Tag: disney vacation

Eat to the Beat Lineup Announced

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, family, family fun, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

It is hard to believe that Fourth of July is almost here and plans are already in motion for the fall at Walt Disney World.

One of the highlights at Epcot during this time of year is the Eat to the Beat concert series that is included in the price of admission.

These concerts, running from Aug. 31-Nov. 13 often feature interesting acts that you might have to pay a pretty good price to see elsewhere.

If I lived down in the Florida I would be making frequent trips to check out a lot of these concerts.

This year’s concert series will feature 32 different acts who will take to the stage at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. each day.

This year’s festival includes:

Aug. 31-Sept. 1 — Delta Rae “Bottom of the River”

Sept. 2-3: The Hooters “And We Danced”

Sept. 4-5: Baha Men “Who Let the Dogs Out”

Sept. 6-7: Fuel “Shimmer”

Sept. 8-10: STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City”

Sept. 11-12: Lauren Alaina “Road Less Traveled”

Sept. 13-15: Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah”

Sept. 16-17: Sister Hazel “All For You”

Sept. 18-20: Air Supply “All Out of Love”

Sept. 21-22: David Cook “Light On”

Sept. 23-24: Everclear “Santa Monica”

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Everclear (Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.) (As a side note, in my other life I had the chance to interview the lead singer of the band for my work. Really nice guy.)

Sept. 25-27: Sugar Ray “Every Morning”

Sept. 28-29: 38 Special “Hold on Loosely”

Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Mark Wills “19 Somethin”

Oct. 2-3: American Authors “Best Day of My Life”

Oct. 4-5: Christopher Cross “Sailing”

Oct. 6-8: Devon Allman “Ragged and Dirty”

Oct. 9-11: Dennis DeYoung: The Music of STYX “Come Sail Away”

Oct. 12-13: Taylor Dayne “Tell It to My Heart”

Oct. 14-15: Jeffrey Osborne “One the Wings of Love”

Oct. 16-17: Postmodern Jukebox Various Hits

Oct. 18-20: 10,000 Maniacs “Because the Night”

Oct. 21-22: Toad the West Sprocket “Walk on the Ocean”

Oct. 23-24: Kenny G “Songbird”

Oct. 25-26: Billy Ocean “Get Outta My Dreams”

Oct. 27-29: Tiffany “I Think We’re Alone Now”

Oct. 30-Nov. 1: Hanson “MMMBop”

Nov. 2-3: Blue October “Into the Ocean”

Nov. 4-5: Living Colour “Cult of Personality”

Nov. 6-8: Boyz II Men “End of the Road”

Nov. 9-11: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “Go Daddy-O”

Nov. 12-13: Squeeze “Black Coffee in Bed”

If you want to make the concert a complete event there are also 15 popular Epcot restaurants that you can eat either breakfast, lunch or dinner at and will give you confirmed seating for a same day performance.

Which concert are you most interested in? Leave your comments below.

Pandora’s Box

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, family, family fun, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Walt Disney World
pandora-the-world-of-avatar
Photo courtesy of thedisneyblog.com

If you haven’t heard yet, Pandora, the world of the Avatar films, has been having a soft beta opening this past week.

A group of lucky guests have had the opportunity to explore this incredible, new world situated in Disney’s Animal Kingdom before it opens to the public on May 27.

Here is a round up of some of the early reviews on what people are saying.

To Eat

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When it comes to food, Pandora has two options that have items for both the timid and adventerous palate.

The first is the Satu’li Canteen, a quick service restaurant.

The food looks amazing, and what I have heard it tastes just as good, too.

Being a vegetarian, I am happy that they have plenty of options available that would qualify as a full meal.

One of the best deals here are the different bowls (slow roasted sliced beef, chopped woodfire chicken, sustainable fish bowl, or the chili-spiced crispy tofu bowl). Chalk full of vegetables and Boba balls, you get a pretty good bang for your around $12 buck.

Another option, if you are looking for a quick beverage (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) can be found at Pongu Pongu.

There are a ton of exotic looking drinks here to wet your whistle including the Mo’ara Margarita in a Souviner Mug with a Glowing Unadelta Seed for $18.25.

To Buy

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Photo courtesy of WaltDisneyWorld.com

Inside of Pandora there is one store that sells souviners called Windtraders.

Here you will find cultural artifacts of the Na’vi, science kits, specialized apparel and even some of the region’s more colorful creatures.

To Do

Let’s face it, the main reason why people are in the area is to experience the attractions that this area has to offer.

The first is the Na’vi River Journey.

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Photo courtesy of WaltDisneyWorld.com

Think of this attraction as a sort of high tech Small World. You go on a boat where you look at the amazing flora and fauna and the super sophisitcated animatronics.

People have been saying this has been blowing guests away. It is beautiful and you swear that the animatroics are real people.

The other attraction in Pandora, Flight of Passage, has been blowing people away for a wide variety of reasons, not all of them good.

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Photo courtesy of WaltDisneyWorld.com

On this ride you board your very own banshee and take to the skies of Pandora.

While on the ride vehicle you wear special glasses and view a large screen that is similar to Soarin’.

People who have been on the attraction have been raving about how amazing the experience is and that is like none other in the entire resort.

However, the Disney community has also been up in arms over the attraction as well.

When the rider steps onto the vehicle they have to sit on it like a motorcycle. Then a support comes up and pushes against the back while two braces come behind the calves and they also push forward.

The problem is that many people who are either tall or of the “Winnie the Pooh” shaped variety are having a difficult time fitting onto the ride and are subsequently being asked leave the ride.

One early previewer said that she had estimated 22% of the people that were slated to ride were asked to leave.

Another person said that in one group four out of 12 and seven out of 12 were asked to leave.

Some people are saying that because of the calf area being tight, people with either larger calves or taller people couldn’t fit properly into the restraints.

Supposdly, cast members are taking note of how many people are asked to leave the vehicle and the reason, so there is hope that this issues will be fixed in the future.

Are you looking forward to visiting Pandora? What are you most looking forward to?

Visiting the Mouse on a Mouse Sized Budget

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, family, family fun, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

savingmoney

Walt Disney created Disneyland with the principle that it was for everyone. That it would be a place that families could come together and enjoy the parks as a way of bonding.

Yes a Walt Disney World vacation can be expensive. You can spend a lot of money on a vacation, but it can also be done while being budget conscious as well.

Here are 10 money saving tips for your Walt Disney World vacation.

1. Be Seasonally Smart

If you are able to be flexible with when you can take your vacation, you might want to look at the off season. This is typically during the month of January. Bonus: if you go early enough in the month you will still be able to check out all the Christmas decorations at the parks and resorts.

2. Be Resort-ful 

Your resort choice can have a big impact on the final dollar amount of your trip. If you are looking at your resort as a place to just sleep and you plan on spending most of your time at the parks then you might want to stay at a value resort. While a rate for a value resort might hover around $120 a deluxe could be over $400.

3. Choose the Right Dining Plan

We are big supporters of the Disney Dining plan. For us it makes sense, but this isn’t the case for everyone. If you do decide that you are going to purchase a dining plan, you might want to buy the Quick Service dining plan that allows you two quick services, a snack and refillable drink mug. Also, remember that the snack can be any single serving item so you can get a pretty hefty snack and make it your lunch for the day.

4. Shop Around

There are plenty of travel agencies and vacation packages out there for Walt Disney World. Do your research and compare prices. Last year we were able to find a really awesome deal for the Beach Club Resort with tickets, dining plan and airfare through Southwest Vacations for a great price. This deal wasn’t found anywhere else.

5. Buy Gift Cards to pay off your vacation

A lot of grocery stores offer fuel perks for purchases that you make in the store. A lot of these places offer Disney gift cards. If you purchase the amount of gift cards that you need to pay off your trip you will get a lot of money back that you can use to get a bunch of free gas.

6. Go for buffets (especially if you have a Mousekatot under 3)

Buffets are the way to go when you are trying to get the most bang for your buck in Walt Disney World. These are often character meals and you get a wide variety of food that will most likely please everyone in your party, Also, if you have anyone under the age of 3 they will get to eat for free with the purchase of an adult meal.

7. Assess the Park Hopper

For an added fee Walt Disney World offers guests the opportunity to add onto their ticket a park hopper which lets them visit as many parks as they want in one day. This means that with out the Park Hopper you can only visit one park each day. If you think that you would only be interested in visiting one park each day only, then skip the added cost and opt out of the park hopper.

8. Take Off Days 

If you are staying for a long period of time you might want to skip buying tickets to the parks every day and spend a few days at the hotel pool or visiting Disney Springs. These are either free or included with the price already and can save you some extra change.

9. Rent DVC Points

Walt Disney World has a “timeshare” program called the Disney Vacation Club. Instead of buying a particular property, DVC members purchase points that can be used at any of the DVC resorts. When a member can’t use their points they have the option to rent out their points through a third party company. If you are someone that wants to stay at a deluxe resort this may be a way of doing this that will save a little bit of money.

10. Order in

If you plan on being at Walt Disney World for a week or more you might want to have groceries delivered to your room. This way you can eat your breakfast before heading out and this can save you some money. Places like GardenGrocer.com or even Amazon Prime can deliver groceries right to your resort. You just need your name and the address for the resort and the groceries will be waiting for you at the front desk.

These are just a few tips for you to save money on your Walt Disney World vacation. Just like everything else you need to find out what works best for your family and adjust accordingly.

For more tips on saving money and planning your Walt Disney World vacation with toddlers pick up a copy of Mousekatots available as both paperback and ebook.

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