Top 5 Summer Activities at Walt Disney World!

Summer is here and if you know anything about Florida you will know that Walt Disney World is bound to be HOT HOT HOT!  For a lot of people, the summer is the only time they can make it down for a vacation with the kiddos.  The heat may be intense but you are bound to have a great time no matter what! 

Here are my Top 5 Summer Activities at Walt Disney World:

1. Hit the Water Parks!  This is the number 1 way to beat the heat!  I love the Walt Disney World Water Parks, and think they are well worth the money for the extra ticket - even if you have little ones!  Typhoon Lagoon has the radest wave pool I have ever seen with swells big enough you can take surfing lessons in it! (Make sure if you take a little one they have a life jacket on).  Before I was a mom I would have picked Typhoon Lagoon 10 times over but since having my daughter I am in LOVE with Blizzard Beach.  Blizzard Beach has the best kiddie area and a family raft ride that is thrilling but everyone can ride together! I highly recommend checking one or both of these out! 
2. Take Advantage of indoor attractions.  Epcot is a great place to trek about on a super hot day!  The World Showcase has a lot of indoor shops, snack locations, and restaurants - not to mention the Countries are pretty close together.  Epcot also offers a one of a kind spot called Club Cool.  At club cool you are invited to try several different sodas from all over the world at no cost to you! It is free and cool fun! 
3. Go on an ice cream hunt! If you have a park hopper how fun would it be to hop all around Walt Disney World trying a variety or ice cream treats! Try a Dole Whip Float at Magic Kingdom, the Kitchen Sink Sundae at Beaches and Cream, a Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake from 50's Prime Time Cafe, and Mini Cones from Paradiso 37 - just to give you a few ideas! 
4. Take a midday break from the parks.  Maybe you need to remind yourself it is okay not to be in the parks from sun up to sun down.  Take a few hours and head back to your resort for a swim! One of my little girls favorite parts is the resort pool - and lets be honest they are fun! Especially on really hot day you and the kids need a break.  However, if you or your husband are anything like mine it may be difficult to leave midday.  What we do because park tickets are expensive, is stay more days than we buy park tickets for.  That way no one feels guilty or like we are wasting money by staying by the resort all afternoon! 
5. Resort Hop.  Its a lot of fun to check out other resorts on Walt Disney World property and you are more than welcome to!  You could make an afternoon out of it and take a picture by each resort sign or food court! While your there try a different treat from each resort and maybe even a fruity drink! 

There are some ideas to help you beat the heat while you are at Disney this summer! Obviously you can't avoid the heat during your whole vacation but an afternoon off can be so refreshing! Do you have some summer to do ideas while at the parks, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know! Your tip might even make it on my facebook page! 

Minnie Mouse Birthday Bash

Welcome to the first stop aboard our Special Edition Magical Blogorail Loop. Enjoy the ride as we celebrate a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party!  I'm guessing that by the theme of this blog you already know that I love LOVE anything Minnie Mouse.  I have Minnie Mouse clothes, cell phone cases, tote bags, accessories and yes even birthday parties all themed around this very special mouse!

Today I am going to be showing you how to make a really fun, festive party invitation that is going to take you no time to put together! We want party invites to be cute, but you don't want to spend too much time on them because after the event they are most likely going in the trash.  So we want to keep it short simple and cute!

Here is what you are going to need:

• Black Foam Paper- 1 sheet for every invite you will need 
• Silver Glitter Foam Paper - 1 sheet for every invite
• Red Polka Dot Ribbon
• Hot Glue
• Popsicle Sticks
• Stickers/Markers

Step 1: Lay your black sheet of foam paper out and trace 1 large circle.  Leave enough room where you can trace 2 more smaller circles on the same paper.  For the larger circle I used a round cereal bowl.  Next trace the ear part of the invitation.  Find a circle that is smaller than the bowl you used.  You will want to make sure it looks proportional to the body of the invite. Funny enough - for my ears I used an old resort mug from Coronado Springs years ago!  Once you have all three black pieces cut out set aside.  

Step 2: Take your glitter sheet of foam paper and lay it out in front of you.  You are also going to need the bigger black circle.  You are going to need to find another circular object to trace on the silver paper but it should be just a tad bit smaller than the black circle so you can see an outline.  This glitter paper is what is going to have you party information on it.  Once you have found something that works for you, I used a small round paper plate, go ahead and trace it and cut the circle out.  

Step 3:  Now you are ready for the hot glue.  Before you start gluing I suggest you lay all of your pieces out and get them to look exactly how you want.  I glued the ears on the big black circle first, then glued the glitter circle over the ears a bit.  Then I took two wooden Popsicle sticks and glued those together and then slid them up under the glitter foam paper.

Step 4: Now you can fill out your party information either using stickers, stamps or even markers work well on this paper! 

Step 5: After you have filled out your party info, take your polka dot ribbon and tie a big bow.  Make sure to heat seal your edges by running a lighter over them to prevent fraying.  When you have the look of the bow suited to your liking go ahead and hot glue it on one of the ears! 

I think these party invites are too cute! I love the addition of the Popsicle stick - especially if it were for a summer party.  The remind me of a Micky Ice Cream Bar! You can create these stand out invites in really no time at all! What a great way to set the tone for a perfect party! Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Disney Donna Kay.

Here is a map of our Magical Blogorail should you have to make a stop and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Delightfully Disney with Minnie Mouse Invitations
2nd Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay with Minnie Mouse Decorations
3rd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney with Minnie Mouse Attire
4th Stop ~ Can Do It Mom with Minnie Mouse Inspired Drinks and Snacks
5th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts with Minnie Mouse Games & Crafts
6th Stop ~ Disney Babies Blog with Minnie Mouse Cakes
7th Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic with Minnie Mouse Gift Ideas
Final Stop ~ Disney In Our Blood with Minnie Mouse Favors

Eat to the Beat Concert Series

Disney Parks Blog recently released the concert line up for this years Eat to the Beat Concert Series during the Food and Wine Festival! And might I say there are some good ones! Here is what you are going to be looking at this year:

9/28-9/30: Night Ranger
10/1-10/3: Sugar Ray
10/4- 10/7: STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas
10/8-10/10: Boyz II Men
10/11-10/12: Smash Mouth
10/13-10/14: Javier Colon, winner of “The Voice”
10/15-10/17: Air Supply
10/18-10/19: Gin Blossoms
10/20-10/21: Survivor
10/22-10/23: Hanson
10/24-10/25: The Pointer Sisters
10/26-10/28: Sister Hazel
10/29-10/31: Billy Ocean
11/1-11/2: 38 Special
11/3-11/4: Howard Jones LIVE
11/5-11/6: Blues Traveler
11/7-11/8: Dennis DeYoung, original member of the group STYX
11/9-11/11: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

As always, talent and dates can change at anytime! But keep checking back here and I will be sure to keep you all updated with the latest information! If you have not visited EPCOT during the Food and Wine Festival before, I highly encourage it! So many great dishes to try from around the world, concerts, and cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs! It is a lot of fun! 

Favorite Magic Kingdom Land

 Welcome to those of you joining me from DISThearapy and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

I am always sharing with you guys my favorite things about Walt Disney World because I want you to guys to have a magical vacation! And although our favorite things are bound to differ from time to time I really hope you love some of the suggestions I make!

I love each land in Magic Kingdom for so many reasons, really they are all so much fun! I love how diverse each is but yet all mesh together so perfectly. Have I said how much I love Disney yet?! :) But if you forced me to pick just one land to deem my favorite I would have to choose Adventureland! Adventureland hosts some of my favorite things on Disney property!

• Snack - Dole Whip float, located in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom at the Aloha Isle Stand. 
• Character - My daughters absolute favorite character is Ariel and right now her home is in Adventureland.  Nothing gives me more joy at Disney then seeing my daughter meet and talk to Ariel each trip! 
• Ride - Magic Carpets in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom.  People usually chuckle when I mention this is my favorite ride in all of Disney, but it really is!  It is a lot of fun, especially when the camel spits at you.  If you can't enjoy yourself on the magic carpet ride, where can you? 

So as  you can see we spend quite a bit of time in Adventureland and I have grown to love it so much!  It holds a special place in my heart and I hope next time you visit Magic Kingdom you will spend some time there too!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Magical Mouse Schoolhouse. Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ DISTherapy
2nd Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
3rd Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse
Final Stop ~ Return to Disney

Win $100 Gift Card from Me and The Disney Moms

Hey guys! I know I haven't been around here lately.  We are moving at the end of the month and I have some personal issues happen that has really had me down.  But I promise I have not forgotten about you guys and to prove it I have an awesome giveaway for you guys! How does a $100 Disney gift card sound?!  Pretty good right... all you have to do is follow the people in the widget below and you are entered! Pretty simple so get to "LIKING" :)

Bringing A Stroller Disney

Welcome to those of you joining me from The Many Adventures of a Disney Lovin’ Spectrum Mom and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 4th stop on our Magical Blogorail.

When does a child age out of a stroller at Walt Disney World is a great question! It certainly seems tempting to leave the four wheeled contraption at home. But is that realistic? I have seen my fair share of older siblings taking their turn in the stroller for a ride! Certainly if you have a small baby or toddler you know a stroller is a must, they are just not capable of putting down the miles that Disney requires you to walk.

Cons: The cons of a stroller are pretty straight forward. It is hard to lug around. Fold it up, lug it on the bus, unfold it, put all your junk and kid inside, push it through thousands of people, fold it back up on the bus and park it in your room for the night. Next Day repeat!

Pros: With all the hassle does come a reward! Not only can you put your over tired child in the stroller to push from attraction to attraction, your stroller may have a cup holder, like mine, up by the handles where you push! It is so nice to stroll around with a cold drink and be able to set it down! Another benefit to strollers are the tray in front of the child. This is great for waiting on parades and fireworks. I always put some snacks down and a drink for my daughter in her own drink cup and she is good to go! My favorite part about using a stroller happens to be the basket underneath the seat of our stroller. That basket is magical. It holds our soft sided cooler, day bag with a change of clothes and makeup, my purse, and all the purchases we make throughout the day! I cannot tell you how nice it is to not lug all that around the Parks!

For me the pros far out way the cons. Now I am sure it is nice to stroll down Main Street hand in hand, purse on hip, backpack on back and purchases in hand. But for right now I am perfectly fine maneuvering our stroller through a sea of people for as long as my little one will fit!

If you still are not sure if bringing a stroller is right for you, go ahead and try it out. Take it with you the day and see how your kids do. If they enjoy riding in it and it is working out well for your family continue to bring it with you throughout your vacation! If you notice that your child is doing more walking than you expected leave it in your room on the shorter days but maybe bring it along on the longer walking days like Epcot and Magic Kingdom.

There is no magic age where riding in a stroller is a no no at Disney, but my advice is being it as long as possible! I know I would like a ride :)

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is The World of Deej.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ YourFirstVisit.net
2nd Stop ~ The Disney FAITHful
3rd  Stop ~ The Many Adventures of a Disney Lovin’ Spectrum Mom
4th Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
Final Stop ~ The World of Deej

2 Good Alcoholic Drinks at Walt Disney World

Hey Guys! So glad it is almost the weekend - so glad in fact I am going to start your weekend out right by telling you the best 2 Alcoholic Drinks on Walt Disney World Property! Now I should preface the rest of this post by saying that I am in no way a drinker. I can probably count on two hands how many drinks I have had in my life. So I may not have the most refine palate when it comes to alcoholic beverages. But I do know what tastes good :)

1. Fiesta Margarita found at the Margarita Kiosk in the Mexican Pavilion at Epcot.  The Fiesta Margarita is a layered alcoholic drink consisting of Mango, Lime and Strawberry Margarita!  There is nothing better on a hot summer day than stopping at this stand.  It may not be the best Margarita, according to some people, but in my book it is pretty darn tasty!  The Fiesta Margarita is going to cost you about $10 but it is perfect to share in my opinion! I LOVE the Mango and Lime Flavors of this Margarita.  The Strawberry taste a little artificial and really strong which I could do without, but the other two flavors by far make up for it!

 2. Lapu Lapu found at the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian Resort.  The Lapu Lapu is Myers's Original Dark rum and tropical fruit juices served in a fresh pineapple topped with Bacardi 151 rum.  This drink is going to cost you about $13.25, which I think is a lot for a beverage but it is delish and I happen to splurge on it every time I am at Walt Disney World!  It is really fun to sit in the lounge at the Polynesian before a meal at 'Ohanas and sip on a very festive beverage.  It really puts you in the island mood! I have heard that they shell out between 3 and 5 dozen of these drinks a night!


Again, just to be clear I am not well versed in the drinking department.  But these drink are two never fail always good ones that I personally enjoy a lot and think you will too!

Do you have a favorite drink at Walt Disney World?  If so, please let me know below in the comment section!