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Vacation splurges

Posted on May 29, 2009 8:01 am by TheAngelForever

Admit it, when you go on vacation you often splurge. Whether you splurge on things you do, items you buy, or food you eat. When we recently went to Disney World I was definitely guilty of this. We opted to do the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). This meant that we paid a set price for each day and were given a snack credit (could be soda, ice cream, pretzel, pastry or countless other items), counter service meal credit (entree, drink and dessert), and table service meal credit (beverage that could be soda/smoothie/milk shake, entree and of course dessert) for each day.

We managed to use most of our snack credits for breakfast and only had to pay for gratuities on the table service meal. Let me tell you, it is nice not to think about the price of food while away. Of course, as nice as it is not to think about the money aspect, the calories is a different story. You know that desserts twice a day and eating at buffets can be a dangerous thing. I fully admit that I ate what I wanted, not like a piggy, and did not worry. I wanted to fully enjoy our first major vacation in over six years and part of that at Disney is the dining.

May I present you with one of my favorite goodies from the trip. I actually had this as breakfast one morning (learned that from my father thanks):

That amazing looking item above is the Tie Dye Cheesecake at the Pop Century Resort in Walt Disney World. If you would like a closer look where you can see the red velvet cake layer on the bottom of the colorful cheesecake here it is:

Luckily all of the walking and sweating in the 90+ degree heat allowed me the pleasure of losing weight even while eating these delicious items. Most people are not so lucky when they go to Disney, so I know I was.

My question for this week:

When you go on a big vacation do you splurge on something? If you do what types of items are we talking about?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #50

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Aloha Friday Disney food glorious food looking back me moments vacation yummy

Adventures in photo fun

Posted on May 27, 2009 7:54 am by TheAngelForever

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brothers Disney jsl nhl photos vacation Wordless Wednesday

Naturally hidden Mickey Mouse

Posted on May 26, 2009 9:05 am by TheAngelForever

If you are a Disney fan, then you probably know that the Imagineers that create Disney attractions hide Mickey Mouse silhouettes within their attractions. Thanks to the popularity of finding the hidden Mickey locations, there are now websites, books and more that allow Disney fanatics a chance to look for them during their visits.

Yesterday we had dinner with my parents for Memorial Day. JL brought his external hard drive to transfer our photos from Disney World to my parent’s computer. Just before we left to go home my mother started to look at the photos. She suddenly gasped at something she saw. Check out the photo below and let me know what you think.

Do you see what we see?

Of course, we think this is just more of the magic that is part of Walt Disney World.

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Disney interesting looking back vacation

Our day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom & Boma

Posted on May 24, 2009 3:07 pm by TheAngelForever

Monday morning, we decided to wake up on the early side to get a quick breakfast using snack credit at Pop Century before heading to use the Extra Magic Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We arrived at the park just after the major rush when it opened at 8:00. The place was pretty empty.

1. About to start the day, 2. Ready for the day at Animal Kingdom

Once we were passed security and the gates, they greeted kids with animal educators that had containers with animals. NHL, JSL and I looked at a neat looking spider. After that we wandered over to where Nana and Papa were. Here is what they were looking at:

Apparently, my mother does not look at enough poop in the micro-lab at work …she wanted some on her vacation too! Once we were done with that we wandered into the park. We stopped briefly to have one of the PhotoPass pictures taken. JL and I even stopped to have one of just the two of us. Fitting since we were wearing our matching Animal Kingdom t-shirts from our honeymoon there eight yeas ago.

It was at about that time that my parents, NHL and JSL were able to catch their first glimpses of the amazing Tree of Life that sits in the middle of the park. It truly is like nothing else you will see in your life.

Here is a closer view of the spectacular animals that are carved into this centerpice:

From here, we wandered our way through Asia and Africa to the Safari ride. We figured it would be great for everyone to do this together. Plus in the morning, the animals would be more active, feeding and not laying around from the extreme heat. The animals did not disappoint and we saw most of the. Of course, we are partial to a certain one that spent a lot of time near our group. Many of the giraffes were out and two of them kept blocking the road and were even following our vehicle. Here are some photos from our adventure.

1. Here comes our ride, 2. All of the animals to see, 3. A rhino, 4. Hippo time, 5. Danger under the bridge, 6. Watching everthing closely, 7. Giraffes by the road, 8. Little guy holding on tight, 9. Hello friends, 10. Amazing view of giraffe back, 11. Giraffe going to some other friends, 12. Close encounter of the giraffe kind, 13. Mama elephant, 14. Look what we spotted, 15. Blocking the road, 16. The lion king stood up for a minute

When we were done with the ride, we stopped to take a picture of our fun Safari driver. Here he is:

Of course, JSL wanted to go back in the car car for another ride to see more animals. Also note, he was obsessed with holding onto a park map each and every day. As you will see, his little hands have one in this photo.

When we were done with this, NHL really wanted to head toward Expedition Everest. We figured it was a good idea. We would walk over, get a Fast Pass for Papa, NHL and I and then go back later. We were floored when we walked up and the standby line was 15 minutes. Thanks to that we hopped right onto the line. The information about the Yeti and expedition teams that you can look at while on line are amazing. When it was time for the ride, NHL sat next to me and Papa rode in front of us. All I can say is it was a WILD ride. It was like no other coaster I have been on. Thanks to the darkness you never see what is happening as it moves you forward, then back and forward again.

1. Expedition Everest from a distance, 2. NHL insisted on riding this early, 3. Check out Papa’s expression, 4. The peaceful looking mountain

From here, we went to get a Fast Pass at Dinosaur. Once again, there was little line. I grabbed a child swap pass since JSL was too small to ride. Nana, Papa, JL and NHL went on. JSL was getting really tired. We walked around while waiting for everyone to come back. In fact, once he was asleep I went to get on the line for the Finding Nemo stage show. I waited there for the rest of the group to catch up. Here are some photos from Dinosaur. As you will see NHL was not a fan, so I did not get to go back on it. No big loss to me since I was not in love with it when I went on eight years ago.

1. Time to see the dinosaurs, 2. Heading off to a not little kid ride, 3. The inside of Dinosaur, 4. The Dinosaur ride photo

Finally the rest of the crew met up with me at the Finding Nemo theater. This is a TOUGH show to get into. They actually have guaranteed seating for people that make reservations at certain times at restaurants in the park. We quickly got seats and JSL stayed asleep the entire time. We had heard that this show was amazing and like a Broadway production. It was that and more. NHL sat there mesmerized and could not take his eyes off of the actors and puppets. The colors, scenes, music, singing, dancing and everything were amazing. We were all surprised to see that it was a forty minute show. Here are some highlights.

1. Nemo and Marlin, 2. Time for fish school, 3. Bruce and the sharks arrive, 4. Fish tank friends, 5. The biggest puppet, 6. They make a plan for Nemo, 7. Dory and Marlin meet new friends, 8. Crush and Marlin, 9. Lots of turtle dudes

Once the show was over we wandered back toward the front of the park to the Pizzafari to have lunch. This was a great big air conditioned restuarant where we could use our quick service credits. Everyone was hungry and gobbled up pizza, salads and more. Even JSL woke up and had some pizza. After eating, we decided to split up and wander around without my parents. Of course, this did not last long when we saw the It’s Tough to Be a Bug show was starting soon. I called them on their cell phone and they met up with us by the Tree of Life. Needless to say right before they were going to let us into the theater for the 3D movie, NHL decided that he had to go potty. Thank goodness Papa was not thrilled about seeing this show and volunteered to take NHL. It was a good thing NHL left when he did since the show may have scared him. JL, Nana and I enjoyed it and, well, the little guy tolerated it. Here are photos before NHL left of him withe his Bug Eyes on.

1. Bug glasses ready to go, 2. Time for another show, 3. Can you tell he had something else on his mind

My mother mentioned to me that my father was itching to buy something at the store. She guessed that Papa had probably taken NHL and bought him something. Here is what we found when we were done being bugs:

Mom was right, so next we went back to the stores to look for a new safari hat for JSL. We eventually found a cute one with Mickey and Minnie on it. At that point we split up again and said we would meet before heading to Boma for dinner. None of us thought we would be able to make the Festival of the Lion King. We thought it would be a nice time to try to get some character photos with the boys. We went toward Camp Mickey and Minnie. When we got inside we saw that they were about to start the Lion King show and were still taking people inside. We jumped at the opportunity. JL and I had not seen this on our honeymoon and were upset since everyone raved about it. The show truly was a spectacle. It made you feel like part of a tribal celebration. The costumes, colors and dancing took you into the Lion King. Here are some photos from the show that both of the boys loved.

1. Pumba was even there, 2. Timon walked around saying hello, 3. Stilt walkers in costume, 4. Animals in costume, 5. Monkey time, 6. Clapping he was so happy, 7. Loved watching the show, 8. Dancing with the kids, 9. Festival of the Lion King

Once again NHL refused to have photos taken with Mickey and company. On the way back to Dinoland I spotted someone that I thought just may work. Waiting with almost no line was Pocohontas. I figured she was a great person to start with and work our way up. Please note the looks of confusion on the faces of the boys who had no clue who she was.

Just around the corner from here I spotted Lilo and Stich. There was also a PhotoPass photographer there. The boys allowed us to take a photo with JL and me in it. So here is our family portrait.

From here we went to Dinoland and the boys were excited to go on the Flying Triceratops. There was no line and we were able to go on them twice before we had to head off to meet Nana and Papa. FYI – the flying dinos are basically a new and improved version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride that is in the Magic Kingdom.

Had we had a few more minutes I would have loved to ride on this, but NHL was not tall enough so I passed.

When we made our way back to the main area to meet my parents, the parade was just ending. Of course, that is where we happened to bump into Nana and Papa. So we waved goodbye to Mickey and went to get a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

As we were waiting on line for a bus, we heard someone calling my parents. Sure enough, we saw my brother’s friend, his wife and their little girl. They were also in Disney for the week and were heading to Boma for dinner as well. It still amazes me that in a place so large we bumped into someone we know. When we arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge we checked in and looked around the lobby. There were actually two PhotoPass photographers. We took the opportunity for a group picture before we went to dinner.

Our beeper was going off before we knew it, so we wandered down to Boma for our meal. We had heard that this was an amazing array of African inspired food and was vegetarian friendly for JL. The buffet was amazing and each of us quickly found items that we adored. If I have to pick my favorite meal of the trip this would probably be right up there. We will definitely be going back to Boma when we go to Disney World again. Another item that impressed me was our server noted that we were there celebrating JSL’s birthday. Without us saying anything she brought him a cupcake and sang to him. Very classy (please note this for when I review JSL’s actual B-day dinner).

After our meal, we wandered to the gift store at that resort. We bought a Disney Princess post card to send to my niece and got each of the boys a Disney safari character. NHL picked out Goofy and JSL selected Pluto. From here, we took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and transferred back to Pop Century.

JSL quickly fell asleep on the bus. When we got back to our room, NHL was still ready to go. We decided to let him go swimming with JL. Papa stayed back in the room with JSL to watch television in the AC. Nana went with me to wander. The boys were in the 80’s computer pool right by our room. Nana told them about the Goofy Spray area and Hippy Dippy Pool (better photos from the day coming soon). Thanks to that, we all went to explore the resort more in the "cooler" evening temperatures.

We were eventually able to pull NHL away from swimming and head back to the room. When we got back JSL was starting to stir. When we took off his sandals, we noticed blisters on his little feet. We put band-aids on them, showered everyone and went to bed.

Up next, our first full day at the Magic Kingdom and dinner at The Wave.

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animals birthday Disney family food glorious food jl jsl nhl photos shopping travel vacation yummy

Mother’s Day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Posted on May 21, 2009 1:02 pm by TheAngelForever

Everyone was very tired after our dinner at Chef Mickey. We decided to call it an early night and head back to Pop Century. Our luggage had arrived in the room and we got the boys settled into bed. They faded quickly.

The next morning was Mother’s Day. We had planned to go to Disney Hollywood Studios. My parents went to use some snack credit on our dining plan for their breakfast. The boys and I took extra time putting sun lotion on. We opted to take some oatmeal bars for a breakfast on the move. As you can see…the lines were sparce when we arrived for the buses.

We arrived at Disney Hollywood studios an hour before the park opened. This gave us time to make a plan for when the park opened. JL was going to take all of our tickets to walk quickly to Toy Story Mania. We would make our way there to the line for a ride. It was neat seeing the park so quite before everyone was there.

They finally opened the main gate for everyone to see the spiel that they do at the opening of the day. JL made his way to the front. When the director said action, he was off to Toy Story Mania. Mom, Dad, the boys and I quickly found our way to the Pixar area. JL already had our Fast pass tickets to return, so we opted to go onto the standby line. Within 5 minutes we were on the ride. The people that designed this attraction did an amazing job taking you inside the life of the toys. You are immediately transformed into a world from Toy Story.

About the photos from top left-right and bottom left-right. 1. The entrance of Toy Story Mania, 2. Giant Candyland, 3. Monkey along the way, 4. Toy Story Mania, 5. Fabulous game/ride – Toy Story Mania, 6. Happy to try Toy Story Mania, 7. Ready to ride and play the game, 8. Nana and Papa ready to go

After riding Toy Story Mania the first time we decided to wander to the Muppets area. This took us along the back lot. Mom took a photo of the four of us and then some kind people took the only photo that we had of our entire group.

Just around the corner from NYC, we found ourselves surrounded by familiar Muppet friends. We wandered around and then went to see the show.

1. Time for the Muppets, 2. Ready for the show, 3. Glasses a bit too large, 4. Outside Muppet Vision 3D

Upon stepping out of the Muppet theater, we quickly saw that they were opening up the area to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater from the movie Cars. We waited for the photo opportunity. NHL and JSL were not too sure. We actually had to switch sides since Mater’s loud noises were really bothering the little guy.

After we said goodbye to Lightning and Mater, we went back to Toy Story Mania to ride with our Fast Pass. When the ride was over we parted ways with Nana and Papa. They went to explore the park and get a Fast Pass for Dad and I to go on the Rockin Roller Coaster. The boys and I opted to try out the Playhouse Disney Show. This was a cute show. The only negative in my mind, as an adult, is sitting on the floor scrunched next to a ton of people. It was well worth the sleepy legs since both of the boys loved seeing familiar faces.

By the time the show was over it was already time to use our Fast Pass for the Rockin’ Roller Coaster. Dad and I went on line and the boys and Nana went to get fast pass for the Tower of Terror and look for a place to have lunch. Fifteen minutes later we were off the coaster. It was absolutely amazing! It was the first time I kept my eyes open and enjoyed a coaster. It was fast, smooth, and the light show made it even more fabulous. It took us a while to get a hold of the rest of the gang. They had found a restaurant that was inside and had a decent menu. We walked over and had lunch while JSL slept.

While walking away from the restaurant after lunch something happened. I suddenly felt my glasses shift and was queasy. Sure enough the nose pad on my glasses was gone. There was no hope in finding it. This was not a good start to the vacation since I had no clue where or how to get them fixed. Papa, JL and NHL went off to the Tower of Terror. JL refused to do this on our honeymoon, but this time did not want to be out done by his five year old son.

1. The ride that NHL wanted to go on, 2. Before Tower of Terror, 3. What goes up . . .

Meanwhile my mother and I wandered with sleeping JSL to get a spot to watch the Beauty and the Beast show. This show had major memories from the last visit I had with my family. I was able to get an apple for JSL to have while waiting for the show. When the boys arrived we went to our seats and enjoyed the beautiful show. As you can imagine the boys were mesmerized and barely moved during the performance.

After the show Dad and I decided to go back on Rockin’ Roller coaster since the line was very short. This time the boys and Nana waited in the Aerosmith store for us to come out. Lucky me, since it meant that JL was able to capture the photo from our ride.

At this point there was not a lot of time before our dinner reservations at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe. We decided to walk over to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid to enjoy the show sitting in a nice air conditioned theater.

Finally it was close to dinner time. We all walked toward the restaurant. NHL stopped to see some topiaries and JSL enjoyed walking with Papa.

Our meal at the Prime Time Cafe was very good. We were on the dining plan, so each of us was able to get a beverage to start. JL, Mom and I all had Berry Smoothies, Dad had a Diet Coke Float and NHL wanted milk. The boys shared NHL’s macarroni and cheese, JL had a Tuna meal and the rest of us had an amazing salmon dish. The antics of the server are well worth the visit. We also had yummy desserts with our meals before heading out of Disney Hollywood Studios.

1. Boys trying to be sweet, 2. Back to before I was here, 3. Mother’s Day dinner, 4. Our wacky server

Rather than go right back to Pop Century we followed my parents to Downtown Disney for a little while. NHL was curious to see the monster World of Disney store and we were all curious about Goofy Candy Co.

1. The boys outside the Winnie the Pooh Store, 2. Stitch spits at you as you enter, 3. Mirror fun time, 4. Never did buy anything here

Quickly we realized it was time to go. We had been away from our room for over 12 hours and we were all getting cranky. By the time we got to our resort the boys were ready to recline in their stroller.