TouringPlans

Exciting News – A New TouringPlans Blogger

I received very exciting news last week while I was on vacation in Disney World. I will soon be joining the TouringPlans.com team as a blogger. I absolutely love their website and have been using it for years to plan my own vacations. I am so thrilled to have been selected! This is truly a dream come true for me!

I will continue to write my blog and in the next few weeks, I will begin to write articles for TouringPlans as well. I’ll be sure to include a link here on my site when I publish a new article on TouringPlans.com.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out their site before, here’s a link to the blog page and a link to my bio.

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Daily Dose Of Disney – Cinderella Castle

 

Disney World Magic Kingdom Cinderella Castle

Welcome to my new feature called Daily Dose of Disney! I just returned from an exciting ten-day trip to Disney World where I took more than 1,000 photos. Please check back each day for a new photo and a fun fact!

Did you know that Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, which stands at 189 feet tall, is more than twice the size of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland and can be seen from two miles away?

Epcot Passports

Friday Favorites – Best Ways To Tour Epcot’s World Showcase With Kids

For today’s Friday favorites, I would like to share with you my picks for the best ways to tour Epcot’s World Showcase with young children. The World Showcase pavilions are one of my family’s favorite places to visit in all of Disney World. We love all of the elaborate detail and diversity that we find in each country. To make the visit even more interesting for our kids, we like to incorporate a special element into our touring. Here are our favorite ways to tour Epcot’s World Showcase with kids.

  • Kidcot Stops In each of the different countries, kids can stop at the Kidcot station and color a Duffy Bear or Perry from Phineas and Ferb. The cast member at the stop will stamp your creation and will even write your name in their country’s native language. You can continue moving around the World Showcase having your artwork signed and stamped in each country.
  • World Showcase Passport My boys loved doing these! You can purchase a World Showcase Passport kit at several different shops at Epcot for about $10, and they can usually be found by the cash registers. The kit includes a high-quality passport that looks very much like a real one, a button and some stickers. You children can fill out the passports, put the stickers on and take them from country to country around the World Showcase having them stamped at the Kidcot stops. For more information, please check out this link.
  • Candy Crawl This is a great option for kids and adults alike! Try sampling a small piece of candy or other treat from each of the pavilions along the way. Some great ones are caramel from Germany, Pocky from Japan and shortbread cookies from the United Kingdom. My kids always like trying new varieties and deciding which one is their favorite!
  • Scavenger Hunt Create your own simple kid-friendly scavenger hunt. Even if you have never been before, you can list items that you have seen in pictures of Epcot or items typically found in theme parks. Some easy items to find in the World Showcase are things like a clock, a map, candy, flowers, a fountain, etc.
  • Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure This is an exciting interactive game that is included with your theme park admission. Sign up at one of the many kiosks around the World Showcase and receive a small cell phone-like device. Then set off on your mission to help Perry from the Phineas and Ferb TV show. Each mission takes about 30 minutes and you can do it as you explore the World Showcase. As you work your way through your adventure, you find clues and solve puzzles enjoying lots of Disney flare along the way. For more information, please check out this link.

So there you have it…the best ways to tour Epcot’s World Showcase with kids!

Do you have a favorite way to tour World Showcase with your kids? Please leave a comment!

Disney Movie Review – Maleficent

Maleficent

Photo courtesy of http://www.disney.wikia.com

This past weekend I was in Texas for a family wedding and had a few hours free before the big event. My husband, my boys and I decided that would be the perfect time to check out Disney’s latest movie, Maleficent.  I had no idea what to expect of the movie, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It reminded me a lot of Wicked in the idea of telling the story from the villain’s perspective. My husband really enjoyed the fantasy-like quality of the film and there was just enough action for my boys to enjoy it as well. I would definitely recommend seeing this movie!

A couple of things to be aware of if you are taking very young children…this movie contains a lot of dark and scary images including war scenes and an attempted murder. In spite of this there is no real gore or blood shown. For a more detailed description and reviews, please check out this link.

Have you seen Maleficent? Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment!

Disney Mail

Disney Mail

Wow! This has been a great week at my house for Disney mail. I have received my MagicBands for my upcoming trip, my cruise documents for my Disney Alaska cruise and my latest edition of the D23 Disney Fan Club magazine. Does anyone else get super excited when they open their mailbox and there is something from Disney in it?