Works For Me Wednesday

I don't know about you but I haven't done any holiday shopping and I'm feeling the push to get some things crossed off my list. Plus, I'm grumpy about the the idea of adding even more "stuff" to my already full house.

If you are anything like me you are looking for creative, easy, clutter-free holiday gift ideas. Well, I have one for you. My WFMW is this great holiday offer from Disney:

Book your 2008 Walt Disney World Vacation between November 23rd- December 23rd and receive a very special phone call from Mickey Mouse on Christmas Day to surprise your family with the good news.

With the extention of "The Year of a Million Dreams" promotion and a special rate of $58 per person per day*, there has never been a better time to visit Walt Disney World.

Guests who book before December 15th will be able to take advantage of a very special discount and FREE ticket upgrades.**

Click here to learn more and book this very special offer.

Check out other great other great ideas at Shannon's blog!

Wordless Wednesday

A dream is a wish your heart makes

To see more of Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom

Happy Birthday--Disney Style!!

What better place to celebrate your birthday than Walt Disney World!! Obviously not everyone is able to get this opportunity, so I have a birthday tip that you can use at home to make you next birthday magical.

Schedule a call from Disney's Enchanted Calls from a favorite character. For just a few bucks your child can receive a special birthday greeting from one of the princesses, Mickey, Pooh or Tigger.

Thinking of spending the big day in Disney World itself?

Here are a few tips to make your birthday at WDW more magical:

Before you go:

-When making your reservations, make sure to tell everyone that you talk to (travel agent, reservationist, etc..) that there will be family member celebrating his/her birthday. There is a possibility that they will acknowledge it at the resort or restaurant that you will be visiting. You can also remind them when checking in at the resort or restaurant.

-Make a special tee-shirt or hat that says "It's My Birthday" You can even add on the age of the child (or adult if they don't mind--lol!!) Cast members usually go out of their way to make the birthday boy or girl feel special. Characters will also give special attention to those celebrating a birthday.

-Make a reservation for Chef Mickey's. It is a great place to celebrate a birthday in WDW. It is a character meal with Mickey, Minnie, and the gang. If you let them know you are celebrating a birthday, they will usually bring around cupcake and the characters to sing "Happy Birthday" to your child.

-Let your child plan their entire birthday itinerary from which park you will go to and where you will eat. They will have fun making the plans.

-For an additional cost, book a birthday Illuminations cruise.

-Purchase some Disney themed gifts at the Disney Store or www.disneyshopping.com to be given out during the trip. Sometimes you can run into some really good sales and it will save you money from purchasing expensive souvenirs during your trip.


Once you arrive:

-Make sure to stop by Guest Relations at any of the four theme parks and tell them it's your birthday. You will receive a special "Today's My Birthday" button to wear!

-Dial the operator at your resort and ask for Goofy's special birthday message.

-For older children, visit the countries in Epcot's World Showcase. Let them know it is a birthday and they will write "Happy Birthday" in different languages in the passport.

-If you would like a cake with your child's name on it, call the restaurant you will be eating at on the special day and you may order one at an additional charge. Most restaurants will do a complimentary cupcake, though.

-Let the parade attendants know that it is your child's birthday. You never know--they may be included in the parade!!

For more great birthday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer today.

Contact me to begin planning your next birthday celebration at Walt Disney World.

Rumor Has It...

Disney may be planning a new theme park in Branson, Missouri.

Read this article for more details

Narcoosee's Review

In honor of the FREE Dining promotion at Walt Disney World this fall, we are featuring reviews of different WDW restaurants on our blog. If you have a review that you would like to submit, please contact us.

Who better to review one of the most romantic restaurants in Walt Disney World than a newlywed?

We are happy to feature a review of Narcoossee's written by one of our readers named Heather. She agreed to let us post her review and photos of her meal on our blog. Thanks Heather!!
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Our Review of Narcoossee's Restaurant

The last night of our January 2007 Honeymoon, we had reservations for 6:00 at Narcoossees. This was by far our favorite meal of the trip, I am so glad it was the last night, it was a great way to top off our disneymoon!

We got there at about 5 till 6:00, and were seated right away. It was pretty empty in there, so we got a seat by the window, and it still wasn't quite dark so we could see the castle and the water, the view was great!. Our server was a middle aged lady who was so sweet. We told her it was the last night of our honeymoon, and she brought us complementary champagne. how nice!

The bread we started off with was very good, and my husband ordered crab cakes for appetizer and I ordered some kind of cheese platter. ( we were using two TS credits each on the Dining Plan)

Our Appetizers:

Then I ordered the filet mignon for my entrée, and I told her I wanted the steak a little pink in the middle and she said they would butterfly it. I was hoping they would cook it right, sometimes there seems to be problems with this at different restaurants! My husband ordered the whole Maine lobster for his entrée. our appetizers came very quickly and my husband said the crab cakes were really good, and well...I'm sure the cheese would be good to a normal non picky person, but I don't like weird stuff. I ate some of it that was good, but to me some of it just wasn't great. My husband liked it though.

Our food came out in about 20 minutes or so, and my husbands lobster was HUGE! It was 2 and 1/4 pounds. we both began to eat and MAN was it GOOD! I eat a lot of steak, and am very much a meat and potatoes girl, but this was amazing! whatever glaze they put on it was awesome! They cooked it just right. I usually get full quickly but I ate every bite!

So we ordered dessert next, and I got the sorbet and my husband got the almond crusted cheesecake (we were going to share both). The cheesecake...oh my gosh SO GOOD! if you like cheesecake this is a must! we were so full but stuffed it in anyway! The sorbet was good too. Lots of fresh fruit, it all hit the spot!

As we were leaving wishes was starting, and it was amazing!

The thing I liked about this place is we were there for 2 hours, and never felt rushed to leave to give our table to someone else. We will definitely be going back here!

To learn more about the FREE dining promotion

'Ohana Means Family

On our first night in Disney World, we visited 'Ohana's for dinner. It had been a long day of traveling and we were looking forward to a nice, relaxing, savory dinner. Well, this place did not disappoint us. In fact, it was probably our favorite meal of the trip.

We took the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Polynesian Resort to get to the restaurant. This was a bonus magical experience because we got to sit up front and be co-pilots. The kids loved this (and the grown ups thought it was pretty cool too)!

When you arrive at the restaurant you sign in and relax in the lounge while waiting for your table. The theme here is Polynesian, so it really puts you in vacation mode. Be prepared to wait even with an advanced dining reservation--this is a popular restaurant.

Once seated, the food started coming and didn't stop. They start you off with Fried Won tons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing. This is followed by appetizers: Spicy-sweet and sour shrimp and Honey-coriander chicken wings. Can I just tell you that at this point we were all pretty much full and they hadn't even brought the main course. The main course is a carnivore's dream come true. You are served marinated meats (steak, pork and turkey) on skewers. The sides were stir fried veggies and scalloped potatoes. You definitely want to bring your appetite!!

We were on the free dining plan, but I think this place is well worth the cost of $25.99 for adults and $11.99 for children 3-9. You definitely get your money's worth with all the food they bring. I think we would have been full for the rest of the trip from just this one meal!

This is all you care to eat and is served family style (served on a Lazy Susan in the middle of the table). I really like family style over buffet--so much more relaxing--especially with young kids that need help getting their food.

'Ohanas has a really great atmosphere for adults, but is fun for the whole family. They have fun activities including a coconut race and a hula hoop contest. These were really cute to watch and our kids really enjoyed them.

Overall, I rate 'Ohana's an A+ and I look forward to going back again this December!

For more information about planning your Disney Vacation

Dinner with a Princess, a Prince, two mice and a Fairy Godmother -- What's Not to Love?

A Royal Experience

1900 Park Fare

During our Disney vacation, I wanted my daughter (then 5) to dine with Cinderella without having to go into the parks to do so. 1900 Park Fare in Disney's Grand Floridian provided the perfect opportunity!

This was to be a girls only dinner -- thus the men stayed home and fended for themselves while four generations of women in my family went off to dine with royalty!

To say that Disney's Grand Floridian is a perfect setting for a Cinderella dinner would be an understatement. One can not walk into the lobby of the GF and not feel at least slightly in awe at the beautiful and elegant furnishings. 1900 Park Fare is located right off the main lobby so it is an easy walk from the parking lot or monorail stop.

We had a minimal wait before we were escorted to our table. As with all Disney character dining experiences, we were told that Cinderella, Prince Charming and Suzie and Perla would come to our table individually and that there was no need to get up to go see them elsewhere in the restaurant.

We anxiously helped ourselves to the lavish buffet and were in a for a treat. Luckily, I had done some research online about this particular dining experience and had read that an absolute must-try was the chilled strawberry soup. It was wonderful! I am so glad I had read that bit of advice or I would have easily passed it up as not something I would care for. I liked it so much, in fact, that I have since my return made the soup at home for a special occasion meal.

The other items on the buffet were equally as tasty. My daughter enjoyed the children's buffet, as well as, the fresh fruit on the adult one.

Throughout the meal we were visited by Suzie and Perla, Prince Charming and of couse, Princess Cindrella. All were wonderful to meet but Cinderella poseses such a sweet nature that it is great to see her interact with young girls.

Full beyond belief, we exited the restaurant only to encounter the Fairy Godmother herself waiting for us in the lobby.

All in all, a magical meal we will definitly remember.

Would you like to dine with royalty?

Disney is offering a delicious new offer -- Guests can experience the magic of the Disney Dining Plan for free during select travel dates. Click here for more information.

Zippideedoodah--Free Dining Is BACK!!

Rumors have been floating around for weeks that Disney is going to be offering the FREE Dining package again! They have done it the past couple of Septembers.

Well, it is no longer a rumor! FREE DINING IS BACK!!!!! This is a substantial savings! A family of four (2 adults, 1 junior and 1 child) will save almost $900 off their package price!

The Disney Dining Plan allows you to choose from over 100 restaurants throughout the Walt Disney Resort and costs 38.99 per adult (10 and over) and 10.99 per child, per night. This is an unbelievable savings!!!

At this point they are only allowing Disney Visa card holders to make take advantage of this deal, but it is expected to be opened up to the general public on April 12th or 13th.The travel dates are August 26-September 22, 2007 and there are a limited number of rooms available with this promotion. The package must be booked by 6/24/07.

For more information or to receive a free quote, go here.

To celebrate this amazing offer, the magical moms will be featuring reviews of some favorite Disney restaurants over the next couple of weeks. If you would like to submit a review email us. We would love to feature it on our blog!

FREE FOOD + DISNEY = ZIPPIDEEDOODAH!!!

To see more WFMW posts, visit Shannon's blog.

Works For Me Wednesday

Many of my friends have asked my opinion about what I think is the "perfect" age to visit Walt Disney World for the first time. This is really hard to answer because every child is different and of course what may work for one child may not for another. (I learn this lesson every day when dealing with my 5 and 7 year old--they are SO different!)

With that said, there is a specific age that really does come to mind for me as the absolute best time to take a child to Disney World for the first time. That age is right before the child's 3rd birthday.

The main reason that I say to do it before the child turns 3 is because they will be FREE to get into the parks up until that point! If you really want to make it memorable, you could plan the trip a few days before the birthday so that your child will be able to celebrate in the "happiest place on earth". There is no better place to have a birthday!

Other reasons why waiting until about 3 is recommended:

• Most kids are potty trained by that age (not all, but most) so you will not have to deal with changing diapers and carrying around all the gear that it entails.
• Kids who are around 1 or 2 can sometimes be afraid of the characters, but by around 3 they really begin to warm up to them and enjoy interacting with them.
• On the same note, this age group will be completely caught up in all of the magic of Disney. Let me just tell you--to see the look on your child's face when they see their favorite princess or character in "real" life is something that you will never forget.
• They will be more likely to try the rides. And there are so many for them to ride at this age. The best part is that parents and children ride together. It is fun for all ages.
• Although they will still need time to rest/nap, they will have the stamina to go longer than toddlers a few years younger.

So that is my Works for me Wednesday Tip. To see more tips, visit Shannon's blog.

For more information on a trip to Disney World