Fun Fact Friday- Beauty and the Beast

Here is a fun fact related to a Disney Park AND and treasured Disney Movie!

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage opened at “Theater of the Stars” along Sunset Boulevard at MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) on November 22, 1991.  Okay so I get it, you’re thinking what is the big deal… well the unique piece of trivia is that November 22, 1991 was the exact same day that the movie Beauty and the Beast opened in theaters across the United States.  This was the first time ever that a stage show opened the same day as the movie that inspired it.

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The 25 minute stage show has been running multiple shows daily for nearly 26 years now!  If you’re a Beauty and the Beast fan be sure to check out the show next time you’re at Hollywood Studios.

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If you’re ready to book your next trip to Disney be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com.  Her planning services are free of charge to you, and she can help you from booking to dining reservations and fast pass selections!

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All good things must come to an end…

So we left home a week ago this morning and will be returning tomorrow evening around midnight.  It is true that all good things must come to an end. We’ve had an amazing adventure between Disney, Siesta Key Beach, and now Atlanta, Georgia!

Overview of Disney- We stayed at a new to us resort (Caribbean Beach Resort) and WOW, WOW, WOW!!!  It was HUGE!!!  We’ve stayed at all 3 All Star Resorts, Pop Century, and Port Orleans French Quarter, and those were just a fraction of the size of this resort (over 30,000 guest rooms!).

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Our first day at Hollywood Studios we were able to experience things we had never done before, as well as things we hadn’t done in a REALLY long time!  (More on that later)

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Our second day we headed to Epcot and again were able to experience new things!  Frozen forever after, Soarin around the World, meeting Joy and Sadness, and new (to us) dining experiences!

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Our final day we checked out and headed to Magic Kingdom.  Rather than trying anything new we enjoyed our old favorites!  Started at the park opening at 9am and stayed until about 2 pm before renting a car and heading to Siesta Key Beach!

We got to Siesta Key in the early evening and settled into “Hibiscus Suites.”  This hotel was such a great location!!!  It was about a 5 minute drive to Siesta Key Public Beach, right down the road from Publix (Florida supermarket chain), and right across the street from Siesta Key Water Sports!

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We of course enjoyed the beach, parasailing, and eating LOTS of seafood!!!

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Wednesday morning we drove from Siesta Key to Atlanta, Georgia.  We got settled into the Westin Hotel on Peachtree and headed to dinner at Pitty Pat’s Porch.  We LOVE Pitty Pat’s!!!   We visited this restaurant about 6 years ago and had the most amazing ribs.  We were afraid that we had over-hyped the taste in the paste 6 years, but we didn’t!!!  They were so so so good!  If you’re ever in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend checking it out!

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Today is our first and only full day here in Atlanta, so we spent a good chunk of time at the Georgia Aquarium.  It is expensive to get in ($40 for adults) but WOW, it’s absolutely incredible!  We spent about 2 hours there in the morning, left and had lunch, and then came back for another hour and a half in the afternoon.  There is so much to do and see at the Aquarium, and the Dolphin Celebration show was just excellent!  This evening we are having dinner at the Sun Dial restaurant (the top 3 floors at the Westin… and it revolves!) and then heading to ride the Atlanta Skyview.

Tomorrow we will be checking out the World of Coca-Cola and some other sites before heading to airport to fly home.

It’s been an amazing trip thus far, but I am looking forward to coming home sweet home!

 

 

Watch Fantasmic LIVE!!!

Exciting news!

Walt Disney World will be live streaming my FAVORITE night show on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:50pm EST.

Follow this link to check out FANTASMIC Live- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

You’ll be able to login starting at 6:45, with the streaming beginning at 6:50.  If you’ve never seen Fantasmic this is a great opportunity to see a great show and get you in the Disney Spirit 🙂

The show features live action, characters, and spectacular water effects.  It takes place nightly after dark at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Interested in heading to the Disney parks to check out the live shows in person?  Be sure to contact Charming Travels LLC for all of your travel needs!  Email- info@charmingtravelsllc.com today for your FREE no obligation quote!

Christmas Time is Here…

Yes Halloween was only 3 days ago, but the holiday season has come to Walt Disney World!

One of the most amazing Christmas displays that Disney puts up is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Hollywood Studios.  Today was the soft opening of the display (photos from Sharon Perkins- Charming Travels LLC).

This display is absolutely incredible and has run for 20 years, this will be its last.

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I only wish I would have had the chance to see it!!!  I do leave for Disneyland in 9 days and am hoping to see some decor along with their awesome 60 year celebration!

If you’re interested in planning your own Disney vacation to see the Spectacle of Lights before they’re gone, be sure to contact Charming Travels LLC (info@charmingtravelsllc.com)

Fun Fact Friday- Tower of Terror Part 3

Fun Fact- The Hollywood Tower Hotel stands at 199 feet tall. If it were just one foot taller, the Federal Aviation Authority would require it to have a flashing red light on the top.

Tower of Terror- Disney's Hollywood Studios

Tower of Terror- Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Interested in planning your own trip to Walt Disney World?  Be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote today!

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

A taste of Disney… at home

Okay, so one of my FAVORITE quick service meals that we enjoyed at Disney during our July trip was the “Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese” from Bill and Min’s Dockside Diner.  This is located at Hollywood Studios.  As I mentioned in a blog post during our trip, this was our very first time at Bill and Mins. We often opt for air conditioned locations for our quick service meals because lets face it… its HOT in Florida during the summer!  With that being said, I had heard about this delicacy and was determined to try it, despite the outdoor dining area.  All I can say was that it was epic!  The only quick service meal that I think I enjoyed more was the pulled pork, cornbread waffle sandwich from Typhoon Lagoon.  (Yes… I will admit, I have a thing for pulled pork!)

  
So when I was grocery shopping at home and saw “Appleton Farms” pulled pork just staring at me from the meat case at Aldi, I knew what had to be done… I needed to recreate this awesomeness!

This recreation tastes remarkably close to the one at Disney and is very simple-

I used Stouffer’s Mac n Cheese, Appleton Farms Pulled Pork, and Tuscan Garden Crispy Onions.  If you don’t have an aldi nearby I would imagine you’ve got prepared pulled pork available, and French’s crispy onions.

   
 Mmmmmm… Maybe I will pretend I’m at Disney while I eat it 😉

  
Interested in visiting Hollywood Studios to check out Bill and Min’s for yourself?  Be sure to http://www.facebook.com/charmingtravels the travel agents  at Charming Travels are experts in Disney Vacation planning and will make your trip magical!

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Fun Fact Friday- Tower of Terror

Did you know that when you’re dropping on the Tower of Terror that you’re actually moving faster than the speed of gravity?

The Tower of Terror is not actually a free fall, you’re being pulled down.  If you want to test the theory, put a penny on your leg the next time you sit down on the ride.  You’ll notice that as you ride, you will drop faster than your penny will, because the penny (because it isn’t attached to you or the seat) is moving at the normal speed of gravity, while you’re being pulled down.

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Wanna test this theory for yourself?  When you’re ready to book your next vacation be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote!  Her planning services are free of charge!

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Day 9 in Review

Today was our last full day at Disney and what a LONG day it has been!  We started our day with an 8:05 reservation at Be Our Guest Restaurant!  Having an early morning reservation was to our advantage, and allowed us the rare opportunity to see a nearly empty Main Street USA, and we were able to get some great pics of the castle with very few people in our way!

  
Be Our Guest restaurant was a nice experience and was much less crowded than it was during lunch.  We enjoyed dining in the West Wing.  Breakfast in my mind was a good use of a quick service dining credit, however, with that being said, I would not pay $19.99 for that meal outside of the dining plan.

   
   
As soon as we were done with breakfast we saw there was only a 10 minute wait for the Flight of Peter Pan!  It hard to find this ride without a 80 minute wait, so it was nice to take advantage of this short wait and see the new interactive queue.

   
 After Peter Pan we headed to Tomorrowland, and had time to check out Monsters Inc Laugh Floor before our Space Mountain fast pass!  I just love the laugh floor because it’s a different show every time!

Space Mountain was awesome as usual, and we were able to take in some of the favorites around Tomorrowland afterwards; Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, People Mover, and Carousel of Progress!

Our next fast pass was to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel, so I did a picture with Rapuzel (who played her character SOOOO well!!!) and Craig did a photo with Cinderella!  This was our first time in Princess Fairytale Hall, and would recommend it to anyone with young princess fans 🙂

   
 After the princesses we headed to Haunted Mansion for one last ride through, and then we were off to Splash Mountain for our final fast pass at the Magic Kingdom!  Rather than walk back through the crowds to the park exit we decided to ride the Magic Kingdom Railway back to Main Street USA.  Saying goodbye to the Magic Kingdom is always saddening, but it’s never really a goodbye, it’s “Until we meet again!”

  
  
We enjoyed lunch and napping back at Pop Century before heading to Hollywood Studios for the evening.  When we arrived at HS we headed straight for a kiosk and got a fast pass for Star Tours.  We had just enough time before dinner to head to Muppet Vision 3D (everything else had AT LEAST a 1 hour wait!)

  
Dinner was at the Prime Time 50’s cafe and was AWESOME!!!!  I highly recommend it to anyone!  Food was awesome and the atmosphere was really fun if you’r willing to play along. We joined the elite club of “Clean Plate Club” and were told by our server that we were his best behaved guests of the evening 🙂

   
   
After dinner wait times were still crazy long for just about everything, so we hit some of the shops before our 8:15 fast pass for star tours.  We were a little disappointed that everything still had such a long wait time!  Fantasmic was standing room only at that point, Toy Story was closed for the evening, and so was the Great Movie Ride.  Rockin Roller Coaster was a 150 minute wait, and Tower of Terror was 70.  With all of that we decided to just head back to the resort :-/  It was a little saddening that I didn’t get to ride RnR on this trip (it was broken down the first time we were there) because it’s my hand down favorite Disney Coaster!  Hopefully as HS goes through its re-vamp it will be better in the future.  It was definitely the most disappointing park on this trip.

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And the Highlight of my day was meeting Elsa, with absolutely no wait!

  

30 Day Disney Challenge- Day 22 “Favorite Live Action Movie”

Confessions of a Mouskaholic's 30 Day Disney Challenge

Confessions of a Mouskaholic’s 30 Day Disney Challenge

Alright, a few months ago I posted my “Top Ten Animated Disney Movies” post, and had every intention of following up with a “Top Ten Live Action Disney Movie”… In fact, I have the draft saved, I just never got around to finishing it up!  Perhaps I will get that done after the 30 day challenge and vacation are over!  So I guess today’s post will be a little bit of a spoiler as I officially declare my “Favorite Live Action Disney Movie.”

This truly is a difficult decision, and is part of the reason that I haven’t finished my Top 10 list!  But I’m going to have to go with “The Rocketeer” as my favorite live action.

My parents taped it off of the Disney channel for me and my brother when we were little (for younger readers, “taping” is something we did on VHS tapes with a VCR, before the days of DVR.)  I just feel in love with this movie.  It had the love story where the good guy gets the girl, and lots of Nazi fighting action!  It is a great story line with a wonderful cast.  If you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend it!

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Fun fact- If you ever visit the Sci-Fi Dine In theater at Hollywood Studios, be sure to look for the Rocketeer’s helmet as you enter from the lobby!

Rocketeer Helmet at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater

Rocketeer Helmet at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater

If you’re interested in planning your own trip to Disney World, be sure to contact Ashley@CharmingTravelsLLC.com .  All of her services are free of charge!  Contact her today for your free quote.

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

30 Day Disney Challenge- Day 15 “Favorite Gift Shop”

Confessions of a Mouskaholic's 30 Day Disney Challenge

Confessions of a Mouskaholic’s 30 Day Disney Challenge

I really should have pluralized a bunch of the categories on the list, because today is yet another hard decision for me.  With that being said, I think I’m going to have to go with favorite gift “shops” instead of just one shop.  So, away we go!

Magic Kingdom- The Emporium is my favorite gift shop there.  It is the largest gift shoppe at Magic Kingdom and has a little bit of everything.  There isn’t a real specific theme to the shop, just a lot of Disney apparel, mugs, Mickey Ears, and general touristy souvenirs. I love to stroll through the Emporium on a hot day to escape the heat for a little while and just check out what they have to offer 🙂

The Emporium at Magic Kingdom

The Emporium at Magic Kingdom

Epcot- Mitsukoshi Department Store, is fabulous.  It is located in the World Showcase’s Japan Pavilion.  It is HUGE and there is a ton to look at.  It has a lot of nick nacks, and is just really fun to check out.  They have a wide assortment of Japanese snacks and candy, which is always fun to try, as well as a spot to purchase sake flights.  Perhaps my favorite part is watching someone pick a pearl!  Click here to read my post (and watch a video) of me picking my pearl in January!

Mitsukoshi Department Store- Epcot

Mitsukoshi Department Store- Epcot

Hollywood Studios- Tatooine Traders is the gift shop at the end of the Star Tours ride.  I LOVE Star Wars, and this gift shop is like geek haven.  I always end up buying a t-shirt for my brother and saving it for his Christmas gift 🙂  Oh and for added fun, build your own lightsaber!

Tatooine Traders at Hollywood Studios

Tatooine Traders at Hollywood Studios

Downtown Disney Disney’s Days of Christmas is located in the Marketplace at Downtown Disney and is a must stop place for me on each trip.  My husband and I have a tree in our living room and all the ornaments are Black, White, Maroon, and Silver (the colors in the room).  It is stunningly beautiful, and every trip we make to Disney, we love to look through this store to find a new ornament for our tree!  It is a little difficult at times to find one that fits the theming of the tree, but that makes each one more special and unique! (Click Here to view my ornaments purchased at Disney’s Days of Christmas)

Disney's Days of Christmas- Located at Downtown Disney

Disney’s Days of Christmas- Located at Downtown Disney

If you’re interested in planning your own trip to check out the amazing shops that Disney has to offer, be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com.  Her planning services are always free of charge!  Take the hassle out of your planning!  Contact her today for your free quote!

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com