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Showing posts with the label Magical Maci

6 Tips for Touring the Parks Successfully with an Infant

Many families find themselves in the position of bringing an infant to Disneyland or Walt Disney World; however, it can be challenging to manage this new family landscape. Why do some families have more fun? Preparation is the answer. Here are a 6 tips to get you off on the right foot for visiting the parks with your smallest travel companions. 1. Minimize the Diaper Bag Just as travelers over-pack, parents seem to carry everything but the kitchen sink in a diaper bag. I promise – you will not need half a pack of diapers for a morning in the parks. Resist the urge to overstuff or bring a huge diaper bag. If you get selected for security screening, the more stuff you have, the longer it will take. Only carry the average number of diapers and a small pack of wipes that you will need for the amount of time you will spend in the parks – you can always restock when you come back to the resort for a break. If bottle feeding, pack only the bottles you need and formula in travel con

Top 5 Unique Walt Disney World Quick Service Options

Many people associate theme park food with burgers, pizza, or chicken fingers.  While you can get all of those things at Walt Disney World, here are a few of my favorite quick service restaurants when you want to change things up and get something a bit different or more adventurous.   1) Satu'li Canteen at Disney's Animal Kingdom I remember when Pandora opened in Animal Kingdom and this quick service restaurant was challenging the status quo.  I really feel like this paved the way for the improvement of many Quick Service menus and more creative new openings.  The menu offers build your own bowls with fresh roasted chicken and chimichurri steak among the choices.  The food has been fresh, plentiful and tasty for my many visits here. Read more about Satu'li Canteen here . 2) Columbia Harbor House at Magic Kingdom This unassuming establishment offers a peaceful retreat from the parks.  The star here is the seafood.  You can grab a lobster roll, grilled salmon or shrimp, a fi

Tiffins Restaurant Review at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Tiffins Restaurant opened a few years ago at Disney's Animal Kingdom and instantly became one of my favorite restaurants on property!  The restaurant itself is beautiful and the menu has some unique dishes but still offers something to cater to everyone's tastes.  It is located on Discovery Island right before you cross the path into Pandora so it's easy to get to from a lot of the park.  Tiffins is classified as Signature Dining (two credits on the Disney Dining Plan) so you are in for an upscale treat. I like to start every visit here with a trip to the Nomad Lounge, attached and to the left of the entrance.  This is a stop worth checking out on its own with great attention to detail for the traveling nomad.  They offer small plates and a variety of specialty cocktails.  They also offer wine, beer and non-alcoholic specialties.  The bartenders here are always wonderful and helped me pick out a drink on multiple occasions.  Not pictured here, but the Hightower Rocks is

Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail

Walt Disney World at the holidays gets a lot of hype as they go all out for the season. Magic Kingdom gets Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Epcot gets the International Festival of the Holidays, and new this year is Jollywood Nights at Disney's Hollywood Studios. But I think the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs might just be my favorite and most underrated of them all!  Disney Springs erects a bunch of beautiful themed Christmas trees throughout the area and you get to go at your own pace to check them all out. It is a great way to add a little extra cheer without having to spend any additional money! Many of the vendors at Disney Springs have seasonal offerings as well to help extend the Christmas spirit if you wish.  Here are some of my personal favorites that we have found in the past. Which are your favorites? Coco Tree Frozen Tree Star Wars Tree Black Panther Tree Toy Story Tree Disney Springs Tree (the big one!) This is a fun and free holiday activity to do w

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes

Black Tap Burgers & Shakes is located at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort.  It is a fast-casual restaurant, meaning you order your items at the counter, but then they bring it to the table for you.  They have a selection of burgers, wings, salads and chicken and a fun milkshake menu.  If you just want a shake, there's also a walkup window outside, but some special creations can only be ordered for dine-in. We placed our order at the counter and noticed all the tables inside were full. We found a table outside and hung out while we waited for our food to come. They have a full bar and craft beers on tap, but I was surprised to get wine in a can. Strawberry Shortcake Shake We had hoped to have this Crazy Shake for dessert, but it actually came before any of our food. The Strawberry Shortcake is described as a vanilla frosted rim with crumbled cake topped with a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, pink & white twisty pop, whipped cream, strawberry drizzle

Harambe Market at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The Harambe Market is located in Africa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and is an open air quick service establishment serving tasty bowls and wraps. There’s also a little bar tucked away in the back with a few signature cocktails and beverages that are different than what you can find at the main market. Harambe Market offers both mobile order and traditional queuing to order, but Chef Mwanga's is walk ups only. My personal favorites here are the rice bowls; they are full of flavor, fresh and filling.  You can get chicken, shrimp, or a combo. They also offer kofta pitas with beef and lamb or Impossible meat and salads with shrimp or chicken.  I found the kofta a bit dry and would stick to the bowls in the future. For kids, there are smaller versions of the bowls or chicken nuggets or Uncrustables. The Frozen Flamingo (pictured above) from Harambe Market is bright and refreshing, but we preferred the selection of beverages from Chef Mwanga's for adult libations.  If you s

5 Tips to Get the Most out of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

A very popular add on to trips from August to October is  Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  This special, hard ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom takes place during the fall season.  For more details and an overview of the event, click here.  If you've decided this is a great event to attend and secured tickets with your Kingdom Konsultant agent, here is your next stop to maximize your time to get the most out of the event!  1) Enter Magic Kingdom before the official party start time. The park will close to day guests at 6pm and the party officially starts at 7pm, but with your MNSSHP ticket, you can enter the park at 4pm.  Arrive between 4-6pm to get into the park, secure your wristband and pick up your candy bag.  Grab an early dinner and some photos on Main Street or by the Castle in your party outfits and make a plan for when things kick off at 7.  This way you won't be wasting the valuable party time on these essentials.  2) Prioritize which characters you want