May 22 2014

Mickey’s Kitchen Sink Sundae

Check out this adorable Mickey’s Kitchen Sink Sundae! I definitely want to share one of these with my boys on my upcoming trip to Disney World this summer! They are available at The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and at The Plaza Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom or at Beaches & Cream at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. At the Magic Kingdom, the sundae is three scoops of hand dipped ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry) covered with hot fudge, strawberry and caramel toppings, whipped cream, chocolate and peanut butter chips and cherries. At Beaches & Cream, you have the same three scoops of hand dipped ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), but the toppings are a little different. At this location, your sundae is topped with pineapple, strawberry, hot fudge, peanut butter, whipped cream, brownie, Oreos, sprinkles, morsels, chocolate shavings and cherries. The current pricing for this sundae is $14.99 for the Magic Kingdom version and $22.99 for the Beaches & Cream version. Another great thing about this cute sundae is that you get to take the Mickey pants kitchen sink home with you! A fellow Disney fan, Wendy, measured her sink for me and she said that it is just over six inches wide and just over five inches from front to back. Including the legs and the faucet, it is about six inches tall, while the inside bowl is about three inches deep. So be sure to leave enough space in your suitcase to get this delightful souvenir home with you!

Has anyone tried a Mickey’s Kitchen Sink Sundae? Please leave a comment!

May 15 2014

Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

My family and I had a great Mother’s Day last weekend! Here are the cute Mickey Mouse cupcakes that I made for our Disney Side Mother’s Day celebration. They were super simple…just a chocolate cake mix, canned frosting and mini Oreos. Yummy! I could go for one of these right now! Anyone else hungry?

Apr 11 2014

Friday Favorites – Best Disney World Character Meals

For today’s Friday Favorites, I’m going to share with you my picks for best Disney World character meals. Personally, I love character meals! Even though they are more expensive than a regular table service meal, they are such a fun experience and are well worth the additional cost in my opinion. What I love most about them is that you get great one-on-one interaction with the characters while you are enjoying your meal. You can take photos, get autographs and have a little quality time with your favorites. I feel like the time spent with the characters in this setting is so much more special and personal than at the character greeting spots. And this way you don’t have to spend additional time during your day waiting in line or using one of your Fastpass+ reservations to see the characters. So here are my choices for best Disney World character meals!

Cinderella’s Royal Table If you have someone in your group that likes princesses, this is the place to go! You will be treated to an elegant meal inside Cinderella’s castle in the Magic Kingdom. You will begin by getting your photo taken with Cinderella herself (this is included in the price of your meal and will be brought to you at your table) and then you are off to the dining room. Throughout your meal various princesses will visit you at your table for photos and autographs. This is a plated meal that you can choose from a small menu. The food itself is usually rated as average, but this meal is really about the experience of dining in the castle. They can even arrange a special celebration for your own “princess” for a birthday or engagement! A reservation here is difficult to come by and needs to be booked as soon as your 180 day window opens up.
Crystal Palace This location serves a buffet style breakfast, lunch or dinner and is located in the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant itself is a beautiful combination of greenery, white woodwork and glass. It makes you feel like you are dining in an elegant greenhouse. Here you will get the pleasure of visiting with Winnie the Pooh and some of his friends (usually Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore). They will come by your table for photos and autographs and about once an hour everyone can participate with the characters in a Friendship Parade around the restaurant. The food here is traditional American fare and there is even a kid’s buffet. To make a visit here more special, book a reservation as early as possible in the morning. You will be allowed into the Magic Kingdom before it opens and you can get some amazing pictures on Main Street and of Cinderella’s Castle with no crowds. Also, if you are finished eating early enough, you will be one of the first ones to the attractions as soon as they open.
Chef Mickey’s Located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, this is one of the most popular character meals in all of Disney World. This restaurant serves up a buffet style breakfast or dinner filled with American cuisine. As with most of the character meals, the food is tasty and plentiful, but it is much more about the experience. The location offers beautiful views of Bay Lake and the exciting sight of the monorail speeding along just above you! Here you will get to hang out with the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy) when they come by your table for photos and autographs. Every so often the song “Celebrate with Mickey Mouse” starts playing and the entire restaurant erupts in celebration complete with napkin twirling and dancing! This place is loud and full of excitement. Definitely book this reservation at 180 days out!
Garden Grill This restaurant is located in the Land Pavilion in Future World at Epcot. Not only is this a character meal featuring Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale, it is also served up in a rotating restaurant! That’s right…this place spins while you are eating offering magnificent views of the Living with the Land ride. I love that attraction, so that makes this restaurant even more special to me. The meal here is all-you-can-eat served family style right at your table. This choice was especially attractive to me when my kids were really small, because it was so nice to have everything come to me, characters and food included! It was so much more relaxing, because I didn’t have to juggle two little ones through buffet lines with plates, cameras and autograph books all at once. The menu here is simple with rolls, salad, beef, turkey, fish, veggies and cobbler for dessert. Be sure to request a booth for the best views of Living with the Land and put your kids on the ends so that they will have easy access to the characters as they come by.
‘Ohana Located at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, this restaurant offers a unique dining and character experience. ‘Ohana meaning family is a great place to bring your whole gang to hang out with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. The atmosphere here has a Polynesian flare while offering spectacular views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. The characters come by your table for photos and autographs and about every 45 minutes there is a fun-filled parade to join in. The food here is yummy and served all-you-can-eat family style right to your table. While this restaurant serves both breakfast and dinner, the characters are only present at breakfast time. The food includes breakfast breads, fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, biscuits and Mickey waffles. Being a huge fan of Hawaii, I love this place!

There you have it…my picks for best Disney World character meals! Be sure to click on the restaurant name to be taken to each place’s official website for more information and to make reservations. I hope you enjoy your meal and time with the characters as much as my family!

What about you? Do you have a favorite character meal? Please leave a comment!

Apr 8 2014

Tuesday Trivia – Mickey Mouse’s Original Name

Before becoming Mickey Mouse, what name did Walt Disney plan to use for his mouse until his wife, Lily, objected and suggested Mickey?

Please check the comments section for the answer!

Mar 14 2014

Friday Favorites – Best Disney World Snacks

One of the things that I think Disney does best in the way of food is their snacks! They have so many wonderful snacks and treats available that some days when I’m there I don’t even eat a meal! I just eat four or five of their delicious snacks throughout the day. So without further ado here is my list of the best Disney World snacks!

Dole Whip Without a doubt this is one of the top snacks at Disney World. If you have never had a Dole whip it is a frozen soft serve dessert. They come in the classic pineapple flavor as well as orange or vanilla. The orange flavor is my absolute favorite! It has a light citrus taste and is nice and sweet. You can even get them in a swirl or a float! The most popular place to pick one up is at the Aloha Isle in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. On a hot summer day, the line for these can be very long, but definitely worth it!
Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar Another iconic treat and fan favorite is the Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar. This treat is vanilla ice cream shaped like a Mickey Mouse head dipped in chocolate and served on a stick. It is very similar to a Dove bar that you can get at home, but made way better simply because it is in the shape of Mickey! These treats are so popular that you can now get shirts, magnets and pins to declare your love for these yummy snacks! You can get one of these ice cream bars all over the parks from many of the cart vendors.
Turkey Legs Now this is a not a personal favorite of mine, because I can’t stand to eat meat that still resembles the animal, but they are definitely one of the top snacks at Disney World. From what I hear these turkey legs have great flavor and are not at all dry. You will see people wandering all over gnawing on these things! If you are in the mood for a high protein snack, you can find these being sold at several of the cart vendors throughout the parks.
Popcorn Another one of my personal favorites is the popcorn. Imagine the best movie theatre popcorn you’ve ever had only better and then you’ll have Disney World popcorn. They go through so much of it, it always seems fresh and warm. It’s not overly salty, with the perfect amount of butter and crunch, now that is a great snack! The large size is sold in a cute seasonal bucket with lid so you can continue to graze on it all day. Like most of the other snacks, popcorn can be found at several of the cart vendors throughout the parks. One of my favorite stands is at the cart just inside the Magic Kingdom.
Fancy Cupcakes This is my all time favorite Disney World snack! I love the wide variety of flavors of cupcakes that they have at Disney World. They have simple ones like chocolate and vanilla to exotic ones that contain all different kinds of fillings and toppings. A couple of my favorites are the White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake which is dark chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting topped with toasted coconut and the Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake which is a yellow cake, topped with a whipped cream type frosting filled with Grand Marnier soaked strawberries. My kids love the Oreo Bon Bon Cupcake featuring yellow cake topped with a cookies n’ cream buttercream frosting, Oreo crumbles and two Oreos to resemble Mickey’s ears! These gourmet cupcakes can be found throughout the parks and resort hotels. One of the places for the best selection is the Boardwalk Bakery at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn.