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My Dad's Top 5 Disney World Snacks
Alright, let's get this thing started!! Here are my dad's top five favorite Disney World snacks!
Turkey Leg
Itzakadoozies
Mickey shaped rice crispy
Salmon and Egg Sandwich (from Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in the Norway pavilion in EPCOT)
Coconut Macaron (from Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in the France pavilion in EPCOT)
Mom's Top 5 Favorite Disney World Snacks
Mickey shaped rice crispy
Salted caramel fudge brownie (from Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in the Norway pavilion in EPCOT)
Chip & Dale trail mix (found everywhere on Disney property)
Assorted Fudge (from Main Street Confectionery in the Magic Kingdom)
Crème Brûlée (from Sunshine Seasons in the The Land pavilion at EPCOT)
Sushi Sunday!!
Everyone who goes to Disney multiple times always have certain things that they must absolutely do (a tradition If you will)! Whether it be getting their picture taken with a certain character, going to Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) the first day they get there or eating at a certain restaurant every time they visit Walt Disney World. My family is no exception to this. One of my favorite family traditions that we do, is when my dad and I set a day and time during our vacation to have a father-daughter lunch date at Tokyo Dining in the Japan pavilion at EPCOT! The reason we pick this particular restaurant is because we love us some sushi and in our opinion they have some of the best sushi in all of Walt Disney World!! When we go we usually end up getting the Combination - Matsu and it comes with: 2 tuna, 2 salmon, 2 shrimp, yellow-tail, scallops, egg, eel with 2 pieces of Spicy Roll and 4 pieces of Rainbow Roll !! Trust me, it is mouth wateringly delicious, utterly amazing and worth checking out! I know for a fact that I always look forward to our father-daughter bonding time and it’s an added bonus that we get to have delectable sushi. So next time you want to try something new or you’re looking for a great place to get sushi go check out Tokyo Dining in the Japan pavilion in EPCOT, you won’t regret it!
Pictured below is the Combination – Matsu
Sushi Sunday Pt. 2
My family and I LOVE sushi and when I say we love it, I mean we really really love it!! So when it comes to Disney we pretty much know where we can go to get our fix of it. Here are some of our favorite places to get this yummy Japanese dish.
The first place we are going to talk about is Tokyo Dining in the Japan pavilion at EPCOT. Now Tokyo Dining does require reservations, so make sure you have reservations if you decide to eat here!! Okay at this restaurant there is no shortage of sushi. They have over 20 different options you can choose from. One of my personal favorites is the Combination – Matsu, if you’d like to know more about that you can check out my last post. Another aspect of this restaurant I absolutely adore is the ambience of it. Tokyo Dining has a sleek look about it and is very modern.
Next up is a hidden gem that often gets over looked in my opinion. I say that because my family and I have been to Disney World roughly nine times and until recently know what it was. Turns out it’s a nice little quick service restaurant called Katsura Grill and it is also in the Japan pavilion is EPCOT! Now unlike Tokyo Dining you don’t need reservations in order to eat here which is amazing! The only thing is, is that they only have four things on their sushi menu, but what they do have is excellent! I’d also recommend that if you do go here try some of the other things on the menu, but we’ll get into that another day.
Another one of our favorite places to get this tasty treat is at Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion at EPCOT. Now I know this doesn’t seem like the most obvious place to get sushi, but trust me if you love sushi just as much as we do then you’ll adore the fact that you can get it here. Plus you don’t have to make the trek all the way back to the Japan pavilion just to get you some, you’re welcome! Anyway just like Katsura Grill you don’t need reservations to eat here and they don’t have many options on the sushi menu, just the basics: California Roll, Spicy Roll and Vegetable Roll, but they are really good!
The last place on this list is 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort which is near the Magic Kingdom. One thing you should know about 1900 is that 1. It does require reservations and 2. It is a character meal. What is a character meal you ask? Well what that means it that there are certain Disney characters at this particular restaurant Cinderella, her stepsisters (Anastasia & Drizella), Lady Tremaine and Prince Charming (swoon) are walking around and will stop at your table to chat, take pictures and sign autograph books as you dine. One other thing this is a buffet and the food here is excellent and the assorted sushi is delicious!
There are other places on Walt Disney World property to get sushi, but we have yet to try them all. When we do try them though I will be sure to write up a review and let you guys know how it is and if the places live up to all the hype! So until then keep on eating weird and uncooked fish!
Magic Kingdom Tips & Tricks Tuesday
For the first ever Tips & Tricks Tuesday on Making The Madness Magical, we will be focusing on.......the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World!! The Magic Kingdom is synonymous with Disney. Whether it be Disney Word, Disneyland or any of the other Disney Parks around the world. So today I'm going to be sharing some of the tips and tricks my family and I have picked up over the years!
Main Street, U.S.A Tips & Tricks
The Magic Kingdom Park is separated into seven lands, Main Street U.S.A, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, Now one unique thing is that the layout of the park is like a wheel, so the castle acts like the wheel and the pathways to the different lands are the "spokes". Okay let's start off with Main Street first, because that is the first land you will come to upon entering the Magic Kingdom. Le's get started!
Our first tip is plan to do your shopping during a parade or in the early afternoon as opposed to at the day’s end. Why? Because the shops are less crowded and you won’t have to fight the crowds at the end of the day. Trust me the Main Street shops at night when everyone is making their way out is horrendous and not worth the stress! Also another little tidbit that you should know, is that if you are staying at a resort on Disney property, you have the option to send whatever you buy back to your resort and just pick it up at the gift shop when you get back. That way you aren't lugging heavy bags around the park all day. Just make sure that it IS NOT your last day there.
One of my favorite things about the Magic Kingdom, is the Walt Disney World Railroad! The railroad has three stops and they are: Frontierland, Fantasyland and you guessed it Main Street. This is a great way to get acquainted with the Magic Kingdom if you’ve never been before, but it’s also a fantastic way to relax and you get a nice breeze on those hot Florida days. Beware though, the railroad doesn’t run during firework presentations so plan accordingly!
Another way to get from one end of Main Street to the other, is by taking one of the Main Street vehicles. These vehicles include a Horse-Drawn Street Car, a Jitney, which is an early automobile without a roof, a Fire Engine, a replica of the very first fire truck and an Omnibus, a gas-powered, open-air 2-story bus. Now keep in mind that this is a one-way trips so once you get to where the vehicle stops you will be asked to hop off. That is all of the helpful tips I can think of for Main Street, U.S.A, so if you have any let me know!! Next up will be Adventureland!
Frontierland Tips & Tricks
Frontierland takes you all the way back to the American move out west during the 1700s and the 1800s. From the beautiful mountain ranges, raging waters, unexplored caves and abandon forts there is no shortage of fun to be had here by all.
The first tip I have is for one of the most popular rides in Frontierland and that is Splash Mountain. AS most of you know there is a fifty percent chance that you will get DRENCHED on this ride. Well if you’re not a fan of walking around in wet clothes fear no more, I got you covered! The first thing you can do is put an extra set of clothes in a couple of plastic bag (or one of the big Disney merchandise bags work wonderfully) and then change after you get off the ride…OR you could just sit on the left side of the log. What? Sitting of the left side of the ride? Yup if you sit on the left side you’ll still get a bit wet, but you won’t get as wet as what you would if you sat on the right.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is another extremely popular attraction in Frontierland and because of that the line tends to be very long. If this attraction is one of your must dos then my suggestion would be to hit this ride during the Festival of Fantasy parade! I’m telling you to do during the parade because most families will be watching that, which means you will have little to no waiting and it is magical!!
The Country Bear Jamboree is one of the less popular attractions, but if you’ve never been on it before check it out! One thing though is that if you do decide to watch it, just know that this attraction opens at 10 a.m. everyday even though the rest of the park opens earlier in the day.
Welcome Home Wednesday!
I love going home and at Walt Disney World, home for my family is Disney's Old Key West Resort! Old Key West opened on December 20, 1991 as Disney's Vacation Club Resort. Then in 1996 it was renamed to Disney's Old Key West Resort and has the largest rooms out of all the DVC (short for Disney Vacation Club) Resorts, which is fantastic!
Every single one of the hotels on Disney property have a theme, so what is the theme of OKW? The setting of OKW is turn-of-the-century Key West. As soon as you get there your ears get filled with the sounds of steel drums, Jimmy Buffet songs and you feel as if you are in the Florida Keys on a tropical getaway. You instantly feel the weight of the real world lift off your shoulders and the relaxation vacations begins.
One of the really cool things I love about OKW is that it itself is a community called Conch Flats. They even have their own general store called Conch Flats General Store, a restaurant called Olivia’s Café and a little bar called the Gurgling Suitcase. If you’re looking for a bite to eat, but don’t feel like cooking something in your room or going to the park then definitely try out Olivia’s its delicious and the staff is wonderful!
If you’re DVC members like my family and I are, then you’ll get what I’m talking about next. Like I said before, OKW is its own little community and if you go back every year you get to know the people who work there. You get so used to seeing them and you even become friends with the cast members that work there. One cast member that stands out to me is Robert from the Gurgling Suitcase. Every night when we’d get back from a long day at the park, my dad would head off and go get a Bloody Mary and he did this pretty much every night. Well over the course of the week, my dad and Robert learned quite a bit about each other, became best friends and after our trip their friendship became “Facebook Official” (you ALL know what I mean by that lol). So it really is a home away from home and those who work there truly do become your second family and it gives you something else to look forward to. Let me tell you that that, is just another example of Disney magic!
Magic Kingdom Fun Fact Friday
The Magic Kingdom is full of hidden gems and fun little secrets to discover. Through the day I will be posting and talking about all the different tidbits about the different lands in the Magic Kingdom. Now hopefully these will be fun facts that you don't/didn't know already, so lets get started!
Fantasyland Cinderella Castle Fun Fact
If you're and avid Disney fan, then you know what I mean when I use the term "Disney detail". Disney has always been known for their attention to detail, in both their movies and parks. Our next fun fact/ hidden gem, is in Cinderella Castle. If you know your Disney Imagineers and have a sharp eye then you’ve probably already found this one. In the mural scene inside the walkway in Cinderella’s Castle, where prince Charming has placed the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot, you will find two Disney Imagineers. If you look to the far left of the mural, there is a man standing and that is John Hench, and then the man standing directly behind the prince is Herbert Ryman. Hench and Ryman, if you didn’t know, were the lead designers of Cinderella Castle.