'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

Wordless Wednesday

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.

Making Memories on a Disney Cruise - Part 1

Once upon a time there was a mom and this particular mom really, really loved Disney. In fact, in this mom's household it was often debated who loved Disney more....the mom or the kids. The answer was definitely not the Dad because the Dad liked to visit other theme parks in the Orlando area whose names we will not mention at this point. It wasn't that the dad found anything wrong with the Big Mouse or The Happiest Place on earth, he just preferred a little diversity in his amusement park touring!

To those who knew this mom's love for "The World", it came as no surprise, when she announced that her family was going on the Disney cruise!!!!! This announcement was made almost 3 years ago.

In December, I being the magical mom who loves Disney more than.........well, let's just say, a lot, went on vacation to Disney with my "other Orlando park liking" husband, my 6-year-old daughter and my 3-year-old son. Also, on the trip were my parents and joining us for the cruise, my grandparents and good friend with her mother and 4-year-old son!

In my next blog, I'll tell more about the trip and all of our adventures!

Stop procrastinating!

Procrastination! That seems to be a universal theme weaving its way in and out of my days.....I put off going to the grocery store....delay doing the laundry.....wait a few more days to pay the bills.......and then one day it hits me.....I have no food, no clean clothes, no electricity (no, just kidding -- it hasn't gone that far)....and today I realize I have no passport for my kids and no current passport for my husband!

Now, this may not seem like any great cause for concern but it is when it has the potentional to affect our summer travel plans!

To give you a little history of why we need a passport to travel this summer, I will tell you of the new requirements for travelers. For more information you can visit http://travel.state.gov/

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S.
citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, AIR NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including US
citizens, traveling between the US and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Bahamas by LAND or SEA (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport.

There isn't really great cause for panic on my part as our summer travel plans are for a 5-Night Bermuda Cruise from Baltimore thus a passport is not actually required at this time since we will be entering and exiting US by sea, BUT (there is always a BUT, isn't there?) lets just say we were to get 3-days into our wonderful cruise vacation and are relaxing on the beautiful pink beaches of Bermuda when we find out that there is an emergency back home and we need to return right away! One big problem, we don't have a passport so we can't fly home.

Other situations could arise besides emergencies that would hinder those traveling without passports -- imagine you are departing for a cruise from a different city/state. Your plane is delayed and your much-awaited cruise sets sail without you. You arrive at the port hours later and the ever-helpful cruise official tells you that they will fly you to the next port where you can board your cruise ship and enjoy the rest of your vacation. Guess what? You don't have a passport so you can't fly to the next port!

With all that said, I am making an appointment first thing tomorrow morning to get the ball rolling on our passports. We really can't delay any longer as the estimated wait time for non-expediated passport applications is 3 months from date of submission.

If you are planning on traveling in 2007 here are some tips for submitting your application.

• You can complete and print the passport application at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html
• Most post offices require an appointment for passport applications so call your local post office to find out
• Bring with you a certified US birth certificate/Naturalization, etc; proof of ID (driver's license); two identical passport photos
• Children under 14 must be accompanied by both parents
• USPS accepts cash, check, money order or credit card for payment of fees -- $97 for adults/$87 for child 15 and under

Mom My Ride

Someone just sent me this hilarious video and I just had to share it. This just about sums up the state of my van. Too funny!!