Magical Blogorail Green: Best Ways to Get Wet and Keep Cool in Disney

Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney Living and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

One of my favorite ways to get wet and keep cool in Disney has always been and always will be the water parks. However I want to highlight another great way to get wet and keep cool while visiting Disney this summer - the amazing pool at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.

I stayed there last July 4th weekend with my family strictly to enjoy the pool (we did venture to Epcot on one of the days). It's like a mini water park at a gorgeous Disney resort in Epcot's backyard! It has two slides, a lazy river and of course the several pools (some large and some small). You can rent single and double tubes to float around the lazy river for a couple of hours or all day (and trust me in the middle of a Florida hot summer that's all you want to do).

*Note: If you want to experience the amazing pools, watersides and lazy river you do need to be staying at either Disney's Yacht Club Resort or Disney's Beach Club Resort (both resorts share the pool area). The pool is enclosed by a gate and they do check hotel keys.


Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is A Disney Mom’s Thoughts. 

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 ~ Your Highway in the Sky2nd Stop ~ Disney Living3rd Stop ~ Adventures of a Disney Princess4th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s ThoughtsFinal Stop ~ Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids

Magical Blogorail Green: Favorite Character Dining Experience

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

My favorite character dining experience is Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort. 

Chef Mickey's offers a great character dining experience for both breakfast and dinner with all of the classic Disney characters we all love so much - Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Goofy & the Chipmunks (at least those were all the characters I met when I was little and used to go for their breakfast). 

When I went most recently for dinner I only saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald & Goofy. As an adult at Chef Mickey's I feel like a kid again. I think any character dining experience at the Disney Parks can easily transform any adult back to a kid (I still get giddy when I see them and take a picture with them). My favorite part is watching how the kids at the restaurant react. It brings back my childhood memories in an instant, but then again I haven't grown up all that much thanks to Disney!

The key to enjoying Chef Mickey's is to go hungry! It's an all you care to enjoy buffet style with all the yummy Disney food you can imagine! 

The only downfall to Chef Mickey's is that it is quite a pricey character dining experience. For breakfast adults pay $36 and for dinner it's now gone up to $60. And a new policy as of October 2011 now makes you hold the reservation with a credit card and gives you up to one day prior to cancel. This new policy will probably make getting a reservation much easier than it used to be (it was nearly impossible), but since it was only 2 of us we were able to walk in and be seated. Although pricey, I highly recommend this character dining experience for anyone both young and old! 

Below are some pictures of my most recent trip (I tried to find the ones from when I was 4, but would have had to have gone through hundreds of my mom's photo albums). 

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is A Disney Mom’s Thoughts. 

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 ~ Disney Living

2nd Stop ~ Adventures of a Disney Princess

3rd Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts

4th Stop ~ The CanaDisney Blog
Final Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky

Fantasyland Gets A Makeover

For some time now Disney has vaguely mentioned their plans for a Fantasyland expansion in the Magic Kingdom. Last year we learned that those plans included the closing of Mickey's Toontown Fair and the past few months those of you that have taken a trip to Orlando may have noticed some work being done. Well yesterday, Disney provided us with a glimpse into what the future of Fantasyland looks like.

What they are calling the "largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history" will include the addition of some great new rides that include "The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" and even a new sit down dinner dining experience called "Be Our Guest." 

I especially look forward to the additions that will be based on my favorite Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. Disney announced that the Fantasyland expansion will include the Beast's castle, Belle's cottage and Gaston's Tavern. 

Although I'm excited about the new things to come which are said to be completed by 2013, I am sad to see many things go. One of the hardest things I will have to come to terms with is the destruction of Mickey's house. I have an endless amount of memories there as a child (and even an adult). I'll never forget my excitement standing in line, walking through his house to pay a visit to the mouse that started it all. 

To me it is kind of ironic that they are closing Toontown and Mickey's house, after all as Walt Disney once said, "I hope we never lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."

To read all about their expansion plans announced yesterday, check out the official Disney Parks Blog.

Disney Dining: La Hacienda de San Angel

On our New Year's trip to Disney last weekend we finally had the opportunity to eat at La Hacienda de San Angel, Disney's newest restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. After a couple of months of trying to get dining reservations there, we were finally able to do so on New Year's Day!

I couldn't contain my excitement!

I for one love authentic Mexican food (and non-authentic as well), and La Hacienda de San Angel serves just that. You won't find just beef tacos and quesadillas on their menu. In fact the only tacos found on the menu are as appetizers and in the kids menu.

They start off by putting chips and salsa at your table (as do most Mexican restaurants). As an appetizer, my boyfriend and I ordered  the queso fundido. It was absolutely amazing! I strongly recommend going with this appetizer. As our main course we ordered "La Hacienda" Parrillada (serves 2 people for $49.95), which was a great deal and endless amount of delicious food. "La Hacienda"  is served on an cast iron platter and brings flank steak, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables. It is served with beans and rice on the side.

Although all the meats in the platter were to die for, my favorites were the chicken al pastor and the chorizo (both were served in a chutney glaze).

So if you like authentic Mexican food, then La Hacienda de San Angel is just the place for you to dine at while at Epcot. Make sure to make dining reservations in advance as it fills up quickly and it is only open for dinner (starting at 4pm). If you'd like to look at their complete dinner menu you can do so here.

Welcome to Adventures of a Disney Princess

As an avid Disney fan and annual passholder, I thought it would only be appropriate to create a blog where I can share my experiences with other Disney fans and give tips to those making plans to visit the parks!


So welcome to, Adventures of a Disney Princess. This is an unofficial blog about all things Disney! Follow me as I share with you the best places to stay, things to do, special events, and news about the Parks.