thoughts and experiences with Disney Food!  

Now here are your COVID-19 UPDATES:  

*Not all restaurants are open at Disney World at this time!  (Ohana – my personal favorite, is one that is still closed)

*Dinner Shows are not currently running – (I did see that Beirgarten in Germany Pavilion – Epcot, is running their stage show, but they are bringing food to your table and is not a buffet)

*There are NO buffet style dining options at this time, but some have switched to all-you-care-to-enjoy and are bringing food to your table.

*Characters are NOT stopping at your table and signing books or taking photos (but will walk by and wave)

*You cannot walk around the parks and eat – you MUST find a place to “park it” before removing your mask and eating.

*Dining Plan is currently NOT available 

*Dining reservations cannot be made 180 days in advance as you could Pre-covid.  The current dining reservation timeline is 60 days in advance.

*You must utilize mobile ordering for counter service restaurants. This is found on your MyDisneyExperience App.

I know that Disney Vacation Planning can be a daunting and overwhelming task and dining decisions can sometimes be the biggest headache.  I truly feel that you will find some good food at EVERY single restaurant at Disney. (Except maybe not at Tony’s in Magic Kingdom…)  Feel free to ask me any questions about dining in the comments below.  

Don’t forget to like and share below.   Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Willkommen to Frankenmuth, Mi.

The little tourist town of Frankenmuth is located North of Flint and is also known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria.  When you pass the welcome sign (entering from the south), the first thing you see is Christmas!  Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is right there with their over the top Christmas Decor.  Once you get to the downtown area, you will notice that the architecture starts to look a little different than traditional American small towns.  The German Heritage pours out of this little town through every aspect.  The shops, the food, the hotels, the shopping centers, and uniforms worn by staff all boast German style.  

Last weekend, we took a quick overnight trip to experience what this town has to offer.  I had such a wonderful time with all of my kids (ranging in age from 15-29)  Over the span of two days, we turned on our tourist caps and tried our best to do, see, and taste everything! 

Our first stop was Bronner’s.  I had never been to this massive Christmas store and it was definitely a spectacle.  Imagine the largest Christmas store you have ever seen… now times that by 10 and you have Bronner’s.  It is awe inspiring!  Every time you think you are at the end of the store, you turn a corner and there is more.  There are several restrooms and a snack bar!  

The Castle Shops at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant are like a hidden gem.  The Bavarian Inn Restaurant is on the main floor and below the restaurant, through maze-like hallways, there are several little shops including a bakery, fudge shop, candy store, wine shop, a toy store and a couple other stores with knick knacks, clothing, and decor.  

Amongst the downtown area eateries is a gem of a place called Prost!   “Prost” is the German word for “Cheers”.  This Wine Bar and Charcuterie, is a posh spot to enjoy a small bite and some delicious drinks.  The atmosphere is elegantly fun, with a splash of chill.

We stayed at the Bavarian Inn which could possibly be a destination in and of itself.  Inside the hotel, there are 2 restaurants, 1 lounge, 4 pools, 2 waterslides, 1 mini golf course, and 1 very expansive arcade complete with tickets and prizes. (We probably spent way too much money on games, but it was fun and worth it!)  It is located within walking distance to the downtown area and the River Place shops.  There is an amazing wooden covered bridge that you can either walk or drive across, which is pretty amazing. (Pro Tip: If you get the wine package add on to your room….take a wine bottle opener or you will have to go to the gift shop and spend $10 on one as it is not included)

Of course we had to experience one of the World Famous Chicken Dinners!  There are two places to experience a phenomenal Chicken dinner:  Bavarian Inn Restaurant or Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth.  We made a reservation (through OpenTable) for 7:00pm.  Due to Covid regulations, they were at a limited capacity, so I highly recommend making a reservation.  This dinner was so amazing!  The fried chicken was literally THE BEST fried chicken I have ever had!   I started dinner like a good little blogger and took some photos of all the appetizers and starters, then I got so excited for the Chicken, Mashed Potatoes,  Stuffing and all the fixin’s that I totally forgot to take pictures of it. Luckily I found a few nice photos on Zehnder’s Media page (thanks Zehnder’s)

Getting coffee at The Harvest coffeehouse is a must!  I HIGHLY recommend this coffeehouse.  I am very particular about my coffee and this is the third time I have tried Harvest coffee and they make a fantastic Latte!  (note: my family owned and operated a coffee house for a couple decades so we tend to be pretty picky about our coffee and how it is made)   

We made our way to La Crepe du Jour Creperie and cafe for some brunch crepes.  OH MY Gracious sakes alive… These crepe’s were so delicious!  Every single one of us LOVED our crepe, they were made so perfectly.  There are so many flavors/fillings to choose from I probably could live on these forever and not tire of them.  AND the theming of this cute little creperie is fantastic!  

The Great Lakes Escape Game is so fun!  None of us had ever experienced an escape room game and while this isn’t really a German ‘thing’, we still had to do it.  I am so glad we did.  Our game master was fantastic and explained everything very well and was a lot of fun.  The game itself was challenging, fun, and rewarding (because we escaped!)  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of this experience, but they took one of us! 

Walking around Frankenmuth is just so relaxing and fun.  There are little surprises around every corner.  Wineries, distilleries, food, music, games, horse drawn carriage rides, clothes, candles, souvenirs, specialty stores, souvenirs, fudge, chocolate, gifts, museum, cheese, and more.  

I hope that someday you find your way to this quaint little town for a visit.  For those wondering about Covid safety.  I am happy to report that everyone seemed to be compliantly wearing a mask.  A Lot of people were actually wearing them while walking outside as well (let’s be real, it’s like a scarf tied to your ears in the winter in Michigan!)  The arcade was frequently cleaned (touch points wiped down).  Pools required a reservation (this was an issue for us… we made reservations but they were still packed when we got there…and no masks in the pool for obvious reasons…thus, we did not enjoy the pools or hot tub because of that.)  Tables in restaurants were appropriately spaced.  Everywhere we went had implemented safety protocols for reducing the spread of the Coronavirus.  We felt very safe the entire time we were in Frankenmuth.

Have you ever been to Frankenmuth?  What is your favorite thing to see/do/eat there?  If you haven’t been, do you plan to go?   Comment below and let me know!  Don’t forget to like this post and share it!  Thanks for reading!

The Mouse Traveler’s Wine Trail

The fun activity of  wine tasting has grown substantially over the past several years.  I remember when finding a winery or tasting room was rare and when we did find one, it was so exciting. (Let’s be real… it’s still pretty exciting)  Now, it seems there are wine tasting rooms in almost every town.  It is not surprising, because wine is fantastically delicious and has become very popular!  With my love for wine, I decided to travel around to some wineries and tasting rooms in a small section of Southeast Michigan along M50 and US12.  I found 6 wineries to visit within a 35 mile stretch! Wow!  

Each winery has a unique feel with their own signature flavors.  From quaint little downtown buildings, to brand new modern construction, to huge party pavilions.   There is such a wide eclectic range of atmospheres to choose from.  It is not hard to find a place to fit your style.

I started in Dundee, Michigan and made my way to Brooklyn, Michigan  traveling West on M50 and continuing West on US12.  I had such a great time learning about each of these wineries and what they have to offer.  They all have a wonderful variety of wines.  It was easy for me to find more than one that I really enjoyed at each location!  I love that even during these Covid-times, you can still taste wine and experience each of these locations in unique and fun ways.  

Below you will find information, photos, and reviews on each of the wineries on our wine trail. Listed in East to West order.   I hope you all find your way to some or all of these wineries!  Let me know in the comments if you complete this wine trail and which wine is your favorite!  Please remember to drink responsibly and always have a designated driver.  (Thanks, Dad, for being mine!)  Enjoy!

The Mouse Traveler’s Wine Trail
St. Julian Winery – 700 Freedom Ct., Dundee, Mi  48131

St Julian is celebrating its 100th Anniversary!  Being Michigan’s longest running winery, they have a wide variety of wines (some award winning) to please any pallet!  Wine tasting flights are $8 unless you are a wine club member (wine club members taste for free)  They also sell long pours, wine by the glass, that you can enjoy in the winery or on their patio.  {Visit St. Julian’s website here}

While the staff was very friendly, the tasting did not include much of an explanation or any education.  Our server did show us which wines we were tasting and did a fantastic job of ‘surprising me’ with a flight when I couldn’t decide what I wanted to taste.  Very good recommendations.  The feel of the experience was classy yet a little commercialized.  

Pentamere Winery – 131 E. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh, Mi 49286

Michigan’s first urban winery opened in 2002 and offers tastings in a quaint downtown building.  You can see the wine being made in the unique overlook of the wine vats down below.  Tastings are $1 per one ounce pour.   The first rule at Pentamere is to drink what tastes good to you!  {Visit Pentamere website here}

Pentamere Winery is always a pleasure to frequent.  Every staff member there is an expert on their wines and will educate you on flavors and pairings as you taste your way through their broad collection of wines. You can tell they love the craft of wine making and it shows in their award winning wines.  They will not rush you through your tasting and will attend to all your questions like you are their best friend having a nice conversation.  

Blackfire Winery – 1261 E. Munger Rd., Tecumseh, Mi 49286

Opening in 2016, Blackfire winery delivers a tasting room overlooking a vineyard.  The first commercial vineyard in Lenawee County.  Blackfire Winery offers a unique collection of small batch wines to savor as you enjoy weekend entertainment or quiet views of the vineyard.  Tastings are $3.00 for a flight of 4. (choose from wine, cider or beer)  PLEASE NOTE, DUE TO A FLOOD, THIS WINERY IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED AND SET TO RE-OPEN MARCH 5.  Please visit their facebook page for details.  {Visit Blackfire website here}

Chateau Aeronautique Winery & Blue Skies Brewery – 12000 Pentecost Hwy., Onsted, Mi 49265

The Irish Hills location of this winery opened in 2017 and features a WW2 glider wing as a counter and a newly built biergarten!  The original location of Chateau Aeronautique is in Jackson Michigan in an airplane hangar.  This second location hosts a plethora of cover bands and tribute bands every weekend.  Friday night there is no cover charge, but there is on Saturday.  You can also reserve a table for the night.   There are a few tables inside, but most of the space is outside in the HEATED biergarten. They have a full kitchen and tastings run $11-$13 for a flight. {Visit Chateau Aeronautique website here} 

The atmosphere here is very industrial and seems like a great place to party.  The staff is very friendly.  But, I did order an appetizer and it took a pretty long time to be served to the table.  (This actually happened another time we visited as well)  

The Winery North of 12 – 12775 Knapp Rd., Brooklyn, Mi 49230

Opening in the midst of a pandemic, The Winery North of 12 brings 12 wines/ciders to our table.  While the building’s exterior isn’t much to look at (during the winter anyway), the inside is very warm and inviting with a clean modern look.  Enjoy a wine tasting flight of 5 for $7 or a full glass.  There is plenty of room to enjoy their wonderful wines while maintaining social distance.  In the warmer months, I am sure the outside patios have beautiful views. Lets not forget the food trucks and live music that will be there!  I can’t wait! {Visit North of 12 website here}

With the greeting when I walked in the door and the conversations happening all around the room and at the counter, I couldn’t help but think of the TV show Cheer’s!  I really feel like this is a great place to hang out with friends.  The staff are very friendly and easy to strike up a conversation with.  The wine flight I sampled was delicious.  There is a great variety of dry and sweet wines along with a couple of ciders.  

Cherry Creek Cellars – 11500 Silver Lake Hwy., Cement City, Mi 49233

Created in 2003 by 4th generation winemakers, Cherry Creek Cellars brings a large variety of handcrafted wines.  Located in an old schoolhouse with a beautiful hilly view of grapevines, the atmosphere is very elegant and charming.   Their covered veranda style patio features live music when the weather allows, but at this time hosts several igloos that you can rent.  (They are first come first serve if any are available and not reserved)  Their igloos are delightful and comfortably furnished. They are the perfect place to enjoy wine by the glass (or bottle) and maybe something from the kitchen.   Although wine/beer/cider samples are not available at this time due to Covid restrictions, when they are able to start tastings again, you can choose 4 samples from the menu for $5. {visit Cherry Creek website here}

The super friendly and attentive staff were very knowledgeable about Cherry Creek and the surrounding area. We had a great conversation with the super nice young lady who was working. She helped us pick a few wines that were newer to the collection for us to take home and sample. She also gave great explanations of what the flavors were.

*Special shout out to: Flying Otter winery — is not currently open but could have easily been included in this wine trail… Please also consider this fun outdoor tasting venture, when they are able to open.  3402 Chase Rd., Adrian, Mi 49221 {Visit Flying Otter website here}

Don’t forget to like, share and comment down below 🙂 Thanks for reading and happy wine trails to you! 🙂

Is The Mouse Traveler Traveling?

With all the travel restrictions and quarantine guidelines, traveling has been hard.  After the pandemic first hit the United States, we didn’t travel anywhere.  Heck, for a good three to four months, we stayed at home.  So, my page went silent for a while because I didn’t really have anything to say.  

When things started opening back up, we got really excited to start getting back out there on the road and taking adventures.  It has been a slow start, but we have some fun things planned!

We will be taking several local adventures.  We’ll have fun making our own wine trail by visiting some local wineries.   We will explore some Michigan iconic destinations.  Of course, there is a Disney Vacation in the works.  (maybe two….)  Camping will ensue as well as some Appalachian Mountain hiking.  The more I write about these excursions the more excited I am becoming!  I am not sure if it is because we have been cooped up for so long or if I am just a sucker for a road trip, but I am so geeked! 

Oh! I almost forgot to mention…  There is more in the works for the “Disney” section of the website!   Keep an eye on the Disney Planning and Review pages, as I am currently working on getting those pages completed with more tips and reviews added every week.  

I can’t wait to take you all along on these adventures with me!   I hope you are able to have some adventures of your own.  If you have any suggestions of fun spots to visit, please leave those in the comments down below.  Be sure to like this post and follow my blog in order to be notified when new posts are published!  (I promise, no spam emails)

“Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” – Peter Hoeg, Danish writer

Planning a Senior Trip to Disney

When my oldest child was graduating high school five years ago, I made a decision to give each of my kids a fun senior trip as a graduation present.  I made a promise to all three of my children that when they graduate high school, they can pick anywhere in the Continental United States to vacation with friends.   My oldest chose Disney World. Now, my middle child is graduating and he also chose Disney World.  

I have planned dozens of Disney World vacations and I have become a guru at getting all the dining reservations and fastpasses that we wanted.  There was rarely any disappointment in that regard.  The last Disney World Vacation I planned was February 2020, just before Covid-19 hit the United States.  Well, since then, things in the world of Disney have changed drastically.  NOTHING is the same.  Planning a Disney World Vacation is a whole new beast.  

No fastpasses exist, so I don’t have to plan that out.  Dining cannot be booked until 60 days prior, so I cannot do that yet.  So what planning has to be done?  Not much…  We have made our hotel reservation.  We have planned our transportation and purchased park tickets.  That is it!

New to the planning table is making Disney Park Pass Reservations.  Once you have your tickets, you must go to the Disney website and choose which park you will be visiting each day of your visit.  Now that they have reinstated park hopping, it is important to know that you still have to visit the park that you chose in your reservation before you are able to hop to a different park.  If you have hopper tickets, you are choosing which park you are going to each morning.  After 2:00, you can hop to whichever park you want as long as they haven’t reached capacity.  

So, until April, we have done all the planning we can do.  I have this feeling like I am missing something, but I have gone over things ten thousand times in my

head and can’t think of what I am forgetting.  Part of me likes the fact that there isn’t much planning to do.  However, the other part of me misses sitting down to look at all the restaurants to choose which ones to make a reservation, getting up at the crack of dawn to get those fast passes that are hard to get, and continuing to check to see what parks will have Extra Magic Hours in the evening because it’s fun to be at a park at 1:00am!  

I am sure it will still be a fantastic trip full of fun.  Memorable moments will still happen and we will cherish every moment that we are in the magic.  Stay tuned for more planning updates and reviews from this trip! 

Cheers to 2021!

Ice Sculpture Festival in Tecumseh, MI

What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions Michigan in January? 

Did you say Ice? 

Every January for the last 12 years, Tecumseh Michigan has held an Ice Sculpture Festival featuring fabulous ice sculptures and includes some fun activities.  Unfortunately, COVID has claimed several festivals around the world over the past year. But, this small festival, in a small town in Michigan, was still able to happen and was a lot of fun.  

This event is held in Tecumseh, Michigan amongst all the charming downtown stores that are always a treat to visit.  All year, Downtown Tecumseh consists of antique stores, restaurants, toy stores, hobby shops, coffee shops, clothing boutiques, wineries/breweries,  gift shops and more.   On several occasions, Downtown Tecumseh, will put on events that draw crowds (sometimes large crowds) from all over the area.  The events are always a lot of fun and this year’s Ice Sculpture Festival did NOT disappoint.

Every year there are more and more sculptures created and put on display around the downtown area.  This year there were 36 amazing sculptures including shoes, trolls, soap, and a phoenix!  Balloon sculptures were also included in the creations this year.  Personally, I thought they looked kinda weird, but there were snowflakes, Elsa, and Olaf to name a few!  You could also participate in a scavenger hunt by visiting  the local businesses to win a prize.  There is always some festival gear that you can purchase to commemorate your fun trip to Tecumseh Michigan created by a local printing company.  

Please enjoy these Ice Sculpture Festival photos and if you are ever looking for a quaint, fun, little town to visit, I hope you find your way to Tecumseh Michigan.  (There are several places to stay right downtown!) Be sure to check out Downtown Tecumseh’s website and Facebook page to see what events may be happening while you are here.  

How I Plan a Disney Vacation

(Please note that this does not contain any COVID-19 information or modifications. See Disney’s website for more information regarding planning during COVID pandemic. )

Planning a Disney vacation can be fun, exciting, and magical. But it can also be daunting, time consuming, frustrating, and confusing. I believe that the more planning you do, the better your Disney vacation will be. However, you can go to disney without planning anything and have a good time. Let me clarify… I think you can have a good time without advanced planning, but you should do some planning the night before, or morning of, a park day. The biggest thing to plan for are your fast passes. You can always find SOMEWHERE to eat without a reservation.

If you want the BEST vacation and don’t want to do any of the planning, I would suggest using a travel agent.  You will not have to pay any additional costs by using a travel agent and they will do all the daunting, time consuming things for you.  Personally, I like to plan my own vacation because I enjoy doing so.  The entire planning process helps me get excited for our trip.  I also like to create my own schedule.   I would recommend NOT being a stickler to your schedule though, because that could keep you from experiencing some ‘unscheduled’ magic.  I use my schedule more like a guideline rather than a rule. 

I have broken down my planning strategies and timeframes to steps for you to use as a guide to make your own Walt Disney World vacation!

Step 1:  Pick a Date and download the My Disney Experience App.  There is never a bad time to go to Disney.  I think that the time of ‘low’ crowds is of the past.  Anytime you visit, you will experience some form of crowds.  Planning will help you navigate them without feeling like the crowd is a problem.  While figuring out your vacation dates, you should ask your family and yourself the following questions:

  • Are there any Disney Special Events that you want to attend, such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?  There are different events throughout the year, so if there is one that you really want to attend, you should pick your dates to coincide with that event.  You can find out more about Disney Special Events  <HERE>
  • Are there any Festivals that you want to experience while you are at Disney?  You can find out more <HERE> or <HERE>
  • Did you want to go to Disney to celebrate something special, like a birthday, anniversary, or graduation?  
  • Is Free Dining important to you?  There are some times throughout the year that Disney typically will offer free dining as a promotion and some people like to take advantage of this by booking a vacation during one of the times they typically offer it  (if free dining is announced for your travel dates after you have already booked, you can call and modify your vacation in order to take advantage of it)

Step 2: Book Hotel Room or Package.  You can go to Walt Disney World Website or use the My Disney Experience App to book your vacation.  When you book directly with Disney, you will only have to pay a down payment initially and make payments as time goes by.  I have never used a travel agent, but I am pretty sure they work the same way with a deposit and payments.  Decide if the Dining Plan is right for you and include that in your package.  You will have to pay for this in full when you book it and you can add it at any time up until just before your check in date.  To help you decide, read my blog about the Dining Plan. 

Step 3:  Plan your Park days.  Even if you have the park hopper option on your ticket, you will want to decide which parks you want to go to each day.  Check out park hours and when/where Extra Magic Hours (EMH) are offered.  This will help you decide which park to go to each morning. Knowing what parks have EMH is important because typically that park will be busier than the others because those who do not have hopper tickets will be at that park all day in order to take advantage of that benefit.  Knowing park hours is important; for example, if you do not have park hopper tickets and Magic Kingdom closes at 5:00pm for a special event, you don’t want to go to that park for the day.   Once you figure out your park days, it will help you make your dining and fastpass reservations because you know where you will be each day.

Step 4:  Make your Dining Reservations.  Once you have your vacation booked, you can make dining reservations at 180 days in advance.  Not all restaurants are competitive enough to warrant waking up at 7am to get on the app and make your bookings, but there are a few very popular locations that you will want to do this for if they made it on your list of must-do’s.    Disney planning books and my reviews page will help you decide where you might want to eat.  Including your family in the decision is always fun.  I give my kids a planning book or get them on the Disney website and say “Make a list of table service restaurants you want to eat at”.  Then I get the final choice and I usually choose based on which restaurant gets the most votes, is the most unique, we haven’t tried yet, or one that is always a good time.  

Step 5:  Choose your fastpasses!  If you have a disney park ticket and a hotel reservation, you can make your fastpass+ selection 60 days in advance.  If you are not staying on Disney property, you can make your fastpass selection 30 days in advance.  The biggest tip for this is to get up early and start making fastpass+ for the big ticket rides for the LAST day of your trip FIRST and work your way backward.  This allows you to actually make your fastpass selection up to 74 days in advance (for a 14 day ticket, 67 days for a 7 day ticket, etc.)  You can select your fastpasses for your entire stay in one shot.  There are two strategies that I like for fastpasses… 1 – Select fastpasses for the afternoon and rope drop big ticket rides in the morning. Or 2 – Select fastpasses for as early as possible for big ticket rides, then add more fastpasses (1 at a time, after your first 3)  

This advice and planning strategy is only the tip of the iceberg and is a great general guideline.  There are so many tips and tricks within each step, but it would be too much for just one blog post.  There are also other things that could add to your planning that I have not mentioned, such as Disney Tours, Disney Vacation Club, Shows, and Holidays.  But if you are going for the first time, this is a great place to start.  Keep looking into the magic, you will find new surprises every day!  I have been visiting Disney at least once per year for the last 15 years and I STILL find new things to see, do, and experience at Walt Disney World.  

Please comment with any planning questions and I will do my best to help you out!  Don’t forget to like this blog and share with your friends who might be planning a Disney Vacation!  Thanks for reading!

Travel to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, Michigan

One of Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations is Mackinac Island.  The island is a very fun place to visit and explore.  We usually stay somewhere in Mackinaw City and take a ferry over to the island for the day.  Mackinaw City has some nice attractions as well and we like to enjoy both the City and the Island when we venture ‘up north’.  

Mackinac Island is a national landmark and a fantastic vacation spot.  There are no cars or hotel chains on the island.  It is famous for its Mackinac Island Fudge and historic Fort Mackinac.  There is so much to do and see on the island, I would recommend at least 3 full days to experience it all.  You can rent bicycles and ride around the island.  (There is a road that goes around the perimeter of the island, but you can ride anywhere on the island)  You can go for a horseback or private carriage ride around the island.  You can take a guided horse drawn tour with stops at all the scenic outlooks and rock formations.  There are several bed and breakfasts and other local hotels right on the island where you can stay.  The sunsets and nightlife are amazing.  Most of the ferry’s last departure from the island is around 10:30pm weekdays and 12:00am Friday and Saturday nights during peak season.  (Please be sure to check your ferry schedule)  You do not have to stay on the island to experience the nightlife and sunsets.  We usually stay at a campground or a hotel in Mackinaw City.  The City of Mackinaw has some very fun activities to enjoy as well!

The first few times we visited Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, we stayed in hotels near the ferry docks.  They are all pretty nice with free breakfast.  I do not recommend one over the other as we haven’t stayed in the hotels recently.  There are a few indoor water parks attached to some hotels and they are shared between most of the hotels.  You get a wristband when you check in and they give you a map of the water parks that are included.  That is handy on rainy days with kids.  The last two times we visited, we stayed at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground.  We thoroughly enjoyed both camping experiences!  

 We absolutely LOVE Mackinaw Mill Creek campground.    We stayed in a non-electric site which is in a loop pretty close to the camp store and pool.  The pool is nice and clean.  It isn’t super big, but we didn’t have any issues with overcrowding.  There are two different types of showers available.  Both are near the pool area.  The bathroom building has some private shower rooms on the pool side of the building, the other side only has bathrooms.   About 10 steps away from that building is a shower house building.  This has a lot of shower stalls separated by cloth-like curtains.  Not my favorite, but still clean.  (One side for men and the other side for women.)  The camp store has everything you might need for camping.  They also have hot coffee, food, and ice cream!  You can also get discounted Star Line ferry tickets at the camp store with a free shuttle to the ferry dock.

It isn’t hard to spend a lot of time at the campground, setting up camp and enjoying the amenities of the campground as well as Independence Day fireworks!  This is a very large campground and it is nice to walk around down by the lake.  There is a public grassy area at the lakefront with some fire-pits that are first come first serve.  This is where everyone congregated for the fireworks on the 4th of July.  You should claim a spot early because the good ones go fast.  We didn’t know this but still had a pretty decent view of 2 out of 3 fireworks.  You can see the fireworks from Mackinaw City, St. Ignas, and Mackinac Island. 

Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground

The campground, shuttle, ferry, island, and city were very dog friendly!  Some ferry’s take a tour under the Mackinac Bridge, not all of them include the bridge tour so check the ferry schedule if this is something you want to do.   We spent the entire day on the island, hiking the trails and seeing all the beautiful views.  We went to a few stores and the kids sampled fudge in every single fudge shop!  We had packed our lunch, so we ate that on the lawn in front of Fort Mackinac.  It was a very nice view.  On previous trips, we had rented bikes and rode around the entire perimeter of the island and toured Fort Mackinac.  That was a very fun experience.  With having the dogs with us, we weren’t able to do that this time.  After we did a little more hiking, we decided to get a little bite to eat.  Again, having the dogs with us limited us on where to eat, but there was a very nice restaurant called Kingston Kitchen at the Village Inn.  The restaurant  had a small porch full of outdoor seating where we could take the dogs.  My oldest daughter and I had a nice cocktail and we all shared a few burgers/appetizer platters.  Not too pricey and very good service.  Portions were definitely sharable as well.  After Dinner we enjoyed a little relaxing time strolling down the boardwalk area and sitting by the water before heading back to Mackinaw City.  

Star Line Ferry and Mackinac Island

Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park is just down the road from the campground.  It offers nature trail hiking, Sawpit and sawmill demonstrations, guided walking tours, Exhibits in the Visitors Center, and the Adventure tour which includes rock wall climbing, zip line, and a treetop footbridge.  (The website states that the Adventure Tour is not available for the 2020 season due to In 2019, we paid about $20 per person for entry and the tour.  You could easily spend most of the day here.

Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park

Among the Mackinac State Historic Parks is Colonial Michilimackinac.  This is a reconstructed 18th century fort and fur trading village.  There are historic tour guides throughout the village dressed in vintage clothing telling stories and teaching you about the time you have stepped into.  There are several exhibits and buildings to tour as well as performed demonstrations.   The village is located on the shore of the Straits of Mackinac.  (Find the foot of the bridge in Mackinaw City and it’s there)  While we were there a couple years ago, they had a live Archaeological dig going on.  According to the website, you can still witness this dig early June until mid-August.

Colonial Michilimackinac

Downtown Mackinaw City has some great shops and fudge!  There is an OK pizza place, Mama Mia’s Pizza, where we like to eat because it’s not very expensive and it also has a Mackinac Bridge museum on the second floor.  It is very interesting and a good way to wait for your pizza.  However, I personally think the Pizza at Pizza Palace is much tastier. If you are looking for great breakfast, head over to the Pancake Chef.  Have only eaten here once but it was a mighty delicious breakfast! We also like the restaurant called Nonna Lisa’s Italian Ristorante’ for a nice meal.  The theme in this restaurant and décor is very cool.  There are so many places to eat; you will likely not have a bad experience at most places.  

Living statue at Mackinaw Crossings

While you are shopping around  Mackinaw Crossings be sure to check out Mack City Chips!  OMG THE best homemade style seasoned potato chips!!!  Seriously… you can get a taste test then buy a bag or two.  Or three.   I just learned that you can also order online!!!  I may have to do that soon, just thinking about them is making my mouth water.   

There are about ten thousand fudge shops around Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island.  There is even a dispute of who is “the original”.   Everyone has their favorite and some are just disgusting.  Be sure to taste test at EVERY fudge shop before you decide to buy at any one particular store.  Otherwise you may be going home with fudge to last ten years.  Our personal favorite is Murdick’s.  My personal belief is that if it is not Murdick’s, Joann’s, or Ryba’s then it isn’t real Mackinac Island fudge and you might as well just buy it at a gas station.  On the Island, there are about 4 Ryba’s fudge shops, One Murdick’s shop and one Joann’s shop.  In the City, you will find all kinds of fudge shops all over… be careful.  But you will also find Murdick’s and Joann’s.  So if you forgot your fudge on the island, or you ate it all and need more, then you can always get it in the City.  I do believe that Ryba’s is only found on the Island.  

If you have never been to the Mackinaw area, or if it has been a while, I strongly recommend that you plan a trip there soon.  There is a reason Michigan has their Pure Michigan campaign.  It’s pretty fascinating and fun.  Comment below any questions you have about Mackinaw/Mackinac or any suggestions and tips you might have for someone planning their Mackinaw area vacation.   Thank you for reading! 

To start planning your trip, Visit Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau and the Mackinaw Area Tourism Bureau websites.

I Have NO Idea What I am Doing!

Start a Blog they said, It will be easy they said. Your a good writer, you love to talk about Disney and help people plan their trips. You go on great adventures and it would be cool to share them! Why don’t you just start writing about all your trips or doing a youtube channel about them, that would be cool!

I have heard these comments and suggestions for several years and honestly, the idea of it excited me. I have followed several bloggers and youtube vloggers for a long time and it looked fun and easy. Now that I have started, it IS fun…but I have no idea what I am doing, so it is not so easy. It makes me laugh now, but over the past couple weeks I have been asking myself “What have you gotten yourself into?!”

I love Disney so much and I can talk for hours upon hours about the subject. When it comes to writing about it though, it seems as though I can’t slow down my brain enough to limit my thoughts to one thing or another in order to put it on paper. I was originally going to just journal each of our vacations to Disney, talking about where we ate, what we did, how I planned, and the like. Alas, COVID-19 happened and now we can’t travel. (Murphy’s Law, right? Start a travel blog… 2 weeks later…can’t travel)

Speaking of no travel, when we aren’t at Disney, we like to travel to places around our home in Michigan and many other places around the United States. So, filling in the space between Disney vacations, I was planning on blogging about our other travels. Which we also cannot do right now. Fun day trips to Sauder Village in Ohio, The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Detroit, or to the Cozy little campground in our hometown – Indian Creek Campground. Weekend excursions to Mackinac Island or Sleeping Bear Dunes. These are all fun places I would love to journal about in a blog, but cannot go to them.

So, what does a travel blogger blog about when she cannot travel? Good question. So far, I have tried to come up with some ideas but its not so easy to write in a way you didn’t intend to write. I will figure it out, though…

I will continue to add to the content of the reviews pages, in hopes it will help people plan their Disney Vacations. I may blog about some past excursions we have taken in the past couple years. Or maybe I will simply blog about my excursion while out for a walk with my dog around my quaint little hometown. I hope you continue on with me and take this journey with me as I try to figure out what I am doing AND while I try to find things to write about during this time of quarantine and no travel.

Eventually, this too shall pass and I will be able to continue my adventures. I hope to take you with me to Sleeping Bear Dunes for a weekend camping trip, to do a little canoeing on the River Raisin, and wherever else the winds may blow us.

If you have any suggestions for weekend excursions near Southeast Michigan, please comment below! Thank you for reading!

Spending Quarantine Time Drawing with the Disney Animation Studios!

Need some help finding a new thing to do while in quarantine? Whether you know how to draw or not, you can do these fun ‘how to’ videos that Disney Animation Studios are putting up on YouTube! A Disney Animator walks you through, step by step, how to draw your favorite Disney Characters!

I thought I would give it a try.  I have never taken an art class and until this quarantine, haven’t even tried to draw much of anything.  You do not need to have any special tools or paper in order to do this.  I used a piece of old scrapbooking paper that was white on the back and just a plain #2 pencil.  Some of the animators use a few different colors to show different lines and such, but those are not necessary.  I would recommend having your remote handy  to pause the video after each step.  The animators work really fast.  Unless you are a seasoned artist, you will likely have to pause it too!

I chose to draw Tinkerbell first!  Then I did Sven from Frozen! I found two different drawing youtube series.  One was an older one filmed when Hollywood Studios had the animation class and the other is recent from the Disney Animation Studios. Here is where you will find the Hollywood Studios Classes.  Here is where you will find the newer Walt Disney’s Animation Studio classes.

The video starts by explaining what they will be drawing and showing you how to make the base circle with guidelines.

After you have your base, the animator shows you what features to do next and how to find where to put them.

Your next step is to add details

When your picture is complete, you can darken some lines, the animator will tell you which ones to darken – this is where some of them use a different color pencil (dark).  Some animators tell you to darken as you go instead of at the end. 

I had a lot of fun doing these and hope you do as well. Here is a link to the YouTube channels again (Disney Parks / Animation Studios). Please share your experiences with these videos in the comments below! I will probably try another drawing soon and will also share my new creations! Happy Drawing and thanks for reading!

Here is where I’ll put the new drawings I complete. If you want your drawing in this gallery email it to themousetraveler.kim@gmail.com and I will add it to the gallery ;). Be sure to sign your drawing so we know who did it!

Do I REALLY Need to Book my Disney Dining 180 Days Out?!

Good Question! The answer is: It depends. In order to answer this question, you must ask yourself the following questions: Do I want to eat at a popular table service location? Do I care what day I eat at this location? Will it ruin my trip if I can’t eat at this location? Do I care what time I eat at this location? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then YES you need to book your Disney Table Service 180 days in advance. These reservations are called Advanced Dining Reservations (commonly referred to as ADR’s)

So, what constitutes a popular table service location? These are restaurants that typically book up pretty fast. Most all Character dining spots are hard to book. Some are not as popular than others. There are also some non-character dining options that are hard to get. The only way to know is by doing your research.

The most popular character dining locations are:

  • Cinderella’s Royal Table – located in the Castle at the Magic Kingdom, you get to meet all the princesses, and sometimes a prince or two.
  • Be Our Guest – located in the new fantasy land area of Magic Kingdom, at dinner you can meet the Beast!
  • ‘Ohana – located in the Polynesian Resort in the Magic Kingdom area, you meet Lilo and Stitch (breakfast only)
  • Chef Mickey’s – located in the Contemporary Resort in the Magic Kingdom area, you meet the fab 5 and chip and dale.

*note: characters area always subject to change

Other non-character restaruants that are popular:

  • Most any NEW restaurants – as of now, or soon, include: Space220, Oga’s Cantina, Roundup Rodeo BBQ.
  • Be Our Guest Breakfast and Lunch – located in the new fantasy land in Magic Kingdom
  • Dinner at Epcot restaruants that view the lagoon (fireworks!!!) – Rose and Crown Pub, Spice Road Table, and La Hacienda de San Angel.
  • ‘Ohana Dinner – located in the Polynesian resort in the Magic Kingdom area
  • Victoria and Alberts – located in the Grand Floridian Resort in the Magic Kingdom area

If you are wanting to dine at any of the listed restaurants, you should definitely make your ADR’s 180 days in advance. If staying at a Disney Resort you can make your reservations for your entire stay – up to 10 days. The trick here is that the 180 days is counted from your check in day. So you should start by booking your most wanted dining reservation near the end of your stay. (i.e. book Cinderellas Royal Table for day 6 of your stay – this allows you to actually book this ADR at 186 days in advance)

If you are not sure where you want to eat or if you are not a big planner, it doesn’t always mean that you wont be able to eat at popular restaurants. While it is true that there is a possibility you will not be able to experience a dining experience if you don’t book far enough in advance, some early or late reservations will pop up to snag. Every once in a while, you will even get lucky and find a prime time reservation. That is the beauty of the My Disney Experience App. In the App, you can continue to check for available reservations any time throughout the day or night. Most of the time, even a week before my trip, I can get a 9pm Ohana reservation. But, I have never been so lucky to get a Cinderella Royal Table last minute.

If you don’t get an ADR for any of the most popular restaurants, it doesn’t mean you are missing out on good food! There is amazing food all over Walt Disney World. Some of our favorite alternative dining options are:

  • The Crystal Palace – Magic Kingdom – meet Pooh and friends
  • Akershus – Epcot – Norway – meet Princesses (except Cinderella)
  • San Angel Inn – Epcot – Mexico
  • 50’s Prime Time Cafe – Hollywood Studios
  • Kona Cafe – Polynesian Resort

There are also a lot of Quick Service (aka Counter Service) restaurants that have amazing food! Two of my favorite Quick Service places are Satu’li Canteen at Animal Kingdom and Katsura Grill at the Japan Pavilion in Epcot.

When the parks reopen and we are all able to head back ‘home’, what are the top 2 restaurants that you want to eat at first?! Comment below! Don’t forget to subscribe to get email notifications for new blogs! Thank you for reading!

What I Want to do on my Next Walt Disney World Vacation!

Even though I have been to Disney World in Florida many times. There is always something I miss or something new I want to try. Even some offering or another that I want to add on to my vacation that I have never done before! Some of the things on my list are simple, some are FREE, some are tours or events, a lot of food too! Come along with me on the first step of my Disney Planning! (I have included links to the appropriate Disney website pages if you are interested in more information on any of the things I have listed 🙂 )

First things first, I want to enjoy my resort more. We have experienced the parks so many times you may think we would grow tired of them but it seems as though we still can’t get enough. The Disney resorts, from value to deluxe, have so many amenities and activities to enjoy but, we don’t ever seem to ever make the time to take advantage of them. On our trip in February 2020, I really wanted to spend more time at our resort and enjoy it but we still seemed to limit that time more than I wanted. We enjoyed the Hot tub and pool (it was cold so we didn’t swim much), and we watched the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian, but that was all. On our next trip to Disney World, I would like to schedule in ‘Resort Days’ where we do not go to a park and relax and enjoy our resort. Most recent trips we have taken included random afternoon breaks at the resort, but that isn’t enough for me. I want to be able to take it all in and participate in some activities that are offered. Even if it is not at the resort we are staying.

Some activities at the resorts are free and others have a fee. Top of my list is renting a Sea Raycer boat at the marina. These are little two seat ‘mouse boats’ that you can tool around on Seven Seas Lagoon (if you rent from a resort on that lagoon – other resorts on a waterway rent boats as well) These rentals run about $45 per hour. This activity is definitly on my list for our next visit. In the future, I would like to do one of the Specialty Cruises where you charter a private pontoon to cruise you and your guests around one of the waterways. You can even add on some private dining as well (which I plan to do). I think this may be how I celebrate my 50th birthday… gives me time to save the money.

One free activity at the Wilderness campground that I would like to attend is the Chip and Dales Campfire Sing along. You do not have to be staying at the campground to experience this fun free activity and it definitely is making my list for our next trip. They also roast marshmallows around the campfire. You can purchase s’mores fixins’ as well. – note that they roast marshmallows at most resorts that have a fire pit which is also a fun thing to do.

Poolside activities are also a very fun thing to do at the resort and most are free. This is something we have done in the past on an afternoon break at our resort, but the fun usually lasts all day and I think it would be fun to spend an entire day poolside! Maybe rent a cabana or just take up camp at a few lounge chairs. Grab some food from the pool bar along with a couple of drinks throughout the day. Participate in the fun activities including trivia, tie die shirt making ($), crafts ($), games, and dance parties.

While at the parks, I would like to add to my itinerary a guided backstage tour. I have not done any tours and they all look interesting and fun. Two of the tours that are top on my list are Backstage Magic – an 8 hour exploration of the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot including lunch and seeing the utilidores, and the other is Dolphins in Depth – a 3 hr program that takes you in the water with dolphins and teaches you about the beautiful animal. Second on my list is the Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom tour, Wild Africa Trek, and the Keys to the Kingdom tour! Some tours are quite expensive but worth it! Other than private tours, the prices range from about $20 to upwards of $250 per person. There are age limits on some tours as to not take away the magic for the kiddos.

The next things on my list to add to my next vacation have to do with food. We definitely have our favorite places to eat, but there are so many options that we haven’t yet tried. Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom, The Garden Grill at Epcot, Teppan Edo in World Showcase in Epcot, Space 220 in Epcot, Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios, and Tusker House at Animal Kingdom are on our Table Service to-do list. The other food related thing I want to do is to Eat Around the World at Epcot’s World Showcase. While we have claimed to have done this before, we never did it in one day and we haven’t really eaten in EVERY pavilion.

As far as shopping goes, I have never been to the Disney Outlet stores. I am planning to make this a priority on our next trip. I have told my kids on our last two trips to Disney, that we would go there and have a little shopping spree, but it never happened. Again the affects of feeling like we need to go to the parks every day, all day.

I think that in order to make most of this happen, I may have to do one of two things. One- plan a resort only trip. As in, stay at a Disney resort and do not buy park tickets. This would be really hard for us, though, since we live in Michigan and usually get to Florida only once a year. Two- plan a 7 night hotel stay with a 4 or 5 day park ticket. This too is hard because the price difference for a 7 day ticket vs. a 4 or 5 day ticket is only around $30 per person. I tried to do last time, but I gave into the value of the extra days, saying “Well, we can go for just a few hours in the morning or evening, then spend most of the time at the resort. It’ll be worth it for the price” Then once we got there, we couldn’t help ourselves and we ended up spending a substantial amount of time in the parks every single day!

What are some things you want to do on your next trip to Disney World? Leave your ideas in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

Put some Disney into your Isolation and Quarantine!

To me, Disney isn’t always a place or a person. I believe Disney can be a way of thinking, being, and acting. During this time where our world is hectic and scary, we could all use a little Disney in our lives.

While Walt Disney was, indeed, a person who created a magical world where people experience the suspension of disbelief, his name has become more than just a noun. Someone can be Disney by bringing happiness into the world. People can be described as acting too Disney. And when you hear that, you know exactly what they mean. There are Disney fanatics, Disnerds, Disney Junkies, and more. Why has there become such a following and love for Disney in the parks and at home? Because it gives you the feels! Everyone wants to be happy and Disney helps you feel that way.

The Covid-19 has brought feelings into our lives that are anything but happy. We are being careful. We are isolating ourselves. Humans thrive on interactions with each other and we cannot do that right now. It is so easy to feel alone in the world with all these preventative measures we are taking. So, what can you and I do to make others feel like they are not alone? How can we bring a little Disney into the world?

For myself, I went to our local toy store, Hopscotch Kids, and purchased some sidewalk chalk and a Disney jigsaw puzzle. Today, I organized some of my Disney ‘stuff’, made a decoration out of our old magic bands, and drew Stitch on the sidewalk outside our house for people to enjoy while taking a walk. These things brought a little Disney to my life today. They made me feel happy and they made me feel like I am bringing a little happiness into someone elses life as well.

My daughter’s creation
I do NOT claim to be a good artist! lol

I cannot take credit for the idea. I saw a post on social media, made by our local schools, stating “Chalk your Walk”. The post is calling for people to draw on the sidewalk outside their house or place of work and to talk a walk to enjoy all of the artwork everyone has contributed. They put dates on it to be Friday March 20 and Saturday March 21. I encourage people to take it a step further. I challenge people to continue this ‘Disneyfied’ idea by drawing on ANY sidewalk, maybe where there is a lot of walking traffic. Don’t limit it to just two days, keep it going at least until the Coronavirus is under control and we can go back to bringing a little Disney a little closer to each other.

With Disney Parks closed all over the world, people cannot go to the Happiest place on Earth (or the Most Magical Place on Earth). So if the world cannot go to Disney, lets bring Disney to the world! Leave a comment below with your ideas of how to bring Disney into each others lives right now. How are you bringing Disney into your own life at home? Thank you for reading! Take care everyone! ❤