Mr. Mouskaholic and I took the time to film Episode 6 this past weekend! We know that we will never have a huge following, but talking about Disney is just something fun that we love to do! If you wanna hear our thoughts about happenings and Disney news, check out Episode 6-
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The Epcot Experience
Out of all of the North American Disney parks, Epcot has always been my favorite. Epcot has definitely changed since the first time I went there in 1996. In fact Walt has always wanted the parks to keep moving forward and progressing. With that being said, there is much to be expected as we head into the next few years at Epcot.
The Odyssey building is now home to the Epcot Experience. There you will enjoy a 12 minute video, and multi-plane projection show that highlights the new experiences coming to Epcot.
Enjoy the 12 minute video from the Epcot Experience!
Happy National Pizza Day
Did you know that every hour at Disney world, they are cranking out 1200 pizzas an hour… at several locations!?!? That’s a lot of dough! The quick service restaurants use a machine called the “pizzamatic” and can be found at Pizzerizzo (Hollywood Studios) and Pizzafari (Animal Kingdom).
Check out this video of the pizzamatic in action (From the show Unwrapped on the Food Network)-
If pizza is one of your favorites no worries, you can find TONS of places to get a slice of your favorite pie at Walt Disney World!
Check out Trattoria Al Forno at Disney’s Boardwalk, Pinocchio Village Haus at Magic Kingdom, Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom, Any of the Wolfgang Puck restaurants at Disney Springs, Pizzerizzo at Hollywood Studios, Catalina Eddie’s at Hollywood Studios, Tony’s Town Square at Magic Kingdom, Splitsville at Disney Springs, Mama Melrose’s at Hollywood studios, and of course- my all time favorite- Via Napoli at Epcot!
Our pizza from Via Napoli!!!!!
If none of these options sound like the type of pizza you’re in luck. Within a reasonable drive from Disney World Property you can hit up Giordano’s Pizza (THEY ALSO DELIVER TO DISNEY RESORT HOTELS)! They’re a Chicago based pizza chain with STUFFED pizza! It’s one of our all time favorite pizza places. They just added a location 2 hours south of our home and we totally drove 2 hours for pizza. If you are a pizza lover it’s definitely worth checking out!
Ready to check out all of these amazing pizza places? Be sure to contact Ashley at Charming Travels LLC for all of your Disney Planning needs! Her services are free of charge and helping people plan their magical vacation is her favorite thing to do!
Disneyland MaxPass
If you’re a Disney World fan and have never been to Disneyland, one nuance that may throw you for a loop is the difference in their FastPass system.
You know that if you’re a guest staying on Walt Disney World property that you can begin scheduling your FastPasses up to 60 days in advance! I mean, this is some serious planning involved! You need to know what park you’re going to, on what day, and be ready to book those FastPasses, especially if you plan on riding some of the most popular attractions, like the new Flight of Passage in Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you’re a guest not staying on Disney property, you are able to book your fast passes 30 days in advance, which still takes planning, and you go in knowing that some of the most popular experiences may already be completely booked. Disney World has had the “My Disney Experience” and the Magic Band system in place since 2013, this is not the case at the original – Disneyland.
Despite the success of the “My Disney Experience” and magic bands at Walt Disney World, Disneyland has stuck by the original paper FastPass system, where you have to go to a kiosk, insert your park ticket, and then it spits out a ticket with a return time. Disneyland has stuck to this more traditional experience because of their traffic. While Disneyland is a very busy attraction in Southern California, guests don’t plan for a trip to Disneyland in the same way that they do for a trip to Walt Disney World. Disneyland is a trip that many make in a day, and there are many annual pass holders. These day trippers, and annual pass holders may visit the park on a whim, or decide a week to a month in advance to travel, so booking FastPasses a month, or 2 months in advance just doesn’t make sense.
With that being said, let’s talk about the Disneyland MaxPass that was introduced in June of 2017. MaxPass is different than the WDW “My Disney Experience” in a few ways.
1) There is a cost associated with it. At WDW the MDE is included in your ticket price, Disneyland’s MaxPass is $10 per day per guest.
2) You cannot purchase the MaxPass until you’re in the park with your ticket scanned, where as with MDE as stated earlier you can begin scheduling your FastPasses 30 days in advance for off property guests, and 60 days for on property guests.
3) You are able to schedule one fast pass at a time. MDE allows you to schedule up to 3 FastPasses per day when you initially book.
4) MaxPass includes your PhotoPass photos, as well as the booking the FastPasses on the app. At WDW you’re able to purchase individual shots that are loaded onto your magic band, or you can purchase the Memory Maker plan for an additional $169.00 that includes all of your PhotoPass shots.
5) With MaxPass you can schedule FastPasses between the different parks if you have a park hopper ticket. If you’re at WDW you have to schedule your original 3 FastPasses all in the same park.
Those are some of the biggest differences, here is where it is similar
1) You use an app on your phone while in the park to schedule FastPasses. The app for both parks is very user friendly
2) After you’ve used your first FastPass on the app, you can immediately go in and schedule the next one, much in the same way as scheduling your next FastPass at WDW after using your original 3.
3) The app is very user friendly 😃
Would I recommend MaxPass?
DEFINITELY! To me it was absolutely worth the money. With that being said, there were only two of us, and we were there for one day, so it was only a $20 purchase. For a larger family planning a multi day stay, it would be more expensive, but I would absolutely plan on building it into your budget. It will save you time, and a lot of footsteps from traveling from paper FastPass kiosk to kiosk.
Have you used MaxPass? What do you think?
Planning a trip to WDW or DL? Be sure to contact Ashley at Charming Travels by texting the number above or emailing ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com
She is a Disney expert, and her booking and planning services are free of charge to her clients!
Happy New Year Mouskaholics!
May your year be full of peace, love, and DISNEY! This year was a slow year for me, only going to Disney twice haha! We were able to go to Walt Disney World back in March for Spring Break, and then just 2 days ago I was able to visit Disneyland and California Adventure Park with my Mom. I’ll be back home in Florida in a mere 82 days and I’m already looking forward to it!
If you’re planning a Disney trip in 2019, be sure to check in with Ashley with Charming Travels LLC for all of your travel booking and planning needs!!!
Review of Ohana (Dinner)
Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve written, but today I am hungry and thinking about dinner at one of my all time favorite on property restaurants, OHANA!
So when you view the Disney website and visit the Ohana menu, I don’t think it quite does the restaurant justice. It is an all you can eat, family style restaurant. If you leave this place hungry, there might be something wrong with you. Also, I should warn, this is a meat eaters paradise!
When you get to Ohana you’ll be welcomed to your table, and you’ll be served with some delicious pineapple coconut bread and a mixed green salad. I will start by saying a like salad. I’ll even eat it for lunch, but man do I LOVE carbs… I’ve even described myself as a “Carbiterian” on more than one occasion. So with that being said, I will say their bread is absolutely outstanding. It’s not too heavy, and the flavor of the pineapple and coconut is not too much, it’s subtle, but just enough!
Then comes my FAVORITE part, the appetizer. Now, don’t get me wrong the main course meats are amazing, but the pork dumplings… oh the pork dumplings. Along with the pork dumplings you’ll also get honey-coriander chicken wings. Both are amazing, but the pork dumplings keep me craving them in between trips. I’m a big fan of potstickers, but nothing compares to these. I’m salivating even as I type this, just thinking of them. They are without a doubt my favorite part of Ohana. And guess what… it’s all you can eat, so you can always ask for more!
Along with the appetizers you’ll also be served the side dishes of stir fry veggies and teriyaki noodles! Both are great, but now it’s time for the meats. For your main course, a server will bring you skewers of all you can eat meat. Your options are chicken, steak, and shrimp. All are grilled over a wood fire and delivered to your table on a skewer. Your server puts it in a bowl for you to enjoy. You can have one, two, or all three meats. I usually go for all three, at least a few pieces of each. With the the meat you’ll also get some amazing dipping sauces. It’s definitely worth trying it all!
So you’ve eaten your dinner and you’re about ready to roll out of the restaurant, but oh wait… there is dessert! And it is in my top 5 favorite desserts on Disney property- Ohana’s bread pudding. It’s absolutely delectable, and is served with a caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. So as amazing as the dumplings, and meats are, don’t forget to save room for dessert, because you won’t regret it!
So my official statement about Ohana- “Be sure to check out Ohana. Your tastebuds will be tantalized from the bread at the beginning of the meal, to the bread pudding at the end of your meal. ”
If you’re ready to check out Ohana for yourself, be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free no obligation quote. Her services are always free of charge, which means you pay the same as you would booking on your own, and you get her expert planning services for free!
Happy Barbershop Quartet Day
Today is National Barbershop Quartet Day! So let’s take a look at some of the amazing talents at Walt Disney World! Did you know that every day right on Main Street USA there is an amazing Barbershop Quartet (and an actual working Barbershop!) The Dapper Dans are absolutely incredible and perform every day (be sure to check the performance guide for times when you enter the park)
Here is a very special Valentine’s Day performances from the Disney Parks YouTube Channel.
So stop on by the Harmony Babershop for a haircut and then head out to Main Street USA to hear the Dapper Dans!
In addition to their daily performances they also perform for the hard ticket event- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party as the “Cadaver Dans.”
Ready to check out the Dapper Dans in real life?? Â Be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your FREE no obligation quote! Â All of her planning and booking services are 100% free of charge to you!
Tuesday’s Tip- Celebrate World Party Day at Epcot
Hi All! As you may have read in some previous posts I’ve been very intrigued by unique and obscure holidays lately, so I’m highlighting some of these holidays and how they relate to my favorite place- Walt Disney World!!!!
So today is “World Party Day!” If I could choose a place to celebrate today it would definitely be Epcot at Walt Disney World! I mean where else can you visit eleven countries in one afternoon?
Not only can you visit the countries and experience the culture of Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada, but you can end your day by celebrating Disney style with a real world party; Illuminations! If you’ve never experienced Illuminations you need to! It an incredible spectacle of fireworks, pyrotechnics, and beauty.
Below is a time lapse that we did of Illuminations a few trips ago 🙂 Enjoy and party and enjoy the world today!
Ready to travel the world at Epcot? Â Be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your FREE no obligation quote! Â All of her planning and booking services are 100% free of charge to you!
Fun Fact Friday- Take a Walk in the Park Day!
Today is Fun Fact Friday, but also a unique holiday! Last week was “make up your holiday-day” and today is national- “Take a walk in the park day.” Now to a “normal” non disney obsessed person… they would probably assume that taking a walk in the park would mean going to the park around the corner, or visiting your nearest national or metro park (we have a ton of GREAT parks near our home.) To this mouskaholic though, the words “Take a Walk in the Park” immediately makes me think DISNEY parks 🙂 . So for fun fact friday today we will look at the mileage involved in walking through each of the Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks.
Magic Kingdom- If you went all the way around the park with minimal doubling back you’re looking at a minimum of walking 1.85 miles. That does not include the walk to and from the transportation areas, that is simply in the park-
Walking map of Magic Kingdom park if you were to do a single loop of the park- 1.85 miles
Now Epcot is significantly larger than Magic Kingdom. Just to walk around the World Showcase Lagoon in itself is 1.2 miles, and when you add Future World in you’re looking at a minimum of 2.64 miles.
With all of the construction at Hollywood Studios, and it being one of the smaller parks anyway, you’re looking at a much shorter walking distance (again these are just if you were to walk to all the attractions, no going in, waiting in line, no doubling back) . So at Hollywood studios pre-toy story land and pre-Star Wars land you’re looking at approximately a 1.4 mile walk total.
Your second to longest walk comes in around 2.45 miles at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is the largest park in square mileage at Disney, but luckily to explore some of the areas you get special transportation… like the safari area you need to be in the safari cars, and to get to Rafiki’s planet watch you take a train to get out there. This has the potential to be a LOT of walking depending on how you’ve planned your day!
Now let’s head to the park where it all started! Disneyland in Anaheim California!
Disneyland is physically a smaller park, you’re looking at the same amount of walking at you would at Disney’s Magic Kingdom… 1.85 miles, and that is mostly because Toon Town is a little farther out of the way
One of my favorite things that makes Disneyland different than WDW is that you can walk in between the two parks, where the WDW property is so spread out, it makes it nearly impossible (you can walk between Epcot and Hollywood Studios). So let’s take a walk across the esplanade over to Disney’s California Adventure park 🙂
I’m always amazed at how many awesome things they can pack into 1.4 miles, but they’ve definitely managed at DCA 🙂 . Things to keep in mind about walking at Disneyland is the you can walk from your hotel, and you’ll walk through Disney Springs or the main gate to get to either park. While the parks are a little one the smaller side in comparison to WDW, the walking potential is still quite high.
While what I mapped above is just a simple route around each park, there is the potential of doing MANY more miles while you’re there. Make sure you have good walking shoes! Mr. Mouskaholic and I average around 7-9 miles per day when we go! So who is ready to take a walk in your favorite Disney parks?
Ready to take your own walk in the park? Â Be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your FREE no obligation quote! Â All of her planning and booking services are 100% free of charge to you!
Words of Walt- The Secret of Success
Without getting to into too many of my personal beliefs and the way that children are raised today vs. my upbringing I’ll say this…
I was raised with the idea that nothing in life was going to be handed to me. If I wanted something in life I had to work for it. When I was growing up my father worked a full time job, a part time job, and went to school full time; with the idea that when he graduated that he would have a better job and be able to provide more easily for our family. Because he was constantly working or at school I didn’t see a lot of him for about 5 years. What I did see is was how hard my father worked. I saw how much time and care he put in, and the sacrifices that he made for our family, so that we would have our basic needs met.
Extra money was not something that we had a lot of because of the costs of schooling and other bills, so from a young age I learned that if I wanted to go to summer camp, or wanted that new thingabob (you know… I hear Ariel’s got 20) I was going to have to work for it. This was a mantra that has continued to follow me through my adult life. I am a full time teacher, who also assists with the marching band, and spring musical at school. I help my husband (who also works full time) manage our photography business . I also am an independent travel agent with Charming Travels LLC. I believe that all this work pays off… it affords me the travel that I so enjoy and the opportunity to experience life the way that I so choose. I believe that is why I identify and embrace today’s quote.
So here’s the point of today’s post… what Uncle Walt has to say about the secret to success-
“People often ask me if I know the secret of success and if I could tell others how to make their dreams come true. My answer is, you do it by working.”
Confessions of a Mouskaholic 