Disney Bucket List 2014

Each time we visit Disney World I create a bucket list of fun and exciting things for us to do.  Some of them are new to us and some are old favorites.  I like to find a few special things that are at our resort because you just never know when we will stay there again.  I enjoy finding the perfect mix of hidden magic and must do experiences.  We are very lucky to visit often but every time we go the experience is different.  This list is for our January 2014 trip.  I know that we won't do/see all of these things, but I like to have the list so that we can continue to try new things.  My must do list is very long and it grows after each visit.

1. Find DiVine-DiVine is a street performer at Animal Kingdom.  She is hard to find for a couple of reasons.  She is fully decked out in face paint and foliage to blend in with the surroundings.  She is rarely listed in the times guide, but from what I hear you can ask Cast Members for details.  
2. Ask for Ketchup at Whispering Canyon Cafe- This is a table service restaurant located inside of Wilderness Lodge.  I have been told that something crazy will happen when you ask for ketchup at this restaurant.  I guess we will have to wait and see...
3. See the Trains and Geyser at Wilderness Lodge- Fire Rock Geyser is a geyser that erupts at the top of the hour throughout the day.  It shoots water 120 ft into the air.  Nestled inside the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge is Walt Disney's personal train collection.  You don't have to be a guest at this resort to enjoy it.  It is available for all to see.  
4. Lunch at Be Our Guest- Be Our Guest is the newest Quick Service/Table Service restaurant at Magic Kingdom.  During our last trip we scored a dinner reservation and it was GREAT.  You can check out my dinner review here.  This time we are hoping to eat there for lunch.  During lunch it is a Quick Service restaurant with lots of yummy sounding options.  You can even get a cupcake topped with the "Grey Stuff."  So don't forget to "Try the Grey Stuff, It's delicious!"
5. Try a Dole Whip-  This is a pineapple soft serve float that according to most Disney Addicts is a "MUST HAVE" snack.  I have taken a sip of a friend's Dole Whip and liked it but I have never had one of my own.  No one else in my family has ever tasted this signature snack.  There is always a line at Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom, but I plan to wait this time!
6. Meet Anna and Elsa in Norway-  Anna and Elsa are the stars of the newest Disney movie "Frozen."  We saw the movie back in November and LOVED IT!  We don't often wait in line to meet princesses because I have two little boys, but this is one exception they are willing to make and that makes this Mom happy:)
7. Visit Talking Mickey- At our visit in November we able to get FastPasses to meet the Magician Talking Mickey at Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom.  This was one of the most memorable moments of the entire trip.  It actually brought tears to my eyes.  My little ones have not stopped talking about it, so it makes the list AGAIN!
8. Watch Electrical Water Pageant-  This is a water parade on the Seven Seas Lagoon.  It can be seen from 5 different resorts at various times.  We plan to let the kiddos play in the sand and relax and watch the lights pass by.  
9. Watch Lights Motor Action Stunt Show- This is a high action stunt show that includes a favorite character, Lightning McQueen.  We saw this show a few years ago and would love to see it again.  Make sure to check the times guide because it is only performed a few times a day.  I have also heard a rumor that the show may be phasing out.  
10. Chip and Dale Campfire Sing a long-  Each night at 7pm Chip and Dale host a campfire sing-a-long at  Fort Wilderness behind the Meadow Trading Post.  S'mores kits and marshmallow sticks are available for purchase for $5 or feel free to bring your own.  We have attempted to do this in previous visits, but it has always seemed to hot to sit at a campfire.  This is our first trip in January and the weather should be perfect.  
11. Wake up call from a character- I have never done this, but from what I have researched all you have to do is request a wake up call and the next morning a character will call.  I will let you know how it goes in my bucket list update after the trip.  
12. See Turtle Talk with Crush-  This a one of our favorite attractions at Epcot because it is always a good laugh and never the same experience.  It makes our list because we missed it last time. 
13. Meet Ralph and Vanellope- These characters from Wreck-it Ralph are available for photo ops and HUGS inside the Magic of Disney Animation.  
14. Draw a character at Animation Academy- Inside the Magic of Disney Animation you can watch a 9 minute film on how characters are drawn and then an animator will draw a character live as you watch and follow along to make a character of your own.  

We are going again!!!  Here is the link to my latest Bucket List

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My Disney Bucket List 2013

My Disney World countdown is into the teens and I have been diligently planning.  This trip is different from other trips with have taken in the past. The first thing that is different is that we are NOT doing the Disney Dining Plan.  The second is that we are staying at moderate resort.  The third thing is that we are traveling without the Henderson Family (the other Magical Mom's family).  We are quite sad that they will not be joining us and I am secretly hoping that they will show up to surprise us!!!!!  Ok maybe it is not a secret... I have been trying to convince her for weeks.

Since we are not doing the Dining Plan, we don't have a lot of dining reservations.  I feel like since we are not tied to reservations we have more free time throughout the day, I am hoping to be able to cross off some things that we have just not had time to do in the past.  This is not my list of top things to do at Walt Disney World.  This is a list of what I hope to accomplish during this trip.  I am excited that my list includes the perfect mix of must do's and experiences that are "off the beaten path".

1. Ride Test Track-  My oldest son and I have ridden it, but it has always been closed for refurbishment while my husband has been there.  This time we will ALL ride it!
2. Mail a Coconut from Caribbean Beach Resort.  Yes, you  read that correctly.  We plan on mailing a real coconut from the gift shop at our resort.  Who will be the lucky one to receive it?
3. Go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party-  Scott and I attended last year without the kids and the kids and I attended the year before but we have never all attended at the same time.  This year is it!
4. Take the kids to Illuminations- We have never taken the kids to Illuminations.  Crazy right?!?  We have used Kids Night Out babysitting service a couple of times and we always end up going to Epcot for an adults only evening.  This time I want to take them with us.  
5. See the Jammin' Jingle Parade- We have seen the Jammin Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom, but since we will bet there during the Christmas season we plan on seeing this holiday version of the parade.  
6. Go to Tom Sawyer Island.  My boys are very much into exploring.  We plan to take the short boat ride to the island and spend some time checking it out!  I also plan on getting to the bottom of the "Paint Brush" stories I have heard!
7. Captain EO- I have heard rumors that this attraction will be closing soon and there is no way I want to miss this MJ experience!
8. Find DiVine- DiVine is a street performer in Animal Kingdom that hides a midst the trees and foliage.  She can be difficult to spot but is a magical sight to see once you do find her.
9. Watch Festival of the Lion King Show-  I always feel so rushed when we are at Animal Kingdom and we always end up missing the great shows.  Hopefully not this time!
10. Flag Ceremony at Magic Kingdom- Everyday at 5pm the Magic Kingdom has a flag lowering ceremony.  We have never participated in it
11. Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom- This is ALWAYS on my list and it should ALWAYS be on your list!  It is one of the most magical moments.  It sets the tone for the whole day, plus being some of the first people in the park is unforgetable!
12. Go to the campfire and make s'mores at Caribbean Beach Resort-  Every evening the Caribbean Beach resort (which is where we are staying) has a campfire and marshmallow roasting.  They even have movies under the stars.  Lots of resorts have similar evening experiences.  Make sure to find out what is special about your resort.

The list of rides and attractions I want to do and see is very long.  My youngest son is FINALLY 40 inches tall so we will not be using near as many rider swaps as we have in past visits.  At the top of his list is......

   13.  Star Tours-  This attraction is a family favorite.  Both my boys love Star Wars and I am so excited for my little guy to ride it for the first time!!!

I will update when we return from our trip.  It is important when you go to Disney World to have a plan, but don't make your plan too exact.  You need room for flexibility.  Personally I always want to do it all, but I know that is not possible.  I think that it is possible to complete these 13 things, but plans can always change.
 Wish me luck!  

See how we did here!

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The Disney Countdown is ON!

We are very excited to be counting down the days to our next Disney vacation.  When we reach our 30 day mark we have a tradition of hanging up our countdown calendar.  This isn't the only countdown we have going, but this one signifies we are getting CLOSE!  We (sort of) surprised the kiddos with this trip, we only told them we were going about 10 days ago.  We made this countdown together a couple of years ago and I keep it stored in a ziploc bag when we are not using it.  It is very simple.  We hang it on a magnetic chalkboard in our basement, but could easily be hung on the refrigerator or back of a door.

Supplies:

• Card Stock
• Magnet Tape

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Our Magic Bands Were Delivered! (unboxing video)

I am so excited that our family was selected to use the new Magic Bands at Disney World for our upcoming November trip.  My husband is a technology junkie and part of his daily job involves making unboxing videos for products so of course he wanted to do one for this!  It was fun to work together with him on this.  I am sure that he will convince me to make other videos for the blog so stay tuned!  This was my first video so please don't be too harsh:)
There is lots of hype about the Magic Bands and I can see why... from the packaging to the technology and functionality the are sleek and SUPER cool!.  I just might wear it as an accessory before the trip... lol.

Now you can watch the video and see exactly what comes in the box!

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Key Lime BBQ Chicken

A few years ago we went on a cruise that included a stop in Key West.  We visited a place called Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe.  We sampled all kinds of goodies.  One of our favorites was the Sweet and Tasty BBQ Sauce.  Since we couldn't bring home a pie or ice cream,  we brought home a bottle of the BBQ Sauce.   We used it up pretty quickly and I decided that I would try to make it at home.  I can't wait to go back to Key West, but at least now I can make the BBQ Sauce  at home.  

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• A couple dashes of Onion Powder
• A couple dashes of Ground Mustard
• 3 Tablespoons Key Lime Juice
• 3-4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut into cubes)

Combine all ingredients except chicken and mix well.  It's best if you can use fresh Key Lime juice, but if you can't find the limes you can use Key West Lime Juice.  I bought it at my local Wegmans grocery store.  They also sell the Nellie and Joe's Brand on Amazon.

Skewer the chicken 5-6 pieces per skewer.  If using wooden sticks make sure to soak them first.

Divide the sauce in half reserving half for dipping.  You don't want to contaminate the dipping portion with raw chicken.  Place chicken on grill WITHOUT sauce!  Cook them almost all the way through and then brush all sides with the sauce.

I served it with Honey Grilled Pineapple and Better than Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf.

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

Top 5 Tips to Keep Your Disney Vacation Magical

If you have friends or family that have gone to Disney World before, I'm sure you have at least a few of them that had not so magical reviews. But others that absolutely loved it... so what was the difference?

The biggest difference was they allowed themselves to get CRANKY. And cranky guests cannot keep it magical. What you need to think about, is what makes you cranky, and then avoid it. Easier said than done:)

Well let's think about the most common reasons full grown adults and children get cranky- tired, crowds, hungry, long lines. Those at least are my biggest reason for getiing cranky. If you are over-tired, forced to walk in huge crowds with people constatnly knocking into you and your kids, have to wait forever to get food, or have to wait in long lines, all of us will get cranky. So here are my top tips and secrets to avoid getting cranking and keep it magical:

1. Don't overestimate the amount of time you can physically spend in a park and still enjoy yourself. Many people literally think they can stay in the same park all day- for like 10-12 hours. Even if your kids are teenagers, it is just not possible to spend that long in one park without getting a bit cranky. So don't plan on it. If you have small children, plan on 4-5 hours MAX. If your kids are older or it is just adults, plan on 5-7 hours MAX.

2. How do you get everything in if you are only there for 4 hours? BE THERE BEFORE THE PARK OPENS. Please trust me on this. If you get to the park around lunchtime, you will have to wait 2 or 3 times longer for almost every ride (at least the popular ones) and you will be waiting in long lines and will not get to do everything you want. You will be much more rested if you get to the park 20-30 minutes before the "rope drop" and then you can speed through the lines for Space Mountain, Dumbo, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, Soarin, Rock-n-roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris. These are all attractions that are virtually impossible to get on later in the day without a wait. And I consider anything over 15 minutes a wait. So get to the park before it opens, get to your priority attractions and get fastpasses and be done before or after lunch.

3. Take a break every afternoon even if you don't have small kids. Then hang out at the pool or just relax. You can get back into the parks in the evening. Take this time to relax and recharge so you do not get cranky.

4. Use the evenings to see the shows, plan character dinners or dinner shows, and just focus on keeping it magical. I don't recommend trying to get in rides during the evening. As I stated in #2, the lines are atrocious for most attractions from lunchtime to closing. If you are going to a park, it needs to be to see a show like Fantasmic or to see a parade and fireworks. And you need to go knowing that IT WILL BE CROWDED. Believe it or not, just knowing this makes you a lot more relaxed. And no matter what, be at the park entrance at least 1 1/2 hours before the show/parade/fireworks you are planning to see. If possible, find your viewing location and stake out your territory. Have a group go get food/snacks and bring back so that you have something to do while waiting on the main event. You can take the kids to rides with minimal lines as long as you stress they need to be back 20 minutes before the show. Another word of advice, pay attention to parade and fireworks times if you are planning dinner reservations. For example, if Wishes fireworks are at 8:00, you will have a hard time getting to Cinderella's Royal Table anywhere between 7:30 and 8:45. But don't plan on doing these EVERY evening, take a few off.

5. Avoid Extra Magic Hours. I know it sounds contradictory, but trust me. Extra Magic Hours are like a BIG ARROW pointing all Disney resort guests to the same park on the same day. Even if the EMH are from 8-11 pm, that park will be the busiest of all parks that day even at 12:00 in the afternoon. The only exception is if you are going in the evening for a show/parade/fireworks. Remember, you have already prepared yourself that it is going to be crowded and you are not planning on hitting any big rides where you will have to wait in those long lines, right? Also, be sure to read my advice on how to decide which park which day. I go into more detail there.

And that is it, 5 rules to keep it magical. Don't break them and you will have a magical trip. However, please visit my other pages to learn more tips and secrets- the more you know, the more magic you'll create!  Let the Memories Begin!

Five Reasons I know that My Husband Secretly Loves Disney

5.  He understands all the terminology.  He knows all of the basics like Table Service VS Quick Service, Park Hopper, Snack Credits,  the different modes of transportation, and the different types of resorts.  I am proud of him, he knows what rides are at which parks and the names of the shows and parades.  He hasn't quite grasped all of the abbreviations that Sherrie and I use, but I am sure he will soon.
4.  He owns a Perry the Platypus Pillow Pet.  Our boys LOVE Phineas and Ferb so my husband and I watch it WAY more than we would like to.  The show is adorable and we definitely reference it often.    He bought the Pillow Pet on our last vacation and when he brought it up to the cashier I assumed he was buying it for one of the boys and I questioned why he was buying only one.  He looked at me funny and said "this is for me."  I just laughed.

3.  He owns more than one Disney t-shirt.  By more than one I mean two and by Disney I really mean Star Wars.  I am sure that if I asked him to wear matching family shirts he would, but we will just save that for the kids.

"You're going to Disney World again?"

The two magical moms are deep into planning our next Walt Disney World vacation. We just took one 4 months ago and are planning on going back this June (so yes, if you do the math that's not even a year between the two trips). Most of our friends and family think we're a little obsessed with Disney World, and even though I don't believe we owe an explanation for our love of all things Disney, I'm going to take a minute to tell you a few of the reason why we enjoy it so much.

1. Escape- Walt Disney World is truly an escape from the real world, and since we know that all of us parents are stretched too thin and have more on our plates than ever before, this escape is what keeps grown adults (even some without children) frequenting Walt Disney World on a regular basis. Disney has gone to great lengths to keep the outside world out- you will not find any McDonald's or other chain restaurants here. Aside from the scarce Hess gas stations and the soon to open Starbucks, none of the outside world creeps into your magical vacation when you're at Disney World. You can truly escape it all and just enjoy the magic.

2. Service- You really will not find many places with the level of service Disney World provides. They even have a division called The Disney Institute that trains other organizations to adapt a similar customer service culture. And they take it that extra mile- I vividly remember my daughter wearing her "Happy Birthday" button while watching the afternoon parade at Animal Kingdom. The button also had her name on it and at least 10 times during the parade the cast members shouted "Happy Birthday Mallory!" Her smile stretched from ear to ear, with just a hint of embarrassment.

3. Traditions- Traditions create memories that last a lifetime. We do this all the time during holidays. Children know exactly how Christmas morning goes because they experience it every year. Well our yearly trips to Disney World create those same traditions with our children. My daughter races to Dumbo as soon as we get to Magic Kingdom and she always has to ride it with her daddy because that's just their tradition. All of the traditions we have at Disney World are creating lasting memories of magical family vacations for our children.

So yes, we are going to Walt Disney World again. And we will go again next year, maybe even twice, maybe with a Disney Cruise thrown in. And we will find a way to incorporate our upcoming trip into just about any conversation :) Actually, please know that we try extremely hard to NOT incorporate our upcoming trip into every conversation because we get it, you are sick of hearing about it. That's why we post recipes and crafts on this blog too!